Pastors celebrate 10 years

Street Pastors in Perth are looking forward to celebrating their 10th anniversary in Edinburgh today.

Street Pastors are volunteers from a number of churches in the Fair City who can often be seen helping people on a night out in the city centre.

The volunteers spent Thursday and Saturday nights from 10am until 3pm to “listen, care and help” revellers enjoying their night out.

The pastors often come out in freezing temperatures equipped with bottles of water, flip flops and foil blankets to help the community enjoy their fun.

Now, pastors from Perth will join up to 100 people and Street Pastors’ founder Rev Les Isaac OBE at the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday this week.

The pastors will watch from the chambers’ public gallery to hear Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser speak to other elected members about the work the street pastors do in Scotland, and celebrate their 10th anniversary.

Many of those who are expected to attend have served a full 10 years as a pastor, and many have gone on to do further training to become Response Pastors, School Pastors and Rail Pastors.

A spokesperson for the Street Pastors said: “Street Pastors, often associated with handing out flip flops to girls walking without their shoes, go out on the streets to listen to, care for and provide practical help to those they meet, typically from 10pm until 4am at weekends.

“Response Pastors respond following a major incident they were at Grenfell Tower, Manchester Arena and other like incidents.

“Rail Pastors extend the street work onto stations and trains.”

The Perth Street Pastors will be joined by fellow church and community groups from Aberdeen, Arbroath, Ayr, Bathgate, The Borders, Dunfermline, Edinburgh, Elgin, Glasgow, Inverness, Orkney, Stirling and Stornoway, among others.