Pastors get ready to hit the streets

Volunteering to go out into the middle of the night, stand in the cold and help drunk people get home may sound like the last thing a teenager would want to do on a Saturday night.

But 19-year-old Gemma Moyse is among 20 people who have signed up to become one of a Black Country town's first street pastors.

The pioneering new initiative aimed at making Walsall a safer place for people going out at night is set to be launched next month once the volunteers have received training from the police.

Street Pastors is a national initiative, which has already been introduced in more than 150 towns and cities across the country.

There are already schemes up and running in more than 25 Midland towns and cities, including Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Stourbridge, West Bromwich, Stafford and Worcester.

By recruiting volunteers through local churches the role of the pastors is to engage with local people and provide a caring and calming influence to help them enjoy their evening.

Some may say it fits perfectly with the Prime Minister's notion of Big Society — local people volunteering their time to improve their town and also helping to take the load off police and other agencies and save public money to boot.

The volunteers in Walsall are currently undergoing training but by the end of March they will be based in the town centre and initially will be out and about on Saturdays from around 10pm until the early hours of Sunday morning.

Costs of the scheme are being met through church fundraising and grants.

Gemma, who joined the scheme through Delves Baptist Church in Walsall, said she jumped at the chance to volunteer.

"I've had a lot of bad experiences in Walsall centre and I've always wanted someone there with me at those times," she said.

"Being a street pastor gives me the opportunity to be with these people and provide them with the support they need.

"My parents are nervous about me going out at night and my friends think its a bit weird, but everyone has been very supportive." Although the scheme will be run by local churches, pastors insist they are not there to preach but to give help and support.

The pastors work independently but will liaise closely with the council and police to ensure they complement each other's work.

Another volunteer is Suzanne Sale, 39, who works on Wolverhampton railways as a customer services assistant. "I've been a Christian for nine years and I have a lot of life experiences," said Suzanne, who lives in Sedgley and worships at Green Lane Baptist Church in Walsall.

"I want to use the experiences I've had to help others and I also feel like I'm contributing something to society. I'm a bit nervous about it but you get to listen to people, hear their stories and give them some help."

Brendan O'Hare, acting sergeant of the licensing team, is helping to train up the new recruits at Aldridge Police Station.

The 36-year-old said: "There are thousands of street pastors across the country and now Walsall has cottoned on to it. At the moment we are still in the initial stages of getting it up and running but the response has been fantastic. We needed 12 volunteers and we had more than 20 people sign up."