Orkney Street Pastors started patrolling the streets of Kirkwall in July 2012 and currently there are 16 fully trained Street Pastors. They are all volunteers and represent five different Christian fellowships in Orkney.

There is only one Night Club at the moment in Kirkwall and this is open every Saturday night, Hogmanay and Mad Friday, the last pay day before Christmas. The Street Pastors start their patrol at midnight whenever the Night Club is open until about 1.30am as revellers move between the pubs and the night club. They make sure that the streets are clear of bottles and broken glass and that the revellers are generally safe.

The Street Pastors then make their way to the night club which closes at 2.15am and between 300 and 650 revellers pour out onto the streets in various states of inebriation. The Street Pastors are available to Listen, Care and Help as required. They carry flip-flops, lollipops, survival blankets, rain coats and bottled water to distribute as necessary and a basic First Aid pack, wet wipes and sick bags. They make sure that everyone can either safely walk home or have made arrangements for onward transport either with friends and family or taxi.

In a medical emergency, we call out an ambulance and stay with the patient until the ambulance arrives to make sure they keep warm and awake.

The Street Pastors generally return to base sometime after 3.30am when they are certain that they are no longer needed.