Juliana Bailey - Okehampton Street Pastors
Juliana Bailey from Sampford Courtenay has been involved with Okehampton Street Pastors since its inception in 2017 — providing care to the people of the town when they are most vulnerable.
Street Pastors was pioneered in 2003 by Les Isaac when a group of church volunteers from South London went out on the streets to talk to people and try to make a difference to the volume of knife crime. Since then over 12,000 street and prayer pastors have been trained and play an active part in strengthening community life and working for safer streets.
Street Pastors is run by Ascension Trust, a Christian inter-denominational organisation, whose mission is ‘to mobilise the Church to make a positive contribution to society and to improve the quality of life of the disadvantaged and vulnerable’.
Okehampton Street Pastors was set up in February 2017.
Meeting on alternate and Saturdays, a typical night for the Okehampton team starts at 10.30pm at Fairplace Church when the pastors get together for prayer before they patrol the streets. The first patrol is where the team gauges how busy the town is and to check for any items that may cause harm to people, including broken bottles.
Once their tour is over, it’s back to the church for a bit of respite before heading out for their second patrol with their iconic backpacks. It is during the second patrol where they witness people who may have had a little too much alcohol and / or need some assistance.
Within their backpacks they carry bottles of water, a dustpan and brush and bags (to sweep up and dispose of any broken glass), a basic first aid kit, the ever popular lollipops and flip flops for people who have taken off their stiletto heels and run the risk of hurting their bare feet. The night ends when it quietens down, which can be anywhere between 3am and 3.30am.
Despite the long nights in all weathers, Juliana, who became a Christian in 1997, says she greatly enjoys her patrols and is so thankful for her ‘accidental’ inclusion into the patrol team: ‘It’s a great opportunity to meet people who we normally wouldn’t be able to engage with. We are there to care, listen and help; we are particularly looking for people who are upset or angry, stumbling, or if they are vulnerable adults, underage children or unwell.
‘I was with Street Pastors from day one but I just thought I would do admin — before I knew it, I was part of the patrol team!’
Juliana was born in Birmingham in 1958 and moved to Devon in 1994: ‘I have personal experience of the effect that alcohol abuse can have on a person and their family so if I can help anyone to not go down that road then that’s what I will do. I am not stopping people from having fun but it’s a hard road back from alcohol dependency and I don’t want to see people go down that slippery slope. A night out is a night off from the reality of life and if we can help them and keep them safe then that’s what we will do.
‘After our patrols, we are on a high as we have been able to help and meet new people — that’s so rewarding.
‘We often find that people are very protective of us as well, they offer us coats and hot chocolate, even though we have thick coats on and they aren’t wearing a lot! People are so caring and lovely.’
Street Pastors work closely with the councils, police and many other organisations, although information disclosed by the public remains confidential unless there is a legal requirement to share it.
Juliana is the group’s secretary and says they are happy to host a talk for any local group wanting to hear more. For more information, or if you would like to enquire about volunteering, contact her at secretary.okehampton@streetpastors.org.uk