A team of dedicated volunteers will be patrolling the streets of Caerphilly town centre for the first time this weekend as part of a Street Pastor scheme.
Successfully introduced in Blackwood in 2009, Street Pastors offer support and guidance to revellers who may have overindulged.
The Caerphilly scheme has been started by Steve Kings, 58, a retired mental health nurse of 35 years.
He said: “As a Christian, it’s a calling to go where people are rather than waiting for people to come into a church. We are called to service.
“We are not out there to criticise people, we are there to help out when people get into trouble. If they fall over, get injured or they’re too drunk to get a taxi, then we will help.
“The aim is to be a practical help to people and to reduce instances where people are at risk.”
A team of 19 volunteer pastors, all fully trained, has been assembled for Caerphilly and the first team of four will be out on Saturday night between 10pm and 2am. The Street Pastors will be on patrol every Saturday night.
The Street Pastor scheme was first started in Jamaica in 2001 as a Christian response to violent crime. Brixton followed in 2003 and became the first place in Britain to have street pastors.
They now operate in more than 60 city and town centres across the country and is run by the Ascension Trust.
For more information about Street Pastors, visit www.streetpastors.org.uk and to enquire about volunteering with the Caerphilly team, contact Steve Kings on 07970501165.