The Putney Street Angels have been assisting in the town centre every Friday night for six months, having begun on the 26th of April 2024. The Street Angels are all volunteers giving their time freely to keep Putney safe at night. The range of people Street Angels come into contact with varies but they always offer their support.
In their 27 shifts the Angels have:
Helped 52 people home safely including 13 vulnerable women and 39 overly intoxicated people
Offered comfort and support to 20 people distressed/upset/experiencing mental health issues
Offered support and referred 41 rough sleepers
Diffused 16 escalating situations in the town centre
The Angels also engage with people having a good night out making sure the night continues to go well resulting in giving out:
40 bottles of water
12 pairs of flip flops
They have collected 389 glass bottles from the floor and cleared 25 areas of broken glass ensuring the safety of the public realm.
They speak regularly with door-staff at all the night time licensed venues and given out anti-spiking equipment on 13 occasions.
They have helped people who have lost contact with friends; those who have drunk too much; those needing low level medical assistance; young ladies needing flip-flops because the high heels are impossible to walk in; young men in need of a lollipop to calm aggression or to help reduce noise as the bars empty; or simply those wanting to chat or ask directions. Our Putney Street Angel teams have helped create a better, safer night-time economy in Putney.
We would like to extend to have a Street Angels team on a Saturday night also and so are reaching out to local people who might be interested in volunteering their time. The team will consist of minimum of four angels on a shift from 10pm to 3am and asked to commit to one night a month. You will be provided with uniform and full training which includes subjects such as counselling skills, drug awareness, knowing your community and street safety. If it is something that interests you please email streetangels@positivelyputney.co.uk.
