BTCSoftware is proud to announce its sponsorship of the Woking Street Angels. It will be donating all of the consumable items which are used by the organisation when out on patrol (for example, lollipops, flip-flops, foil blankets, gloves, etc).
Street Angels are volunteers who believe that people deserve care and love in their time of need. Those needs could be as a result of homelessness, intoxication, drug abuse, assault or any other issue which has caused personal distress or the potential for physical harm. Street Angels help people whoever they are and whatever their situation, for example by listening, through simple acts of generosity, caring, offering practical help or by referring people to other (specialist) agencies who can help them.
Street Angels have been springing up across the UK since 2005, and Woking Street Angels began in February 2011. They make a really positive impact on crime and antisocial behaviour in town centres, particularly in the vicinity of bars and clubs, by providing a calming presence on the streets late at night. Amazingly, between the key times of 2000-0400hrs, which is when the Street Angels are present, violent crime in Woking has dropped by 64.5%.
Rob Ellis, BTCSoftware CEO, went out on shift with the Woking Street Angels on May 7th to see exactly what they do and how they operate. Rob was amazed by how well the Angels were received by everyone in the town including people on a night out, security staff at the clubs and restaurants, and people who are just a little down on their luck right now.
Rob said “The term Angels is so apt. From helping people from foreign lands simply find their hotel through to handing out foil blankets to those without a bed for the night, the Woking Street Angels couldn’t have been more helpful. I even witnessed them tending to a very unwell young man for almost an hour until his mother arrived at 3.a.m. to gather him up.”
He went on to add, ”I wasn’t surprised by what I saw, but I was amazed how the Street Angels’ prompt and practical actions made the difference between people getting home safely or perhaps being left in the gutter for the night. Also, their simple acts of kindness brought a smile to the face of those who might have otherwise thought nobody cared for them any more. We are very proud to be sponsoring their efforts and I look forward to joining them again on shift in the near future.”
