Town Pastors
What is “Town Pastors”?
Town Pastors is a voluntary, independent, inter-denominational church response to urban problems, engaging with people on the streets to care, listen and dialogue. They started in Ipswich in 2006, and now operate in 8 Suffolk towns: Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Stowmarket, Sudbury, Felixstowe, Woodbridge, Newmarket and Lowestoft
Town Pastors' main aim is simply to serve people, regardless of their faith or background, showing concern, and offering practical help in a non-judgemental and unconditional way
Town Pastors work as part of a team in collaboration with the police and Ipswich Borough Council, and seek to be a positive influence, principally on the streets of the town centre and other night life areas.
They are available to offer support to vulnerable people, help de-escalate potential trouble and generally assist the police and other agencies.
Who are they and how do they work?
Town Pastors are Christians, drawn from a variety of local churches and denominations.
They go out in pairs, normally six people at a time, and operate every Friday and Saturday night throughout the year, from 10pm to 4am. On average, each Town Pastor is expected to be out one night a month. They wear a uniform of sweatshirt, yellow jacket and baseball cap and, for reasons of personal safety, are monitored by CCTV in the town centre area and linked in to the Townlink radio system.
All Town Pastors undergo a full training programme before becoming part of the team, covering such issues as core values; roles and responsibilities; the power of prayer; personal safety and conflict management; and drug and alcohol awareness.
“We are therefore Christ’s Ambassadors” 2 Corinthians 5:20 (NIV)
“The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighbourhood”. John 1:14 (The Message Bible)
The Prayer Team
Town Pastors are supported by a large prayer team. Every night when the Town Pastors are out on the streets, members of the prayer team are also busy between 10pm and 4am, working on a rota to pray for an hour each throughout the night. Some others meet in the town centre to pray throughout the entire night and supply the Town Pastors with much needed tea, coffee and toast on their occasional breaks. In addition, each Town Pastor has two personal prayer partners to support them.
Without prayer the Town Pastors would not go out.
What effect do they have?
This is perhaps best answered by others. Here are some recent emails we have received about the work:-
"I feel privileged to have been involved with the Town Pastors since their inception and can say that in their first year they have been able to provide support and reassurance to many people in Ipswich who found themselves in distressing and vulnerable situations. In addition their presence has helped to defuse some potentially violent confrontations.
The Town Pastors are now a familiar sight on the streets of Ipswich and I can say they are making a huge contribution towards making Ipswich a safer place."
Alan Caton
Police Superintendent
Southern Area - Operations Manager
 "The Town Pastors have been a fantastic success in making people in Ipswich feel safe. I have witnessed their work first hand and they do make a difference. I'm proud to be involved with the project and all my fellow officers support it. Happy Birthday Town Pastors"
Sgt Neil Boast (co-founder of the initiative)
Town Pastors has grown considerably since its inception in June 2006, and has developed close working relationships with the police, Local Authority and, not least, the clubbers themselves
How is it Run?
Each Town Pastors Centre manages its own affairs, but all adhere to a common Protocol and Code of Practice. Town Pastors (Ipswich) is a Charitable Company (Charity No. 1126406) and is run by a Management Committee of volunteer trustees. It is linked and accountable to Heart for Ipswich. Day to day organisation is the responsibility of a part-time Project Co-ordinator. Funding is from grants and voluntary donations, though all Pastors give their time on a voluntary basis.
How can you get involved?
There is a continuing need for new Town Pastors and Prayers Contact your local centre:
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Town and office held
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Name
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Home Phone
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Mobile
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email
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Ipswich
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Chair
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Paul Daltry
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01473 217739
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07963 301388
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Co-ordinator
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Liz Beaton
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01473 411604
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07867 633672
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liz.beaton@townpastors.org.uk
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Bury
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Chair
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Kenny Ross
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01359 270360
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07777 648024
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Co-ordinator
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Jo Copsey
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07870 340344
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jocopsey@burytownpastors.org.uk
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Felixstowe
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Chair
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Peter Livey
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01394 212482
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07770 536988
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peter@felixstowetownpastors.org.uk
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Co-ordinator
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Anne Clarke
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01394 285305
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07869 029708
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Lowestoft
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Chair
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Rob Clarke
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01502 713104
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07866 044846
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Co-ordinator
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Tim Jenkins
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01502 585499
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07500 112755
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info@townpastorslowestoft.org.uk
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Newmarket
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Chair & Co-ordinator
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Robin Hardy
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01638 669361
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07768 146583
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robin.hardy4@ntlworld.com
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Deputy Chair
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Tony Hodge
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01638 552025
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07786 264320
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Stowmarket
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Acting Chair
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Tony Ciorra
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01449 612694
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tonyc@edgeconsult.co.uk
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Co-ordinator
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Monica Gant
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01449 781630
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07881 458119
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monica@gants.co.uk
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Sudbury
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Chair
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Peter Avery
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01787 372797
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07817 610518
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peterkaren_avery@btopenworld.com
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Co-ordinator
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Frank Marsden
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01787 312002
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07729 838443
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fmarsdenuk@yahoo.co.uk
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Woodbridge
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Chair
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Dave Gardner
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01394 382083
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07731 442423
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vicar@stjohnswoodbridge.org.uk
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Co-ordinator
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Rob Watson
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01394 384885
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