Street Angels are set to soon be roaming the streets of Birkenhead on weekend nights, after a first shift on Mad Friday.

Street Angels is a new project for Birkenhead set to establish during 2025, where trained volunteers will be roaming the streets during weekend nights to support people in vulnerable or difficult situations.

Wirral based charity, Hitched Communities, has been funded to pilot the project, after being awarded a Step Up Fund grant, a government fund that supports Community, Voluntary and Faith Sector organisations to enable better health and wellbeing in the community. It is one of five Step Up funded gamechanger projects to help deliver Wirral’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy linked to reducing violence.

Gary Wootten, Director of Hitched Communities, and shift leader, said “We’re excited to get this project live. It has the potential to help a lot of vulnerable people and help make Birkenhead feel and be a safer place to live, work and spend time at night. Everyone was very supportive on the streets during our first shift. We now need volunteers to join the team to help as many vulnerable people at night as possible”.

Paul Blakey MBE, CEO of ROC Angels said “We’re so pleased to see a Street Angels project in Birkenhead. We see many people supported on the streets through Angels projects around the country and are looking forward to helping the project thrive”.

Amy Butterworth, CEO of Make It Happen and volunteer, said “The shift was really insightful. I would do it again. When I heard about the project, our instinct was to offer A Place of Contribution as the project’s community base. So pleased the space can be used to help this project”.

Greg Epton, Senior Pastor of Gateway Church Birkenhead and volunteer, said “I’m excited by this project and all it can become. I see it as a great opportunity for the community to come together and re-imagine Birkenhead for the better”.

Hitched Communities has been funded to co-design, implement and evaluate a ROC Angels project in Birkenhead, collaborating with night-time economy partners and the faith community to establish a roaming welfare street team service to address the emotional and physical needs of vulnerable individuals, enhance local safety and signpost available services, whilst recruiting and training volunteers from diverse backgrounds.

Street Angels Birkenhead will run on weekend nights as often as possible from the start of February 2025.

To find out more about the project and enquire about volunteering visit the Street Angels Birkenhead website.