THE Derby City Mission has celebrated its 25th anniversary with an event to thank all the volunteers who have helped over the years.
The Bishop of Derby, the Right Reverend Dr Alastair Redfern, presided over Holy Communion at Saint Alkmund's Church, Kedleston Road as 400 guests attended, yesterday.
The mission was created in 1989 by Geoff Holland and over the years has helped thousands of people across the city with debt advice, food packages and with help getting home safely after a night out.
Operations manager, Viv Merkelt, said: "We really want to say thank you to all the people who have helped the mission become what it is today.
"We only have a staff of three or four and without people giving up their free time we would not be able to do any of the good work across Derby."
City missions date back to 1826 when the first one was set up in Glasgow.
Derby City Mission began in a small office at Junction Baptist Church where Geoff and his first volunteer, Sylvia Cooper, went door-to-door inviting senior citizens to a Christmas dinner.
Since then they have undertaken a great many projects including the Basics Bank, the first food bank in the UK.
Two of their most recent successes have been the Street Pastors program and the Derby Churches Night Shelter.
For more than five years volunteers have taken to the streets on Friday and Saturday nights, with 48 trained pastors currently on the books. In the years they have been operating there has been steady decrease in the number of drunken people the pastors have dealt with.
Viv said: "We are so pleased with the work the pastors have been doing and we belive they are one of the reasons that Derby has its Purple Flag status."
And Chief Constable of Derbyshire Constabulary, Mick Creedon, agrees. He said: "I cannot overstate the contribution the Derby CityMission has made to the safety of the public in Derby.
"The value of the work that the street pastors do in our city centre, week-in-week-out, is immense. Their time given so willingly, at unsociable hours of the day and night, has a worth that cannot realistically be calculated."
To find out more, phone 01332 460 346.
