## **East Grinstead Street Pastors CIO (EGSP) – Charity Number 1181647** ## **Annual Repot 2024** 1. It has been another good year for East Grinstead Street Pastors (EGSP), patrolling at least once per month in every month except September. 2. Our patrols go out in teams, to listen, help and care for vulnerable or distressed people on the streets and immediate surrounding area of East Grinstead. Our patrols are a good mixture of both evening and afternoons. The afternoon patrols focused on the areas that teenagers gather in the town between schools and going home, and looking out for antisocial behaviour in the area of our local cinema and McDonalds. These patrols go out any time after 2.00pm to 6.00 pm, depending the availability of the volunteers. Our evening patrols are on Saturday evenings and we have been experimenting by going out at 8.00 pm rather than 9.00 pm to see the younger element of the party goers. 3. Our street patrols (SP) start in the town centre of East Grinstead and also cover the immediate surrounding area of the town. In 2024 during the evening patrols, we had conversations with 280 people and during the afternoons we had conversations with 296. Therefore, in total 576 folk were touched by our caring, helping, listening and helping. Some of these contacts are more in depth than others. It has also been noticeable that a lot of these conversations have been with young people in their early thirties that we helped when there were two night clubs in the town back in 2013, when we first started. 4. We carry bottles of water with us on each patrol, and these are given out to people who have consumed a lot of alcohol, but little water. We also carry details with us on each patrol of other charities or agencies that have a specialist in their particular situation or needs and have detail of often-needed organisation available as well. 5. We arrange our patrol to include the town’s railway/bus station, timed for when the last trains and buses are arriving, so that any vulnerable people waiting for taxis or lifts, particularly women and girls on their own, feel more comfortable and protected from potentially predatory people. Sometimes ladies who have shed their shoes on the train after a day out in London or at Lingfield Races and cannot get them on again, are very grateful for a pair of our flip flops. Flip-flops are also given out to a number of women struggling to stand up or walk in their heels because of intoxication. We have not given out so many this year, but they are certainly help to protect feet. 6. We have helped people make ‘phone-calls to family/friends to requests lifts home e.g. when their ‘phone batteries are dead; (we carry a ‘phone power back with us, to enable them to temporarily use their ‘phone and its contacts). 7. Another piece of vital “kit” is the dustpan, brush, gloves and container for sharps for picking up broken glass, bottles and needles etc. 8. The night time economy staff tell us that we continue to be a positive and calming influence on the streets just by being out whether it is night time or during the day. Our presence is most definitely a discouragement of anti-social behaviour during the afternoons. 9. We actively participate, as invited observers, in local “Pub Watch” meetings of the managers of local pubs/licenced premises with the local Police and Council licencing and anti-social behaviour officers. 10. We have 9 active Street Pastors of which 5 are males and 4 are females. We are maintaining a good number of 27 Prayer Pastors receiving our request “live” by text to give us the necessary prayer support we need while the street team are patrolling. These requests typically ask for prayers for specific anti-social incidents or people in difficulty or other circumstances that are developing in the town. 11. We have undertaken several team training evenings during the last year, which have been very successful. Some of the team will be undertaking the face to face refresher training later on this year, which is delivered face to face and is an interactive session, by an Authorised Representative of our parent charity, Ascension Trust, along with other SP’s from other areas that we are in touch with. 12. The Finances continue to be sound. We had the benefit of a small amount of residual funds from the Home Office’s Safer Streets initiative. Our reserves are higher than we currently estimate are needed, so we have not actively sought funding from the local churches or external bodies this year. 13. We have received no complaints. Our feedback has been really positive and encouraging, with many people thanking us for doing it, particularly when they realise that our patrols are on a volunteer basis. We even hear stories from people on the street about how we have helped them or their friends in past years, which is a real thrill. ## **East Grinstead Street Pastors.** (HARITY (OMMISSION Independent Examiner's Report on the Accounts SenL_ ABc8n8kJn tN8t ID AScenS￿n Trust Insur•n¢e Telg hone ITravel 0.001-' 367.96 94.501 212.401 0.00 I 117.901 0.00 0.00 0.001 0.00 60.001 155.881_.___._ 0.00 I 60.001 155:88J 0.00 I 46.94 45.451 86.001 123.85 0.00 I 0.00 86.001" 170.79 1 45.451 / 19.991, BOO.00 I / 90.201 / A8¢8nslon Tw¥t LKencg Fee Leafiets IAccountantArft ndllur• sub4olal 0.00 I 90.201 0.00 I 852.001 1292.671 94.501- 2 039.171 Ass•t and Invo$irnnt Pur¢h•*•s 0.00 652.00 1 292.67 94.50 2 039.17 ip4•t crf li•col m•nts 499.00 -1 292.67 Xd4.50 -1886.17 Balan￿ B ht Forward 1 13 885.501 1 292.671 2 272.18117 450.351 Curr•nt Balan 1 13 386.501 0.001 2 177.6811 Page 1