It was just past 9pm, and Canal Street was starting to bustle. Despite the threat of rain, people had come out to party. As always, the Village Angels were out helping them.
The Village Angels operate out of Banabas House in the village, which has been transformed into the Village Refuge. This is a central base located on Bloom Street, containing a well-stocked kitchen, chairs, security – everything that tired party-animals need when the night out goes too far for too long.
Manchester has always had an excellent party scene, and the Gay Village is no exception. But despite the inroads made to make nights out safer for all, it can still be a culture shock for the average student. The atmosphere, lights (and semi-legal narcotics) can be overwhelming, and hotspots for crime or antisocial behaviour. People should feel safe whilst out having fun, and it’s places like the Village Refuge, and organisations like the Village Angels that facilitate and support this freedom.
The Angels’ real operation takes place on the street. You may have seen them walking around Gay Village, their pink Hi-Vis contrasting with massive green first-aid packs (full to the brim of aid supplies, I’m told). Or you may have seen them talking to those on a night out, wrapping a sheet around them, even helping with crowd control while paramedics attend the scene. They help victims of phone theft, spiking or just when the night out becomes a bit too much.
Founded in 2011 by the LGBT Foundation, the Angels are a group of volunteers dedicated to ensuring that the streets of the Gay Village remain safe for everyone out on a Friday or Saturday night. In the last 6 months, they have helped over 350 people get home safely – approximately 13 people a week. They were kind enough to invite me along for the night to report on the nature of the work they do.
The night starts at 9 pm at Barnabus House, opposite New York – the ‘home base’. Although it is unlikely, if anything bad happens, I’m told to come back here.
After the requisite pre-shift chat at 10pm, we are roused awake with a police briefing at City Hall. Events in the city are discussed, concerning persons of interest and possible crowd bottlenecks. This operation involves over 30 police officers, Village and Student Angels, taking place every Friday and Saturday night. Volunteer groups are vital to the city’s nighttime ecosystem.
The Angels themselves are a motley bunch, all of them lovely and willing to answer all my questions. In total, that night there were about 10 Angels on duty, 3 of them on probationary shifts, and two acting as shift leads. The Angels themselves are an explicitly LGBT organisation, but they were keen to stress they accepted anyone and helped everyone, even the straights.
The group I followed had a mixture of backgrounds, experiences, and skills. A Village Angel needs to be able to work and adapt quickly. So, as well as the physical health first-aid bag they lug around, we also had experts on mental health and water safety, something I’m told is required even though the canal is drained and fenced off. There is apparently no end to what the public can do.
Something that became more apparent throughout the night is how much the Angels are appreciated, not just by the public but also by emergency services. Every doorman, drag queen, and regular partier gave us a nod, a wave, or a thank you. The Angels are truly appreciated.
Throughout the night, I asked the group, why do you keep coming back? What makes you want to do this? For some, the answer was simple, they met their partner on shift, or they like helping people. For another, it was relevant to their Criminology Degree, providing valuable experience. One man mentioned that when he moved to Manchester, he finally felt he could be himself and wanted to give back to the community. Another volunteer said that they often acted as the “mother” when they went out with their friends, working with Village Angels she does the same, just in a pink Hi Vis.
This sense of community and kindness is pervasive throughout the night. The importance of consent and dignity when dealing with service users is repeatedly emphasised to me. The Angels are always willing to help and won’t judge or criticise anyone who needs it.
I asked what the response would be to someone who had taken a large amount of drugs and was close to overdosing. I am given a quick, simple answer – that the Angels are here to help and to provide medical and triage assistance on the scene. If the problem requires more resources, they’ll call an ambulance or the police on a dedicated phone line or radio. They can call a cab or just stay with someone to make sure they’re OK.
My time with the Angels was brief but left a lasting impression. The Angels believe every city should have an organisation like this, and in Manchester, we are lucky enough to have two. The Village Angels and the Student Angels who operate on Oxford Road, distinguished by their purple uniform.
From Satan’s to Sackville Gardens, the Angels are available to help, doing so with kindness and compassion. Despite this, the Angels want to expand, and over the past month they have begun making inroads into a Liverpool chapter, with trials currently underway in the city centre.
With Canal Street busier than ever, the Village Angels provide a vital and useful service to both the community and the city at large. Whether it’s looking out for lost freshers on their first bar crawl, supplementing the ambulance service or being a visibly kind presence on the streets, the Village Angels have and will continue to be a valuable asset to the student community in Manchester.
The Village Haven can be found on 45 Bloom Street every Friday and Saturday night, where you can go if you need some support from an Angel until 3 am. They can otherwise be found walking the village in pink Hi Vis.
