Town Pastors will be taking to the streets of Bury St Edmunds
from May 2nd, offering guidance, assistance and support
to people on a night out in the town centre.
Supported by St Edmundsbury Borough Council, Suffolk Police
through the Bury Central Safer Neighbourhood Team, and the Bury
Pubwatch scheme, Town Pastors will be out and about on Friday and
Saturday evenings. There are currently 25 members of the initiative
drawn from local churches, who will go out in pairs in the areas
around Bury’s pubs and clubs.
The Town Pastors will look out for and support vulnerable people
they encounter, assisting where appropriate, as well as providing a
friendly face and a caring approach to help people enjoy their
night out to the full.
Town Pastor coordinator, Mrs Jo Copsey is excited about the new
scheme. “We have a fantastic team of volunteer Town Pastors who
will be supported by a large prayer team. We feel privileged to
have the opportunity to serve the community and contribute towards
making Bury St Edmunds a safer place.”
The West Suffolk Community Safety Partnership is funding the
Town Pastor scheme. Cllr Sara Mildmay-White, St Edmundsbury Borough
Council Cabinet member with responsibility for crime and disorder
reduction and member of the Community Safety Partnership said,
"Bury St Edmunds has many attractions for a great evening out,
which can be enjoyed in safety thanks to the commendable efforts of
these caring and principled volunteers and to the partnership
working of local agencies."
Bury Central Safer Neighbourhood Team Sergeant Steve Henthorn
hopes the Town Pastors will be valued by all who meet them. “I am
very grateful to those volunteers who will be giving up their time
for free to help make Bury town centre an even safer place on
Friday and Saturday nights. The Town Pastors will certainly assist
my officers by listening to any concerns and speaking to people in
vulnerable or hostile situations. By working together we will be
able to give an even higher level of service to people on a night
out.”
Chris Cornish, chair of Bury Pubwatch, adds, “Pubwatch fully
supports the Town Pastors initiative and we all look forward to
working with them, as it can only benefit the night time economy of
Bury St Edmunds by offering support and help to those persons in
need.”