We need our flip-flops back!

Friday 11 September 2015

A Jersey charity is hoping to help more women out on the town at the weekends with sore feet - but first they need to get back some of the 2,000 pairs of flip flops they've given out over the years.

Street Pastors Jersey has been walking the streets for the last few years - handing out just over 2,000 pairs of pink flip flops to women struggling to walk in their killer heels at the end of a night out, and now they are hoping their flip flop amnesty will get some more mileage out of them.

Street Pastor Marcia Lee said: “One of the things we do is to hand out pink flip flops to those, usually women, who can no longer walk in their fantastic heels which were brilliant at the beginning of the night but killers by the early hours of the next morning.

“We are hoping to prevent accidents like sprained or broken ankles and stop people treading on broken glass.

“We often meet people on a Saturday night who have been very grateful that they, their mum or their friend have received flip flops and want to hand them back so they can be recycled and reused.”

The team has now found a way to properly clean and sterilize their footwear and hope to see lots of pairs of flip flops returned to them this week. They've set up a big blue bin in the reception of Le Gallais & Luce in 6 Hill Street.

The Street Pastors, who are all trained volunteers, are out in town from 10pm until 3am giving a helping hand, a friendly ear and a spring in ladies' steps every Saturday night. 

Marcia said: “Street Pastors is an ecumenical Christian charity, so we are supported by all of the Island’s churches. We have members from all denominations.

“We’re not judgmental, we are just out to help people finish their evenings as well as they started! There’s no preaching and no pressure - we believe that God loves all of us, and this is a practical way of showing it."