What happens on a night with the Winchester street pastors?

“Hiya mate, have you got any blackcurrant left, the purple ones? “

It is past 11pm, a pair of lads in their 20s approach us, it is clear they are wavy and have spent the night indulging in pints and spirits.

But after they unwrap their lollies, one orange one blackcurrant, they are satisfied and head off to endure the rest of their night.

Another success for Winchester’s Street Pastors.
 
The street pastors are local celebrities; their fans are the giddy partygoers of Winchester. Yet rather than wanting an autograph, they are after a quick sugary fix. A bog standard lolly pop. The type you would get trick-or-treating as a child.
 
The pastors comprise a group of 42 volunteers who work on a monthly shift rotation and have been in Winchester for over a decade. The reputation they have built is sweet, strong and familiar.
 
Once the team is kitted up in their navy blue uniforms and caps, they are immediately recognisable.
 
Many of the weekend regulars, who can spot the team from a mile away, can recall tales of how the “Knights of Winchester” have saved them.
 
One woman opened up about a time, almost a decade ago, when she was drinking underage in Winchester. Shoes, missing. Friends, gone. And she could not get herself home.
 
Then enter the street pastors.

The lady dressed in a fluffy coat, smoking a cigarette, standing outside Overdraft told me, “they sat with me and talked to me, then after a while they helped me get home”.
 
“I love the street pastors, the beautiful thing is they do it for nothing, they do it for free”.
 
Mark Hibbert-Hingston, the Winchester Coordinator, is indeed a character, spirited and kind.

Mark said,
“We just find out how people are doing. You saved my life last weekend. How are you doing now?”.
 
Alistar, Mary, and Tracey are the wholesome souls I had the pleasure of pairing with this night.
 
Mary, a freelance journalist who dedicates a weekend each month to the charity, tells me about a time she helped a girl who had caught the wrong train and ended up in Winchester.

She recalls,
“It was midnight, she was scared.. And we were able to be with her and wait with her.”

Winchester’s street pastors are far more than just a sweet shop; they are the beating heart of the Winchester community.