Faces of Kettering: Kettering Street Pastors

“A Friendly Face in the Night”

We spoke with Rob and Cordelia, two of Kettering’s dedicated Street Pastors – volunteers who give up their Saturday nights to keep people safe on the town’s streets. The organisation has been going for 15 years, and their commitment is as strong as ever.

Tell us who you are and what you do.

Rob: My name’s Rob, and I’ve been a street pastor here in Kettering for 13 years. We’re all volunteers – nobody gets any financial reward for what we do. We’re out on the streets every Saturday night, and on other major party nights, until 3am, basically helping people. And the key word is people who are vulnerable. Perhaps they’ve had a bit too much to drink, perhaps they’ve taken something, or perhaps they’re just going through a difficult time and need to talk. We’re there with a listening ear – non-judgmental, whoever, whatever, whenever. To help people, point them in the right direction, and get them safe.

Cordelia: I’m Cordelia – I joined just before Covid, so I had to wait a little while to get started! It’s been about six or seven years now. It’s not just about going out and helping others though — we look out for each other too. When we leave at the end of the night, we all text to say we’ve got home safely.

What does a typical night look like?

There’s normally about eight of us out each night – some at the van, some walking the streets. We’ve got a big bright SNO van, and people often just come up to charge their phone, grab a pair of flipflops if their feet are hurting, or get a space blanket if they’re cold. If someone needs help getting home, we help them get home. Really, we’re just there for whoever needs us.

If you see someone who needs our help, you can approach our team directly, speak to any police officer, or talk to pub door staff — they can all reach us through the CCTV public radio system, and we’ll be there as quickly as we can.

We also have a team of prayer pastors at home – about three or four of them – who are praying for us and sending prayer requests right through until 3am. So while we’re out on the street, they’re in the background covering us. It means a lot.

How can people support you?

The main thing is just to spread the word – tell your friends, share our social media posts, so that people know there’s always a friendly face they can turn to when they see us out and about. And if you fancy joining us, we’d love to hear from you.

Kettering Street Pastors are out every Saturday night. Find them on Facebook or speak to any door staff or police officer to reach the team.

Facebook: facebook.com/KettStPastors

This interview is part of Faces of Kettering – a celebration of the extraordinary people who make our town the place it is. Each person featured in the series has had their portrait painted by a local artist, with the paintings displayed in locations across Kettering town centre as a colourful reminder of the community spirit that runs through everything we do here.

You can find all of the portraits – and where to find them – on our interactive art trail map on the Love Kettering Hub. Whether you follow the trail in an afternoon or stumble across a painting on your daily routine, we hope each one makes you smile, and perhaps inspires you to find out a little more about the remarkable people who make Kettering great.