'Soho Angels' to hand out sick bags to drunk Christmas revellers

Party season: The Soho Angels

Late-night volunteers will be out making Soho a “safer space” for people partying in central London over Christmas.

Specially trained volunteers, dubbed the Soho Angels, will be handing out water, sick bags and helping drunk people get medical attention.

They will also help vulnerable people who need to charge their phones or fall victim to crime during the festive period.

During a test night last Friday eight Soho Angels and six St John Ambulance workers helped 80 people.

These included a 50-year-old man from Kent, called Steve, who had been at a work party and was found slumped on the pavement with his laptop bag and belongings covered in his own vomit.

He was brought into the Angels’ base, at St Anne’s Church, where he spent five hours sobering up.

When the Soho Angels escorted him to Charing Cross in the morning he told them: “I don’t know what I would have done without your help. It brings tears to my eyes that there are so many good people in this world.”

They also came across an “extremely” drunk and unresponsive man with a group of friends from Australia.

They had been travelling around Europe and this was their last night before catching a 5am plane back to Sydney. The Angels called for an ambulance and he was taken to A&E. He missed his flight the following morning.

The initiative is by Westminster Council and charity LGBT Foundation.

The idea started in Manchester in 2011 and has been credited with helping to reduce crime and alleviate pressure on emergency services.

Paul Martin, chief executive of LGBT Foundation, said the Angels had carried out “life-saving” interventions in Manchester and added: “Unfortunately, we know that people can be targeted because of their sexual orientation or gender identity and that LGBT communities still face discrimination and barriers to accessing support.”

Sarah Shimmons, from Smirnoff which is supporting the proposal, said their aim was to make nightlife a “safer space for LGBTQ+ people”.

The Soho Angels will work every Friday throughout December. If it is a success, it will be rolled out every Friday and Saturday from February next year.

Councillor Ian Adams, Cabinet Member for Public Protection and Licensing, said: “We also hope this takes some of the winter pressures off the NHS.”

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