Merton Street Pastors To Walk The Borough

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Ten years of caring for local people

Merton Street Pastors Coordinator John Goddard is leading a sponsored "Length and Breadth of Merton" walk to celebrate 10 years of Street Pastors.

During the course of two weeks, John and supporters will be walking a route covering all ward areas in Merton, a distance of approximately 100 miles.

John (left), aged 34, from Morden, said: "The Merton Street Pastors are people who attend local churches and give up their time on Friday nights to go out meeting people; caring for them, listening to them and helping them. They are such a positive presence in our borough and I'm really proud of what our Street Pastors do."

Their Wimbledon team patrols two Fridays per month from 10pm to around 2 or 3am. They have a team patrolling in Mitcham on three Fridays a month.

The Length and Breadth of Merton walk starts at 9.30am on Saturday (April 27) at Morden Baptist Church in Morden town centre, where John will be joined by the Ascension Trust Director Rev Les Isaac OBE, who founded Street Pastors in 2003.

So why not support John and the Merton Street Pastor Group, as they embark on this epic journey?

There is a give.net sponsorship page if you'd like to support them.

There will be a Come and Meet Your Street Pastor event in Wimbledon on Saturday May 11 from 12pm – 2pm.

• John recently accepted a Merton Staff Excellence Contribution to Merton's Community Award on behalf of his team and was also awarded a Merton Borough Commander's Commendation by Chief Superintendent Darren Williams, who supports this event.
• The Contribution to Merton’s Community Award nomination read: "Street Pastors are pivotal to the delivery of community confidence, reducing crime and for the overall feeling that the community is a safe place. Under John's direction they have become a highly valued service to the community as well as a highly regarded partner."

April 26, 2013