MAVISbus is used in Weston’s evening night time economy as a safe space and multi-agency hub.
On Saturday nights between 9pm and 3am and Friday, or when there is a major event taking place in the town, the bus is parked on Big Lamp Corner at the end of Regent Street.
A safe space is a collective term for schemes that provide triage, recovery and pastoral care to people out in the evening who may be drunk, have taken illegal drugs or be lost or vulnerable.
We work with the police, ambulance crews, street wardens and street pastors to help people who have become vulnerable. The bus offers a safe, warm and non-judgmental place to go for help. MAVIS also offers general information to town centre visitors.
MAVIS also provides a hub for police, ambulance, street wardens, street pastors, licensing and other local agencies working in the night-time economy. Having a mobile base for people who work in the town after dark can also help reduce demand on the hospital’s accident and emergency services, by providing simple first aid for minor injuries.
We were lucky enough for the MAVISbus to feature on the BBC Neighbourhood Blues series. The short clip below shows us developing the MAVISbus at our Evening & Night Time Economy steering group through to its first night in operation.