Jesmond Street Pastors Newcastle upon Tyne
Annual Trustees Report 2024
2024 was the eighth year of operation of Jesmond Street Pastors since its incorporation in August 2016.
Jesmond
Jesmond is an affluent residential suburb and is split into two electoral wards just north of the centre of Newcastle Upon Tyne. The population is about 12,000. The area consists of a mixture of residential homes, in mostly
Edwardian and Victorian terraces. There is a large student population mainly accommodated in multiple occupancy houses. There are many cafes and restaurants, boutiques and small supermarkets centring along St Georges Terrace, Acorn Road, and Osborne Road. Jesmond Street Pastors patrol the section of Osborne Road where the nightlife is based around several chic cocktail bars. Our base of operations is Jesmond Methodist Church, located on St Georges Terrace.
Street Pastors
The Street Pastors initiative was pioneered in London in 2003 by Ascension Trust (https://www.ascensiontrust.org.uk/). A street pastor is a trained volunteer who is a Christian and is part of a local church, and who is concerned for society and their local community. They patrol in teams of men and women, often on a Friday and/or Saturday night, to care for, listen to and help people who are out on the streets. They are willing to engage with people, whatever their perspective on life and wherever they hang out, working in collaboration with other agencies and projects. See https://www.streetpastors.org/ for more information about Street Pastors.
Each local Street Pastor project is approved and set up by the Ascension Trust, which is the governing body behind Street Pastors, and run by a local coordinator with support from local churches and community groups, in partnership with the police, local council and other statutory agencies.
Currently, over 220 towns and cities around the UK have a Street Pastors team. In addition to Street Pastors, there may be prayer pastors, who support the local team with prayer throughout the patrol period. Each team will have a management committee, and trustees elected from local churches.
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Since 2014, some Street Pastors have received additional training as Response Pastors, who provide support to those affected by a disaster or crisis. Response pastors can be called upon any day or night to support and assist where appropriate. A response pastor is a crucial point of contact and an additional support to the established emergency services. See https://www.streetpastors.org/about-us/response-pastors/.
Jesmond Street Pastors Operational Aspects
2024 was a challenging year for the team. Continued sickness within the team meant that the number of patrols was reduced to at most two per month. We completed 21 patrols, spoke to 1600 people on our patrols, collected 272 bottles from the streets, so continuing to make the streets of Jesmond safer.
The Summer period was quieter as the students were not in residence. In September, when the university terms recommenced, the students did not seem to appear in such numbers as previous years.
Licensing hours have been maintained, and all licensed premises are the same as previous years with one or more retail food outlets having changed.
We started the year with eight Street pastors with two being on long term absence.
Our Coordinator keeps in touch with local councillors and the Keep Jesmond Clean team, looking at ways to reduce the volumes of glass on the streets and how the street pastors can contribute to public safety on the streets of Jesmond.
Even though we are a very small team in Jesmond, there is evidence to show that we are making an impact.
Management Committee
The Management Committee have not met in 2024, due to the issues of sickness. Where necessary, members have been kept up to date via email.
Their role is to ensure that the project continues to operate smoothly. They have checked that the project conforms to the General Data Protection Regulations. In addition, they monitor income and expenditure and plan ways to raise funds. They also check that the project conforms to Charity Commission regulations and follows Ascension Trust guidelines.
Trustees and Management Committee
There was no change of Trustee during 2024. The list of Trustees is as follows.
Chair and Coordinator : Mr Chris Lincoln, Methodist Church. Secretary : Mrs Margaret Graham, Jesmond Methodist Church.
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Treasurer : Mrs Janet Anderson, Jesmond Methodist Church. Committee members :
Dr Laura Graham, Methodist Church. Mrs Jean Degenhardt, Jesmond United Reformed Church. Mr John Waddell, Church of the Holy Name, Jesmond. Rev Alison Wilkinson, Jesmond Methodist Church.
We thank our officers and Trustees for their support and prayers during 2024.
It is hoped through time that there will be a representative from all Jesmond Churches on the Management Committee.
Mr Chris Lincoln, as Chair of Trustees, spends much of his time liaising with the police and local councillors as well as speaking to the Churches in Jesmond to encourage more volunteers to come forward as Street Pastors or Prayer Pastors.
Financial Report
Jesmond Street Pastors is a small project and for its finances relies very much on donations from the local churches, the community and the general public.
Expenditure includes essential items such as a mobile phone, first aid material, and insurance for the street pastors. The License fee to Ascension Trust is obligatory.
Our audited accounts are available separately. We are grateful to our Auditor, Mr David Stabler, for his help and advice.
Summary of our accounts for 2024:
| INCOME | EXPENDITURE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donation from | St Georges | Mobile phone | £215.40 | |
| Parish Church | £400.00 | |||
| Access Insurance | £221.52 | |||
| Ascension Trust License | ||||
| fee | £1,000.00 | |||
| Christmas meal for the | ||||
| team | £125.55 | |||
| Total Income: | £400.00 | Total Expenditure: | £1,562.47 |
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| BALANCE SHEET | |
|---|---|
| Balance at 01/01/2024 | £5,739.91 |
| Income | £400.00 |
| Total Income | £6,139.91 |
| Less Expenditure | £1562.47 |
| Closing Balance at 31/12/2024 | £4,577.44 |
In conclusion, we pray that Jesmond Street Pastors will continue to support the night-time economy in Jesmond, and care for, listen to and help people who are out on the streets.
Margaret E Graham Secretary, Jesmond Street Pastors. August 2025
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