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It may have been pouring down but inside St Faith’s Church the atmosphere was warm and welcoming.

In a small room furnished with comfy armchairs a group of people were drinking tea and chatting.

They were were the Maidstone Street Pastors and their supporters, including St Faith’s minister, the Rev Jackie Cray.

Since October these men and women, from all branches of the Christian faith, have been giving up Saturday nights either to walk round Maidstone town centre offering care and reassurance to revellers or to form a prayer base back at the church.

Pioneered

The Street Pastor scheme was pioneered in London in 2003 has spread across the UK, often coinciding with a drop in crime figures.

They started operating in Maidstone last year.

Mike Hammond, who also works for the Kenward Trust, joined up after friends told him he was perfect for the job.

He said: “I was a bit reluctant at first especially as a lot of the time my work involves outreach.

“But I thought if I could be there and make a difference and a person might not get hurt, then that was something I wanted to be involved with.”

At the moment the pastors go out every other Saturday but they plan to make it a weekly service.

We split into two groups of four and walk down Week Street, where the pastors smile and offer cheery hellos to revellers. Some respond politely, others look blank and confused and a few slurring teens shout an insult.

Heather Gardner, 31, says they usually get a positive reaction.

She said: “We explain that we are not police, or council or PCSOs but from the local churches and just coming out to check everyone is okay.”

In Bank Street, the pastors come across a girl who is screaming and shouting as police arrest a young man.

“We can’t intervene,” says Annabelle Blackaby.

However, checking up on people in difficult situations is an important part of the Street Pastors’ role.

“One week we saw this girl who was falling over drunk. We asked if we could help but she said no,” said Annabelle. “So instead we just followed her up the Tonbridge Road and eventually her boyfriend picked her up. That was a relief for us all.”

We trudge on in the pouring rain to the Lockmeadow complex. Head of security Tom Raper is very positive about the scheme.

He said: “I think they are doing a really good job. There are always going to be a few people who have too much to drink and feel a bit depressed or whatever, and who need someone to talk to.”

As the clock neared midnight, and my shoes finally succumbed to saturation, I said goodbye. But the pastors were still just warming up. A usual night for them does not end until at least 3am, or even 5am.