Worthing Street Pastors closes after 13 years of service

The street pastors in Worthing were a feature of the town’s nightlife, having started 13 years ago with the goal of ensuring everyone has a safe evening in bars, pubs and clubs.

Keith Sunderland, 71, who was co-ordinator for Worthing Street Pastors, said: “We’re a little bit upset to close our street pastors.

“There’s now a big gap in the night-time economy and it can’t be filled easily.”

Volunteers used to be out in the town during weekends, as thousands of revellers, many of them drunk, took over the streets.

Keith said: “We’ve saved some people’s lives.

“Between 10pm and four or five in the morning, Worthing is completely different. The whole tenor of the place changes and it’s more lively.

“No day is the same when we go out. Sometimes it’s funny, and sometimes it's serious.

“But every time we went out there was somebody who needed our help."

Keith said the charity struggled with recruitment after the Covid-19 pandemic. He added: “Before the pandemic, we were managing all right with about 25 people. Some were leaving, some were joining.

“However, when Covid hit we lost loads, and rebuilding it was a big task.

“We couldn’t find enough people, and at its heart we are a Christian organisation, so we have to go through the churches.

“The Christian side of it is really key to the way we operate.

“We weren’t there to evangelise, and often we had to cut conversations short because there were people that needed helping.

“But now, I’ve got 35 uniforms to return, that’s 35 people who have helped us in the past – and it’s fantastic what they’ve done.”

The pastors are part of an international charity which runs more than 240 teams in the country. There are at least 20,000 volunteers involved with the scheme.

A spokesman for Street Pastors said: “Whichever context they are in, street pastors offer reassurance, safety and support through caring, listening and helping. They work together with other partners to make communities safer.”