Bishop patrols town with pastors

The Bishop met party-goers while on patrol on Torquay

The Bishop of Exeter spent an evening patrolling the streets of Torquay as part of his tour of Devon to mark 1,100 years of Christianity in the county.

He joined a local team of street pastors, volunteers from local churches who patrol town centres at night, offering help to those who need it.

The Right Reverend Michael Langrish met homeless people and clubbers over several hours on Saturday night.

He said it had been a "hugely encouraging" experience.

Once you started to talk to people lots came out Right Rev Michael Langrish, Bishop of Exeter

Bishop Langrish said: "I saw for myself the positive impact street pastors was having.

"What was interesting was the number of people who were out who were glad to have someone to talk to.

"There were some who were quite lonely and once you started to talk to them lots came out."

He said one of the most significant moments of the night had been talking to a young man who had been made homeless after losing his job in the recession.

The bishop also went into the night club Play to chat to the manager about the impact of the street pastor initiative.

Ros Ede, who runs Torbay Street Pastors, said: "He was so relaxed and happy.

"He stopped and talked to everyone, he wasn't fazed by anything."

The Torbay scheme, the first of its kind in Devon and Cornwall, was launched in March 2008.

During its first six months, reported crime in the area dropped, police said.