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Coleraine Street Pastors

  • Status

    Received: on time

  • Income

    £12.7K

  • Spending

    £9.9K

  • Charity no. 107255
  • Company no. 6531007
  • Date registered. 08/04/2019

Public benefits

We understand the pastoral care we provide as Street Pastors to be the 'Church in action' and believe this practice is a tenet of our Christian Faith which is to love God above all else and our neighbour as ourselves. Though we don't set out to make converts on the streets, many of the lives touched through our care, encounter the presence and

love of Jesus Christ on the street and may as a result choose to follow God. One benefit of working under the auspices of the Ascension Trust is the momentum carried by the Street Pastors brand. It is a well-documented fact that the work of Street Pastors has a direct impact upon public disturbance and crime reduction, reducing the number of arrests and attendances at accident and emergency departments. This benefits the public and the public purse. Our engagement with society is known for the support Street Pastors provide in spiritual, social, emotional, physical and mental well-being of individuals who are in need of care in public places. As we care for, listen to and help people during our patrols, we provide safety and make our communities safer. This is public benefit. One of our routine activities is to collect empty and broken glass bottles to prevent them from being used as weapons. This humble task has great potential in preserving life, which is beneficial to the public. Whether we mediate in conflict between revellers or simply patrol establishing a calming and reassuring presence in the streets, this is all of public benefit and assists the police to maintain public order and to reduce public spending which also benefits the public purse. When on patrol Street Pastors wear a uniform, which elicits questions from people about our Christian beliefs. When asked to, we share our belief in Jesus Christ and His love for all mankind, and pray with individuals as requested. This enlightens others about Christianity and advances the Christian Faith for the benefit of the public. For every patrol we do, the team leader submits a report, which is used to compile records (see last year’s figures). Although it is impossible to assess the impact of every encounter, our teams know that they do prevent many rapes and assaults of vulnerable people, quite apart from all the small acts of kindness they continually do. We receive heartfelt messages of thanks from grateful individuals for help received, as well as from thankful parents and friends. These messages come by email, text and Facebook. In addition the PSNI speak very highly of the work we do to support vulnerable people. They say it is a great help to them and complements the work they do, saving them making unnecessary arrests and spending hours with vulnerable people, when they have more pressing concerns. The NIHE has also been very supportive financially of Coleraine Street Pastors from the beginning, seeing the support and sense of safety we bring to the housing estates we patrol. There is a certain risk to Street Pastor volunteers in being present where people are under the influence of alcohol or drugs and where fights may break out. However our volunteers are well trained in knowing when to step back from volatile situations and let the police do what they are equipped to do. The charity's beneficiaries are members of the general public in the Causeway Coast & Glens area, who are in need of care in public places, especially in the night time economy. They could be people leaving clubs or pubs late at night, who are in distress, injured, disorientated, at risk of sexual assault or other abuse, needing help to get home safe, or displaying anti-social behaviour under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Or they could be a little group of teenagers in a housing estate congregating in a play park, who want to ask for support of some sort or engage in conversation. Each of our Street Pastor volunteers benefits, in that each volunteer is trained and equipped to be more aware of and more responsive to the needs of our community. This benefit is both incidental and necessary. No volunteer or trustee benefits financially in any way. There is no financial benefit to any of our volunteers.

What your organisation does

Advancement of Religion: As a Christian organisation, our 37 volunteers from 13 churches serve the community, especially during the night economy, helping people in distress, injured, disoriented, or exhibiting anti-social behaviour due to alcohol or drugs. Our work includes pastoral care for the public, demonstrating the Christian value of loving

our neighbour without prejudice and raising awareness of faith's relevance today. We care, listen, and assist through small teams of trained Street Pastors. We patrol nightclubs from 11:00pm to 2:00am on Saturdays, helping vulnerable individuals get home safely, providing water, flip-flops, and foil body warmers, and calming conflicts. We also promote community safety by patrolling estates, town centres, and parks on Friday nights from 8:00pm to 11:00pm, as well as at contentious football matches. We collaborate with police and NIHE to identify current hotspots and issues. Street Pastors wear a uniform marked with the Street Pastor logo, prompting questions about our Christian beliefs. When asked, we share our faith in Jesus Christ and His love for all people, praying with individuals upon request. This helps spread the Christian faith for the public's benefit. Community Capacity Building: As Street Pastors, we work closely with the police to address issues involving socially disadvantaged groups or marginalized individuals within the community. We aim to follow best practices in all our services for public benefit. As Christians and members of local churches, our work demonstrates Jesus Christ's compassion in practical ways within our community. We showcase the relevance of church and faith to life and society by developing the skills of our Street Pastors as non-judgmental, non-discriminatory agents of peace, reconciliation, and safety. This positively influences public morality and civic cohesion.

The charity’s classifications

  • The advancement of religion
  • The advancement of citizenship or community development

Who the charity helps

  • Addictions (drug/solvent/alcohol abuse)
  • Adult training
  • Asylum seekers/refugees
  • Children (5-13 year olds)
  • Community safety/crime prevention
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Ex-offenders and prisoners
  • General public
  • Homelessness
  • Men
  • Mental health
  • Older people
  • Physical disabilities
  • Unemployed/low income
  • Volunteers
  • Women
  • Youth (14-25 year olds)

How the charity works

  • Advice/advocacy/information
  • Community development
  • Education/training
  • General charitable purposes
  • Medical/health/sickness
  • Religious activities
  • Volunteer development

Charitable purposes

The Charity's objects ("Objects") are to:- (1) Advance education in accordance with Christian principles by such means as the Directors may consider appropriate in the Causeway Coast & Glens area and such other parts of the United Kingdom or the world as the Directors may from time to time think fit and to fulfil such other purposes which are exclusively charitable according to the law of Northern Ireland and are connected with the charitable work of the Charity. (2) Relieve those in need by the provision of public pastoral care services to help people in the streets and other public places, giving guidance, support and signposting which assist in preserving public order, avoid anti-social behaviour, relieve sickness and preserve health. (3) Advance the Christian Faith, in accordance with the License Agreement executed with the Ascension Trust and the Core Values and Mission Statement appearing in the schedules hereto, in the Causeway Coast and Glens area and in such other parts of the United Kingdom or the world as the Directors may from time to time think fit particularly but not exclusively by means of caring, listening and helping people on the streets and at carious venues day and night.

Governing document

Memorandum and Articles

Other name

List of regions

  • Causeway Coast And Glens District Council

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