Worthing mother backs Street Pastor scheme (From The Argus)

Worthing mother backs Street Pastor scheme

10:00am Saturday 23rd May 2009

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A mother whose daughter was electrocuted after a night out has backed a new scheme to help vulnerable clubbers get home safely.

Worthing is planning to introduce a Street Pastor scheme where Christians in high visibility jackets patrol town centre streets after dark.

The initiative is being championed by new Worthing Mayor Noel Atkins, who said the death of Hayley Owen, 23, in 2004, had not been in vain.

Hayley, from Worthing, died when she fell onto a live rail at Drayton level crossing after being ejected from Thursdays nightclub near Chichester.

The tragedy led to more than 2,000 clubbers signing a petition calling for the reinstatement of an axed nightbus service in Worthing.

However, the campaign was unsuccessful after failing to get councillors' support.

Hayley's mother, Cynthia, of Chester Avenue, Worthing, was delighted to hear of the Street Pastor plans.

She said: “It's about time they did something. The kids have no way of getting home.

“It's all right saying they have taxi rank marshals but they don't do anything to get the kids home if they cannot afford the fare.”

There are more than 100 Street Pastor schemes across the country but of the major Sussex towns and cities only Crawley and Worthing have so far taken steps to introduce it.

Councillor Atkins, a father of five, said: “Several years ago we had a mum come into the council chamber and ask us to do something because her daughter had been slung out of a nightclub and was electrocuted.

“As a council we never came up with a solution but I thought of my own children and wondered if there was something we could do.

“It doesn't mean you are going to be able to help in every situation, but it does mean some of those young people are going to get home safely.

“The standard procedure is if someone is a bit worse for wear you ask if they can phone to get a friend to pick them up.

“If that isn't possible you either walk them home, drive them home, or pay for a taxi.

“All the volunteers are checked by the Criminal Records Bureau.”

Councillor Atkins, who has chosen Street Pastors as one of his charities, said the scheme had police support.

Street Pastors was pioneered in London in 2003 by the Rev Les Isaac, director of the Ascension Trust.

The Trust said there had been remarkable results, including drops in crime in areas where teams had been working.

Do you back the Street Pastor scheme in Worthing? Tell us below.

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