Launched in September 2007, with a team of 18, Swindon Street Pastors are patrolling the pubs and clubs of the New Town area every Friday and Saturday.  We now have a team of about 40 Street Pastors and a similar number of Prayer Pastors. Swindon has 17 pubs and clubs within a quarter of a mile radius. Inevitably there are casualties from the all too common binge drinking culture. Much of our time is spent with the vulnerable people who are too incapable to look after themselves. We have been received very warmly by the public we serve and the Police and Local Authority have supported us from the start.

A 2010 'letter of commendation' from the Police praises Street Pastors for the 'drive, determination and passion' that we have and states that Street Pastors are 'most welcomed by the Police and are seen as an asset by all organisations that work within the night time economy of Swindon'.  Street Pastors have 'become an integral, important and much valued part of the workings of the Town Centre,' according to the letter from Supt Kier Pritchard of Wiltshire Police. We make it clear to people that we are not about preaching, but offering practical help. However, people are always asking us about our faith. It is so much easier to tell people about Jesus when they ask first! We often have some very interesting conversations!

We have just started a conversation with the local Church as a whole on the question of planting an expression of Church within the night-time culture ... but we don't yet know what that might look like.
Swindon is  coordinated by the Rev'd Paul Rush, assisted by a management committee (who frankly do most of the work).