‘He came from America...to give us flip flops!’

But a few hours later, it’s a different story as your feet are throbbing, almost as much as you know your head will be in the morning, and you can’t find your coat or your friends.

You probably didn’t mean for it to happen but you’re on your own in the city after dark and pretty vulnerable.

It’s a cautionary tale but one that a group of volunteers patrolling Worcester during the wee small hours are hoping to help you avoid.

The street pastors are from churches across the city and go out to offer revellers the hand of friendship – along with bottles of water, wipes, blankets and flip flops.

Among them is Larry Kineman, who is hard to miss, thanks to his American twang and the sheer force of his infectious enthusiasm.

Mr Kineman, aged 59, originally from Indiana, came to Worcester in 1998 and teamed up with Woodgreen evangelical church helping to start up or ‘plant’ the Manor Park evangelical church in Dines Green.

The minister was among those in groups of four who were out patrolling the city from 10pm until 4am for the first time on Saturday, October 23.

He said: “It was the first time out so people were curious.

“This guy came up to me and said, ‘There’s a guy up there in that alleyway next to Argos who needs help’.

“We walked up there and here’s this guy. He’s sitting up so that’s good news.

“I asked, ‘What’s happening?’ He said, ‘Well I’m drunk and I’m not able to walk.

“I said, ‘Do you have any friends in the city that could come and help you?’ “He looks me in the eye and said, ‘Do you think if I had friends in the city I’d be drunk, sitting on my butt in the dark?’”

Even just recalling the encounter makes Mr Kineman laugh heartily – at himself.

He said: “That was one silly question to ask that guy – but we’re still learning ourselves.”

In the end, they promised to return to check on the man in 15 minutes but when they did, he was gone.

The pastors carry a backpack which may contain anything from a dustpan and brush for sweeping up broken glass, anti-drug spiking stoppers for drinks, space blankets to keep people warm and a phone to call for help.

So if he had still been there, they could have helped him dial a number to call a friend or taken him to a taxi rank.

But their role can also be as simple as picking up discarded bottles which could later be used as a weapon or giving thirsty revellers a drink of water.

Mr Kineman said: “We come upon people who are sick and, believe me, there are clubbers who come out and have had too much to drink who lay down on the pavement and are sick.

“So one of the things we would say is, ‘You are not looking good there buddy, do you want some water to drink?’ “They are most appreciative.

We’ve also got flip flops as you find girls who come in in very high heels and by the end of the night they are extremely tired and they pop these heels off.

“They are walking around barefoot and there is broken glass here, there and everywhere.

“There was this girl in Angel Place and she didn’t have any shoes.

“She asked where I was from and I told her America and she said to her friend, ‘He came from America to give us flip flops!’ They started walking down the street but they were so big she looked like she was skiing!”

Cue more chuckles. Mr Kineman seems great fun and is clearly no fuddy duddy – which will no doubt come as a relief to the clubbers not looking for a spiritual encounter on a Saturday night.

He said: “We are not there to preach to people or issue out judgements.

“We are just there to care and help people and express the love of Jesus in that way.”

The idea for the street pastors scheme was sparked by a vicar in Brixton, London, and there are now 150 schemes countrywide run by the Ascension Trust.

Worcester’s scheme has been set up in association with the police and Worcester City Council and volunteers are trained on many subjects – including alcohol, drugs, solvents, youth culture and policing.

They are also subject to Criminal Record Bureau checks and must have a letter of recommendation and the backing of a church.

According to Mr Kineman, volunteers in Worcester buck the national trend of women in their 50s and 60s and are mostly made up of men in their 20s and 30s.

Despite the links with the authorities, he said: “I’m not an undercover policeman.

“That’s not our role but if we saw anything happening that needed the police or the ambulance service, then it would be our duty to ring for them to come.

“Our primary aim is to go into the city and care and listen to people and find practical ways to help them.”