A team of 'street angels' are helping to keep the streets of Watford safer at night as clubbers return after more than a year away.
The Watford Town Centre Chaplaincy is a charitable organisation supporting the community both day and night.
It has been running in the town since the early 2000s with a central vision of serving the heart of Watford.
David Scourfield, who became lead chaplain in July this year, said: "We serve the whole community and we provide comfort and a Christian safety net for those who use the town centre."
Some of the chaplaincy's most important work is done at night when Watford's night scene comes alive.
In 2005, night-time chaplains, known as 'street angels', began offering comfort, support, and a listening ear.
They wear jackets with a reflective Christian Celtic cross and carry with them slippers, sick bags, wipes, bottles of water, rain ponchos, small packets of tissues, and foil blankets for colder evenings.
Due to the pandemic, much of the night-time work was put on hold, but now that clubs and bars have reopened, the chaplaincy is busier than ever.
One of the street angels' busiest nights is A-level results day, which took place this year on August 10.
As many as 1,900 packed out Watford's biggest club Pryzm and Mr Scourfield says his team tended to around 20 different "interventions" in the town centre on the night.
He said: "It’s obvious to us now coming out of Covid that these young people have gone through a really difficult two years. There might be reasons why they are drunk or unhappy.
"We ended up praying for somebody in the high street."
"The number of people we support varies by night. Sometimes don’t need to help anyone but on other nights it can be anywhere be between 5 and 15 interventions."
Sometimes, the street angels are there to provide a lookout for clubbers who may be walking alone to ensure they reach their cab or lift safely.
The chaplaincy have a good relationship with the door staff at Watford's clubs and using a radio system, they can assist if any incidents flare up or if someone is in need of help.
Mr Scourfield continued: "If we are in the right location at the right time, can step and calm the situation down before it escalates.
"There were a couple of moments when it looked like things might get out of hand on Tuesday."
The chaplaincy is on the lookout for more volunteers.
Ms Scourfield said: "We have an induction process for volunteers, although the volunteers would need to be Christian. While we have no issues with other faiths, our faith forms the basis of the chaplaincy."
Anyone interested in volunteering or finding out more can visit https://www.watfordtcc.org
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel