Street Angels Secure £3,000 Community Chest Grant
Accrington Christians Together have been awarded £3,000 from Hyndburn Borough Council’s Community Chest Fund to support their town centre Street Angels project. Street Angels is a relatively new project to Accrington, and operates to reduce crime in the night time economy of and to help the police and emergency services to aid the vulnerable. They provide support by their presence in the town centre and helping people in need. This may be by providing a safe place for people to come to, a place to charge a phone, help to get home, find lost friends or provide basic first aid.
The scheme is volunteer led and operates on Friday and Saturday nights in Accrington town centre. Over 50 people have been supported by the Street Angels over the last few months.
Bev Wood, Volunteer Street Angel said, “This latest grant is fantastic news! It will enable us to extend our patrols and reach even more people in need. We rely on funding like this to continue our vital work, and we’re grateful to the council for their support.”
The initiative started in December following discussions with the local police. Seeing the impact Street Angels and similar projects make in towns and cities across the UK helped garner support for an Accrington scheme, which has attracted over 20 volunteers who help with weekend patrols.
The funding will be used to provide volunteers with uniform, equipment and first aid training.
Councillor Steven Smithson, Deputy Leader of the Council said, “The Council is committed to supporting community projects like Street Angels that play a vital role in promoting safety in our night time economy. This grant shows our dedication to investing in small projects that can have a positive impact for our residents.”
For more information or to sign up as a Street Angel volunteer visit www.actstreetangels.co.uk or email actstreetangels@outlook.com
Image 1 – Councillor Peter Britcliffe, Councillor Steven Smithson and Joyce Teasdale (Street Angels Volunteer)
Image 2 – Street Angels Volunteers Charles Nwevo, Councillor Kimberley Whitehead, Bev Wood, Councillor Mike Booth, Paul Gabriel and Joyce Teasdale