14/10/2026
💙 WEEKEND PATROL REPORT 💙
Another busy weekend for our Street Pastors, with two teams out caring, listening and helping in Kettering. From practical support for people sleeping rough to friendly conversations, reassurance, prayer and helping people stay safe, there was plenty to keep our volunteers busy! 💙
☀️ SATURDAY MORNING PATROL
🥫 Food Bank: Our team called into the Food Bank and donated a sleeping bag and a crisp packet groundsheet for a rough sleeper known to them.
☕ A welcome coffee: We were kindly given a free coffee by a local café. Thank you so much – it was very much appreciated!
💒 Wedding preparations: St Peter and St Paul Church was being prepared for a wedding later that afternoon, with flowers and ribbons being put in place.
🌳 Checking on rough sleepers: We looked around the gardens of St Peter and St Paul Church for any new rough sleepers but found no evidence of anyone sleeping there.
✝️ Christian outreach: We stopped to speak with the Christian outreach team, who were singing and handing out Bibles at the bus stops.
🙏 A conversation and prayer: We had a long chat with a young man working as a machine operator. He hoped to find a better job with fewer hours so he could spend more time on his music. We prayed with him about his hopes for the future.
🏃 Half-marathon preparations: We chatted with a parking enforcement officer who was busy working and looking forward to running a half marathon the following day. We hope it went well!
💙 Mental health support: We had a long conversation with a gentleman staffing the Mind stall in the town centre. He was keen for more people to stop, engage and learn about the support Mind can offer.
🚢 A special holiday: We met a couple looking forward to a North Sea cruise, a lovely gift from their children!
📰 Big Issue: We stopped for a chat with the Big Issue seller, who was having a quiet morning.
🥪 Practical support: We met a rough sleeper and bought them some food and a drink. We also encouraged them to visit the Safer Nights Out van during the night patrol, where they could receive a sleeping bag.
🎃 Halloween artwork: We admired some fantastic Halloween shop window paintings by Lana Paints! Both shops told us that Lana would be returning to change the artwork in the run-up to Christmas. 🎄
🍭 Morning giveaways:
14 lollipops
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🌙 SATURDAY NIGHT PATROL
🚐 A place of safety and friendship
The Safer Nights Out (SNO) van was a magnet for people throughout the night!
It is wonderful that so many people in Kettering recognise the van as a place of safety, friendship and support. What a blessing that is. 💙
The town was busy and buzzing until around 2am, when it became almost deserted.
🧤 Supporting a woman sleeping rough: A woman sleeping in a doorway spent around an hour chatting with us in the van and used our phone to call her mother.
We provided her with two sleeping bags, gloves, socks, a torch and hygiene products. Before leaving town, we checked on her again.
💧 Helping a young person feel better: Three young people spent some time in the van while one of them was feeling unwell. We provided water and a safe place to recover before she caught an Uber to a friend’s house.
💊 Advice and reassurance: A young woman approached us for help following an arrest and eviction, which had left her unable to access her belongings or medication. She was staying with a friend, and we advised her to contact the council about retrieving her property and to visit a doctor.
👮 Preventing violence: A group stopped at the van for a chat, but an argument between two young men threatened to become violent.
Their friends tried to keep them apart, and door staff from nearby venues intervened. CCTV was alerted and called the police, although the crowd dispersed before officers arrived.
☕ Checking in with local businesses: We enjoyed a lovely conversation with a café owner as he was closing. He had experienced a busy day and told us he worked seven days a week. He looked very tired, and we were pleased to spend some time chatting with him.
🎮 Supporting venue staff: Staff at a gaming venue were pleased to see us. A homeless man had been visiting and asking for food and water. We encouraged staff to direct him to the SNO van if he returned.
🍽️ Restaurant staff: We chatted with staff from a restaurant who had just finished work. They were very happy to tell us about their jobs and how much they enjoyed their work.
🚨 Police assistance: An altercation inside one of the venues resulted in a large crowd gathering outside near the SNO van. Our team handed out lollipops while the police brought the situation under control.
🎂 Birthday celebrations: We had a great chat with a young woman celebrating her 18th birthday. She was in high spirits and thoroughly enjoying her special night!
👶 A well-deserved night out: We also enjoyed chatting with two women, one of whom was enjoying her first night out since recently having a baby.
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🎒 NIGHT PATROL GIVEAWAYS
🩴 11 pairs of flip-flops
🍜 8 Pot Noodles
🍫 4 breakfast bars
☕ 2 coffees
🍭 170 lollipops
💧 8 bottles of water
🛡️ 5 Spikeys anti-spiking devices
🥤 5 StopTopps drink covers
🚨 2 personal alarms
♻️ Helping keep Kettering tidy:
12 bottles and 4 cans collected from the streets.
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💙 THANK YOU! 💙
A huge thank you to our dedicated Street Pastors, Prayer Pastors, the Safer Nights Out team, CCTV operators, police, door staff, local businesses and everyone who supports our work.
Whether it’s providing a sleeping bag, offering a drink of water, listening to someone’s worries, sharing a prayer or simply being a friendly face, every act of kindness matters.
🙏 Thank you also to everyone who continues to pray for our teams and the people we meet.
Caring, Listening, Helping – making a difference on the streets of Kettering. 💙
