Teenagers graduate from training showing them how to provide night-time medical support in Hereford
Herefordshire charity Vennture's Lean on Me programme works to give young people the chance to learn how they can help play their part in keeping the city safe
A group of teenagers have graduated from a programme aiming to teach them how they can help keep people in Hereford safe in the night-time economy.
The training has been organised by Herefordshire charity Vennture who have been doing it for several years, giving 16 and 17-year-olds to chance to learn how to provide the likes of medical assistance while also covering mental health and safeguarding.
It means they can now join the Street Presence team fully on Fridays and Saturdays, who operate between 6:30pm and 3am, which was set-up with the aim to ease pressure on emergency services through early intervention.
They'll work under the supervision of an experienced adult volunteer and finish by 11pm before moving on to later shifts once they turn 18.
Their official graduation ceremony took place this Wednesday (4 February), Imogen Abbott is co-ordinator of the stress presence team and said 14 in total had picked up their completion certificates and they had all worked hard to get to this point.
"Our graduation is really just a time to celebrate those efforts and celebrate the moment at which they're actually going to start patrolling really," she said.
"A few of them have managed to get out already, but from now on until they choose their next steps they get to help make our city a little bit safer on Friday and Saturday nights.
"The team are just there to provide a calm and reassuring presence but also just provide support, whether that's first aid or just a listening ear to anyone who maybe becomes vulnerable, whether it's in the day or the night time."
Lean on Me is also part of a wider partnership involving local businesses, specialist services, the church, and police, all working together to make the city safe.