Meet Dereham's new street pastors

Dereham's new team of Street Pastors were commissioned during a united service at Dereham Baptist Church.Lyn Milns, June Ward, Jenny Leinster, Caroline Heyden and Brian Nursey were given the blessing of local churches for the work they do around the town late on Friday nights.

Dereham's new team of Street Pastors were commissioned during a united service at Dereham Baptist Church.

Lyn Milns, June Ward, Jenny Leinster, Caroline Heyden and Brian Nursey were given the blessing of local churches for the work they do around the town late on Friday nights.

They go out in pairs between 8pm and 11pm and chat to people about a range of issues and problems.

More Street Pastors are being trained in March and it is hoped they will soon be able to be out until 2am.

Mrs Milns has become well known in the town, as for more than six years she has been out on the Rec as a youth outreach worker known as Why.

She said the launch of Street Pastors in Dereham has been 'really great.'

'The young people easily accepted us as they knew me already and they appreciate that we are there for them.

'We have been going to the pubs, with many it's just the smoking areas but we were invited in to the Cock Inn by the landlord and made very welcome and we also go into the Coachmakers.'

Mrs Milns added: 'It's been very interesting to see the way that different people react to us and we have had many interesting conversations, especially with soldiers on a night out.

'We have already seen the benefits of us being out there by incidents that we have been able to be of help and assistance with, but we do need to be out later.'