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Behind the scenes at Isle of Wight Street Pastors we have been making some small but important changes to how the charity runs, to try and enable us to keep making a difference in our community as effectively as possible. As part of this we have made some changes to the staff team including the recent appointment of a part-time administrator. We’re delighted to welcome Karen Penn to the team and can tell from the short time she’s been with us that she, and the new role, is going to make a big difference in the coming months.

2016 will be a big year for us. We’ve been going for seven years now and we think our work is still needed and valued. We think we need to be in this for the long-haul but we need to work more closely with local churches and the wider community to do that. We also need to be more effective about showing people the value of what we do. Those things may not sound as exciting as a brand new project launch, but we think they’re even more important and we’re putting as much effort in to making these changes as if we were starting something new. Many of these changes will happen unseen and the visible results may take a while, but we think they will be worth it.

We’re delighted that Rev Les Isaacs, founder of Street Pastors and CEO of the Ascension Trust will be our special guest speaker at our commissioning service this November. We’re equally delighted that we’ll be welcoming another batch of fantastic volunteer Street and School Pastors to the team. Anyone with an interest in Street and School Pastors is welcome to join us for what should be an inspiring evening.

Friday 20th November @ Newport Congregational Church, Pyle Street, PO30 1UJ from 6.30-7.30 with refreshments served afterwards

We were delighted to receive the District Commander’s Congratulations for the work of our Street Pastors and School Pastors on the Isle of Wight. Each initiative was presented with a certificate at a ceremony held in Newport and demonstrates the high regard the police have for the work of our amazing volunteers on our streets and in Medina College. Chief Constable Andy Marsh was joined by local police commander Superintendent Sarah Jackson, plus Lord Lieutenant Major General Martin White and High Sheriff of the Isle of Wight, Ron Holland to present the awards to the assembled guests.

The citation for the award read:

“For the past six years the volunteers have patrolled the streets of Ryde, Newport and Ventnor making a significant impact on its night-time economy. They are particularly excellent at looking out for vulnerable people, which helps relieve pressure from police and ambulance staff. They also reduce the likelihood of vulnerable people becoming victims of crime. In the past, Street Pastors have also been successful in diffusing violent situations, calming people down and preventing fights.

The School Pastors have patrolled in Median College and are now an important part of the school community. The team as reduced the number of bullying incidents, and they look out for vulnerable students, providing an independent listening ear. This has been acknowledged as making a massive impact on wellbeing of students at the college.

This award is in recognition of all their excellent work which has made them vital members of the Island community.”

 

 

 

You can now fundraise for Isle of Wight Street Pastors without even moving from your PC! Just sign up and shop via Easyfundraising and we’ll receive a donation for every purchase you make. It doesn’t cost you anything and you pay the same price as if you’d shopped direct. Lots of retailers are included, so simply using shops you already buy from could make a big difference. We’ll use the money to help run the Street pastors and School Pastors initiatives, keeping people safe on our streets and bringing safety and reassurance to our schools.

Our sadness at Rebecca leaving us is tempered by the fantastic news that Dan Wells has taken over the reigns as School Pastors’ Coordinator for the Isle of Wight. Dan has a real passion for working with young people and will be working part-time with us alongside his existing part-time role as a youth worker with Isle of Wight Youth for Christ. We wish you every blessing in your new roll Dan, thanks for joining the team!

It is with much sadness we will be saying goodbye to Rebecca Savage at the end of this week. Rebecca was the driving force behind setting up and developing School Pastors on the Isle of Wight, and her years of faithful service as coordinator of the initiative have seen it turn from an idea to a pilot then into a permanent part of the charity’s work. School Pastors have become an integral part of life at Medina College and many lives have been touched by the work of the dedicated volunteers Rebecca has recruited and trained. We wish Rebecca every blessing in her future endeavours and a big “thank you” from all of us. We’ll be saying goodbye to Rebecca at a farewell party on the 12th September.