LATE NIGHT LISTENERS - REPORTS
As another Late Night Listeners shift comes around (two per month as standard), I felt drawn to reflect on how long this initiative has been running, and believe it or not it is now in its 16th year!! So bar a two year break for 'Covid 19', teams have been serving the night-time economy of the city for at least 14 years. As coordinator, I am so proud of all those who have and still continue to volunteer for this community service and am also encouraged by the addition of newer recruits... (we always welcome more).
Back to the night's adventures, we set off into a night of quite settled weather besides a nippy wind whistling around at certain points of the streets.
After setting up we began to see that it was quite a bustle about the night.
There weren't any major anecdotal incidents though on seeing a couple of ladies go past (both struggling rather unsuccessfully, on very high stiletto heels), one of our team ran after them offering flip flops. One of the ladies was most grateful, the other being a bit the worse for wear went off in an angry verbal tirade of abuse and expletives to those around her endeavouring to help her into said flip flops. She ended up throwing her bag and other things she had on the floor and stormed off towards the taxi rank with her friend trying to follow and calm her down...it is sad what excessive drinking does to people.
We seem to see less homeless people around these days (which in one sense is a very good thing) but the odd one or two we do come across generally still come to us for refreshments.
We noted that the Scales pub after having had a recent refurb is now called Eden and chatting to the security staff, they told us the new management are trying to change the atmosphere of the place by adopting a strictly over 21 years of age entrance policy. On this their second evening of being open, things seemed to be quite reserved and much quieter!!
As the wind chill was getting more abrasive, and things were getting we decided to pack up a few minutes early, just as big Bobby came around with our complimentary box of chips... all wolfed down quickly by the team as they packed things away.
Another Saturday night on the City streets, serving and helping our community was over.... time to headed to home to warm beds.
As we all met at base camp, we were very grateful to one of our team members for stepping in at the last moment for another team member who was suffering from some concerning respiratory problems. We pray they have recovered.
"Another Saturday Night and I ain't got nobody, I got some money cos I just got paid" is a line from a Cat Stevens (now Yusuf Islam) song that sort of summed up the Late Night Listeners experience on this relatively mild (weatherwise) night.
Lots of people out and about....an event at St Johns hotel up the road made for a lot of interesting fancy dress outfits including the, seemingly obligatory, blow-up doll harnessed around some male's neck!!
Like the 'well oiled machine' the LNL teams have become, we set up our table, lights and signage and it wasn't long before our 'customers' came calling. Our usual two-person walkabouts highlighted some needs for hot drinks which were duly served - waiter stylee. The two man crew heard a smashing of glass near the Spire shopping centre and found a lad holding his hand which he appeared to have cut but despite our persistent offers of medical assistance he walked off shouting for his mate. He seemed in quite an angry frame of mind. He was known by one of the of the team and he did come into our eyeline again later getting friendly with a couple of young ladies, one of whom had plonked herself on the pavement near one of the trees in front of us and proceeded to eat her donner and chips
Though it was busy, it was quite a moderated busyness. We did have one young lady in an advanced state of intoxication, who stayed some time at our table, praising the work we do, and explaining with the use of graphic expletives what a state she was in. We gathered she had been in the Army at some point. But it wasn't always easy to fully understand her. She eventually walked off
We seemed to give out more than our usual amount of flips flops, which always seem to have the same overwhelming impact on the female recipients.
Nothing in the way of any noteworthy incidents or encounters tonight, just the usual plethora of compliments for us just being there for people. Two NHS nurses stopped by and chatted as they drank their tea, sobering up a bit in the process (to be fair they weren't really that drunk and anyway who would really blame them for letting their hair down a bit in between shifts?).
Booby supplied our early morning culinary delight that is a box of fries - why is it that they taste soooo good at 1 in the morning?
It was soon time to break camp and head off home. Another Saturday night....