EVERY weekend pensioner Margaret Reeves is in the city centre until 4am on Sunday morning helping vulnerable people in need.

The 67-year-old grandmother is one of almost 100 street pastors who spend Friday and Saturday nights assisting people of all ages.

They carry first aid kits, sick bags, thermal blankets and warm socks and collect and safely dispose of glasses and bottles which have been discarded on the streets.

The volunteers from churches across the city also hand out flip flops to women who have removed their high heels after a long night out and walk the street in their bare feet risking cuts from broken glass or stones.

In September alone they gave out 400 pairs of free footwear and disposed of 500 bottles and glasses.

The team, who wear distinctive caps and blue jackets with street pastor emblazoned on the back, is equipped with radios to contact city CCTV operators if they need support from the police or ambulance service.

Their main job is comforting and calming people in distress, reuniting lost friends and providing tea and a safe haven for anyone vulnerable.

The safe zone in St George's Tron Church in Nelson Mandela Square is manned by trained first aiders.

The pastors will also help people contact their families or friends to collect them if they can't get home by themselves and provide charging facilities for flat mobile phones.

Margaret, who was a support worker in a residential rehab unit before retiring, has been a street pastor for a decade working from 10am until 4pm.

She said: "We could write a book about everything the street pastors have seen.

"People come for a good night out but sometimes they don't realise how the alcohol has affected them until they leave the nightclubs.

"They don't feel the cold and don't know where they are - they can be sick or fall over and sometimes taxis won't take them because they are too drunk.

"Some sit down and drift off to sleep and in the winter they could develop hypothermia if they were not found.

"We see people from all walks of life - not just the young - but we are not there to judge people but to help them."

Before leaving home for her Saturday night shift, Margaret makes up 25 filled rolls and offers them to any rough sleepers and beggars she meets in the city centre.

Jennifer Layden, the city council's equality and human rights spokeswoman, said: "It is truly amazing people are happy to sacrifice their weekends and go out into the cold and wet until the early hours to help others. The commitment and dedication of the street pastors is inspiring.

"Glasgow's new draft City Charter seeks to encourage people to get involved in their communities and look out for neighbours, friends and fellow Glaswegians who may need a little extra support.

"We all have something we can contribute to our communities, whether it is by volunteering in some way or simply by doing some shopping for a sick neighbour."