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How pensioners depend on their guardian angel

Kate Stirrup
1/12/2003

LEVENSHULME pensioners have a guardian angel in street warden Matthew Reynolds.

Matthew works as a street warden in Levenshulme and last December pioneered a scheme to escort frightened pensioners to their local post offices to pick up their bumper Christmas pensions.

The presence of Matthew and his fellow wardens reassured the elderly people and removed their fear of being mugged. And he has just received a national award from government minister Yvette Cooper for his scheme.

At a ceremony in Harrogate Matthew was presented with a trophy and £1,000 to spend on his crime prevention programme, which is being extended to a wider area in Levenshulme this Christmas. The post office scheme, which was also piloted in Longsight, was a massive success and none of the hundreds of pensioners they escorted were attacked - the year before five were mugged.

Modest Matthew, 38, said: "It is always good to be of some use. That's why I got involved in this work in the first place. You wouldn't do it for money."

Deputy head warden Matthew has also been praised for helping out a burglarly-hit old folk's home where he used to call round to provide assurance to the pensioners - even during his time off.

• Police officers in Levenshulme will also be escorting pensioners collecting their pensions, as part of Operation Otter, lead by the community beat office.