Luminar, the UK’s largest chain of nightclubs, is encouraging its managers to go out on patrol with their local Street Pastors team.
The promise to instruct managers to make contact with the Street Pastors coordinator in their area came from the CEO of Luminar, Peter Marks, during his visit to the Street Pastors national conference in May 2014. In all, 33 of Luminar’s network of 52 clubs are situated in towns and cities where street pastors are active.
In Cambridge, where Luminar owns two clubs, managers Simon Wilson from Kuda and Andrew Barney from Ballare, spent several hours with the Cambridge street pastors team last weekend. They were able to see how street pastors are on hand to help anyone in a vulnerable state around the pubs and clubs, whether they are in need of First Aid, have had too much to drink or have become separated from their friends.
The initiative from Luminar is a significant move to continue to build the partnership between clubs and their door staff and street pastors. Simon Wilson, General Manager of Kuda, said, “We believe in working together with various agencies to ensure Cambridge has a safe night-time economy. The street pastors do a fantastic job; this is a chance for us to strengthen the relationship we have, to get to know them on a personal level and to help out where we can.”
The Street Pastors movement was launched in 2003 by Reverend Les Isaac. Street pastors are Christians with a concern for their community who have been trained to care for, listen to and help people in practical ways and provide a reassuring presence in local communities. Street Pastors is an initiative of the Ascension Trust, which has mobilised local churches to get involved in the night-time economy and the problems that many towns and cities face.