SEVEN new street pastors have been commissioned for the city, starting last Friday.

A special service, attended by families, friends and church representatives was held in the Fubar on Murray Place.

The pastors will now be a familiar presence in the city centre on Friday and Saturday nights.

They go out in teams of three or four between 10pm and about 4am.

From several church denominations in and around Stirling, they have all been through an extensive training programme.

Working with the council and the emergency services their aim is to “care, listen and help”.

The commissioning service was conducted by the Rev. Sandy Gunn, a director of Ascension Trust, Scotland, which oversees the Street Pastor groups in Scotland.

The new pastors are: Gillian Armstrong, Russell Boyd, Anne Dunlop, Ruth Rogerson, Louis Stewart, Cindy White, Helen Wynd.