Street Pastors call for late-night volunteers

A charity that aims to keep people safe at night has called for the help of additional volunteers.

Cambridge Street Pastors patrol the city centre on weekends, between the hours of 22:00 and 03:00 in search of people who need assistance.

Volunteers run the NightLite Hub, where they provide a space for people to wait safely and recover before making their way home, offering minor first aid, emotional support and cups of tea.

Due to their "integral" role in the city, the charity has appealed to members of the public outside of the church community to get involved.

Neat Pellatt, coordinator of Cambridge Street Pastors, said the team was in need of volunteers who were willing to do "whatever is necessary, non-judgmentally".

"We welcome anyone here whether they are homeless or if they've drank too much and need somewhere to recover for a little while," she said.

Volunteers hand out water bottles, flip-flops, remove glass from the roads and communicate with the police, bars and clubs via radio.

Ken, who is one of the longest serving volunteers, has been part of the charity for 14 years.

He said: "95% of people are really friendly and they say 'thank you for everything you do'.

"Anybody can come and help us - you don't have to be associated with the churches."

Hannah Hancock, business crime manager at Cambridge Businesses Against Crime, described the pastors as "the beating heart of the city".

She said: "They're not crime-fighters, but their presence might help reduce crime and might enable the police to concentrate on what they need to be concentrating on."

Similarly, the Light Project charity in Peterborough sends patrol teams into the streets to look for people in need throughout the daytime and at night.

Between April 2024 and January 2025, a group of more than 20 volunteers were able to carry out 258 patrols across the city.

Steve Pettican, the charity's chief executive, said it would be able to run more sessions if they had more volunteers.

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