Street Angels is a Church-led initiative that is made up of volunteers who want to help make York city centre a safer and better place.
Volunteers walk the streets into the early hours on Friday and Saturday nights caring for, practically helping and listening to people, especially those in vulnerable or difficult situations.
Unfortunately, they don’t always have have enough volunteers available to send a team out, so they have put out an appeal for more people to join then.
When they do have enough volunteers to send a team out, they meet at their arranged starting point, pack rucksacks, and put on reflective Street Angels York jackets – ready for whatever the night and the weather brings.
Teams always go out in groups of 3–4 people, and each team includes a mix of genders. This ensures everyone they meet feels comfortable and supported.
After a short prayer, they head into the city centre.
They usually start a shift around 10pm and finish around 2am, ending with a debrief and prayer before heading home.
As a recognised Street Angel, volunteers are likely to be approached by individuals needing help or information, from directions to the nearest taxi rank to where to find a safe place to stay for the night.
Volunteers also identify those in vulnerable situations: single girls needing someone to walk them to a taxi or wait with them for a bus, guys who have lost their mates and their mobile phones, the teenagers drinking cider in the market stalls, or the homeless man who’s just had some guy pour a can of beer over his sleeping bag.
Volunteers hand out bottles of water or flip flops (for the inevitable girl whose stilettos have taken their toll).
Many of the volunteers are Christians who believe faith is something lived out through service, compassion, and showing up where people need support.
But you don’t have to be a Christian to join. They simply ask that you respect those who choose to take part in the prayers at the start and end of the shift.
What matters most is a heart for people and a desire to make York a safer, kinder place late at night.
If you can spare even just one evening a month to volunteer as a Street Angel, please email [email protected]
