Manchester gets divine intervention from angels
It's a sight that most licensees wouldn't imaging ever gracing their pub.
But last Saturday (December 16) Manchester licensees were blessed by angels spreading their own special brand of good will and peace to Christmas revellers.
Six Street Angels from the Nexus Project, a Methodist Church funded creative arts centre and night time café in Manchester's Northern Quarter, accompanied police and descending on the Printworks, an entertainment complex with 20 venues including a Tiger Tiger and Lloyds No.1 bar, to offer advice and guidance and to spread the "Think Safe Drink Safe" message.
And now following its success the scheme will be extended to different parts of the city centre in the New Year.
Volunteers including local students and members of Manchester city centre churches wore high visibility jackets bearing the words "Street Angel" as well as Nite Net radios to connect them to a CCTV control room.
They handed out lollipops to help keep pub-goers quiet as they left pubs, bars and clubs and helped direct people to nearby taxi ranks and bus stops to get home safely.
Those wanting to enjoy a coffee to help them sober up, or safely wait for private hire vehicles were encouraged to visit the Nexus Night Café.
Reverend Cris Acher from the Nexus Project expressed his delight at the scheme on the project's website.
It says: "It was an eventful night, and it was so encouraging that people were pleased to see us, even door staff were offering us drinks!
"We were able to bring people back to the safety of the night cafe. One person was walked home, another walked to the train station, we were pointing people to the direction of night buses etc, ambulances were being directed, we encouraged people to not get into unlicensed or bogus taxis, and then when we thought we had finished and run out of lollipops, we found a man slumped in the gutter. We waited with him until an ambulance was on the scene."
Sergeant Jan Brown from GMP's City Safe unit said: "Along with the Angels, local officers are encouraging revellers to pace their drinks, stick with friends, take a taxi they can trust and say no to trouble. By listening to these simple tips, partygoers can enjoy a festive night without fear of becoming a victim."
