Tag Archives: Fishponds

City Safety Patrols sends message of Goodwill, Bristol, UK

PRAYER PATROLS AND CITY SAFETY PATROLS will be out and about on the streets of Bristol for 7 days starting 18th December through 24th December 2019.

They will be spreading their message of peace and safety, and goodwill to all men by way of encouraging NO to Drink and Driving.

The Patrols visited schools in order to share about their endeavors to help keep Bristol safe and as the season of festivities gets underway so too the levels of drink and driving crimes. The Reverend Palmer and her team of well-wishers hope that their presence will act as a deterrent and reminder to potential offenders.  She says “I hope that our little efforts over the period leading up to Christmas will help to lower accidents resulting from drinking and driving so that all may enjoy a happy and safe Christmas and New Year.”

The dates for ‘No to Drink and Driving’  patrols are as follows:

  1. Wednesday – December 18th morning Cabot Circus Shopping Mall.                                                                                       

  2. Thursday – December 19th  afternoon Broadmead Galleries.                                                                                                

  3. Friday- December 20th evening Easton.                               

  4. Saturday – December 21st morning Fishponds.               

  5. Sunday – December 22nd morning Watershed  @ Bristol.               

  6. Monday – December 23rd Old afternoon City covering King & Queen Square and Castle Park.             

  7. Tuesday – December  24th morning St. Pauls covering Stokes Croft

 

Peacemakers Prayer Patrols warming hearts in Fishponds and Easton

Feedback for Fishponds Patrol

It was good to be out Prayer Patrolling on the streets of Bristol again, especially as we were going to be in Fishponds, an area that we had not prayer patrolled before.  This is a very popular shopping area consisting of the usual Post Office, banks, supermarkets, retail shops and general stores, small local enterprises, schools, churches, bingo hall, public houses, car showrooms, and a thriving convenient bus route into City Centre, train and bus stations.wp_20161022_14_30_17_pro_li

So, it was a big shock to us, as well as for the residents of the Fishponds area, a couple of weeks prior to our patrol, to learn that a young 10-year boy was viciously attacked by thugs as he walked home.  The boy suffered grievous injuries to his head and body after he was beaten up and thrown to the ground, and kicked many times. The thugs then ran off and left him there until a passer-by came along and found him bloodied, lying on the pavement only  a couple of yards away from the main traffic light and pedestrian crossing. [*See Newspaper report on this story at the end of our reports]

wp_20161022_14_36_07_pro_liIt was a bitterly cold Saturday afternoon but we were determined to bring the  warmth of our prayers and goodwill to the streets of Fishponds. We felt that Prayer Patrol would serve as a timely crime prevention tool and a good way to help re-boost morale and confidence on the streets.  It was a very interesting and well-received Patrol.  Several Passersby stopped and engaged at our Prayer Stops, where our two youngest patrollers, ages four and five, along with older members of the team prayed with them. Many people told us that they were moved by the braveness and prayers of the children.  One man was so moved that he ran across the road  to the Bakery and came back laden with cakes for them.

It appears that the incident with the boy was a one off, the perpetrators were caught, and the attack is in no way a reflection of this usually peaceful, contemporary area of Bristol.

Report by Rev palmer, October 2016

Feedback for Easton & Old Market Patrol

It had just started to rain as we headed out for the Easton and Old Market Prayer Patrol, but our spirit was high. It has been a while since we did patrols on this particular route. The streets were exceptionally quiet, perhaps because it had been raining on and off during the afternoon.

Our starting point for the Easton  Patrol was St Marks Churchsugar-loaf which is next door to Sugar the Loaf Pub. The church was closed and not one church member in sight, but the pub was open and three men sat outside having a drink in the drizzling rain. At first, they were intrigued with our high viz jackets and then became even more interested when we told them that we were out Peace-Keeping and blessing the area. The rain continued to fall, becoming heavier as we went along, soon there was no sign of anyone walking the streets, so we decided to take a shortened route back to the base.
3-back-birdsNearing the Three Black Birds Pub we noticed a man standing in the doorway, drinking a beer and enjoying a cigarette.  As we got to him we did our usual greeting and he responded cheerfully and wanted to  engage us in conversation, he also had a prayer request, which we told him we would pray about once we got back to base.  But as we were moving away he called out “Please. Please, Please remember to pray”, it was urgent and we did.

Our final prayer stop was at a newly opened Resturant in the area. The owner welcomed our prayer for his new business, and even offered to feed us, and although the food smelt lovely and the atmosphere inviting but we had to decline his offer as we were still on duty.

This was one of our shortest ever patrols owing to weather conditions, and we finished soaked but greatly inspired.

 Report by Rev Palmer, November 2016

Continue reading Peacemakers Prayer Patrols warming hearts in Fishponds and Easton

Peacemakers “FOOT PATOLLERS” are back on the streets of Bristol

Global Prayer Mission- November

Once again the Peacemakers Team of hopefuls will take to the streets of Bristol, with much enthusiasm and positive determination, that their Prayer Patrols will be a beneficial presence and great upliftment to these communities.

Prayer Patrols started in the then crime-torn area of St. Pauls, Bristol. There were several street gangs and drugs influencing the peaceful neighborhoods then, making it very unsafe to walk about, day or night. Together with the community policing, and the involvement of other community groups and organizations, along with some residents, Prayer Patrols were at the center of providing a valuable, visible  presence in the area.  At one time they were patrolling the streets almost 24 hours per day.  They also opened an office in the area, the Peace Embassy, for concerned residents,  youths, and local groups.

Today, it is a different story, street crime in St. Pauls is at an all time low in terms of street gangs, community violence, or hostilities. WP_20160325_14_32_51_ProThen, the City Council allocated funding to community groups and projects, regenerated the area with new buildings and other neighborhood improvements, in housing, gardens for residents, and parks, etc. The streets are definitely safer these days, we found new communities have moved into the area, and there are quite a few new enterprises dotted around.

Peacemakers, however, are keen to maintain rapport, as a peace agent and a beneficial presence for good, in these areas. So, from October to December 2016, they will be out again rigorously patrolling the streets of Bristol. **See below for areas, dates and times**

 Autumn 2016 Prayer Patrols in Bristol:

*Fishponds                                  Saturday     22nd October        2.00pm (Meet up outside Morrisons Supermarket, Fishponds, on the forecourt to the side, and by the steps a couple of feet away from the Bus Stop)

*Easton & Old Market          Friday          18th November     6.00pm (Meet up on the street, outside st. Marks Church, Easton,next to the pub)

*St.Pauls & Stokes Croft      Friday          9th December        6.00pm (Meet up outside St. Pauls Learning Centre, St. Pauls)

The 2017 UK Patrols will include Bishopston, Staple Hill, Park Street, Bedminster, Barton Hill and St Werburghs.  Dates and times of these patrols are still to be decided and will be published at a later date.

If you are interested to know more about Peacemakers or wish to join us on any of the patrols, please do get in touch with us via the CONTACT US page.

Peacemakers Motto: Love, Hope, and Peace for all. 
"Reducing crime and building safer, more peaceful communities"

***Click HERE to See our Global Prayer Mission Prayer List for September