Twelve volunteers from churches across Tywyn and the surrounding area will take to the streets as part of a new School Pastors initiative.

The volunteers have completed training to become School Pastors, an initiative established by Ascension Trust to create a friendly, caring presence for young people at the end of the school day. Their role is simple: to care, listen, encourage and help young people when they may need a friendly face.

The volunteers are not teachers, police officers or security personnel. They are ordinary local Christians who have chosen to give their time to support young people and the wider community.

Sometimes, the end of the school day can be a busy time. Friendships, disagreements and difficult situations can occasionally spill out into public spaces. Having a visible, approachable and friendly presence nearby can help create a calmer environment and, where appropriate, offer support from a respectful distance.

The School Pastors will initially be particularly visible in and around Tywyn railway station at the end of the school day, offering a welcoming presence as young people make their way home.

The initiative was launched with a special commissioning service on 9 September at Tywyn Baptist Church.

The service was particularly significant, as Tywyn School Pastors is the first active School Pastors initiative to operate in Wales.

A Tywyn School Pastors spokesperson said: “School Pastors is really about people caring about their community. We are not there to tell young people what to do, and we are certainly not there to replace teachers, parents or the police. We simply want to be a friendly, reassuring presence — people who are there to listen, care and help if they can.”

The team hopes School Pastors will become familiar and trusted faces within the community.