CHRISTIAN pastors are set to keep watch on the streets of Dorking on weekend nights, to help drunk and disorderly people stay out of trouble and get home.
The town's street pastor project will launch on September 28, at St Martin's Church, where the volunteers will hold a ceremony at 8pm before going out onto the streets for the first time.
The pastors will patrol the town on Friday and Saturday nights from 10pm to 3am, helping people in any way they can, be it hailing a taxi or finding a hotel for the night.
Maggie White, one of the team of 14 official street pastors, said volunteers were primarily there "for the people of Dorking".
"We are not going out there to preach at people, nor are we spies for the police," she said. "We are there to keep people in Dorking safe in any way we can and be there for them.
"One thing we do is give flip flops to girls coming out of pubs wearing high heels, and we also hand out lollipops if people get aggressive, as you can't shout with one in your mouth.
"We want people to feel safe in town and know that if they are drunk or sick, we are there to help them and, hopefully, after time, they will get to know us and trust us."
The project first launched in February and since then volunteers have received more than 50 hours of training, including sessions with police on drugs and how to deal with drunk people.
The minimum requirement is for four pastors to be on duty together at any one time, and consists of ministers and lay people from the town's faith community.
Mrs White added: "I have two children myself who have grown up in Dorking, so that is my motivation for looking after young people.
"There are more than 10,000 street pastors around the world and figures have shown that crime has gone down on nights in which they are present, so that is a good sign for us."
