Street theatre performances and life-size floor stickers depicting ‘drunk people’, are being used by officers from Avon and Somerset Constabulary and South Gloucestershire Council to launch a campaign against binge drinking in Kingswood this weekend.
The campaign, called ‘Know Your Limits’, is targeted at 18 to 24-year-olds. Officers will talk through the consequences of binge drinking on a night out and the anti-social behaviour which can follow.
Young actors from Solomon Theatre Company will perform ‘real-life’ scenarios of a night out gone wrong due to excessive drinking, encouraging people to think about the consequences of their actions.
Performances will be held throughout the afternoon on Saturday 08 August 2009 from12pm to 4pm at Kings Chase Shopping Centre.
The performances aim to raise awareness of the dangers of excessive drinking and highlight how to improve personal safety when under the influence of alcohol.
A life-size sticker of a young man suffering from the ill-effects of too much alcohol will be stuck on the floor by the taxi rank, Kingswood High Street. The idea is to get people thinking ‘You wouldn’t start a night like this, so why end it like this?’
These weekend activities support the work already being carried out by South Gloucestershire Council, police, other agencies and community groups which make up the Safer & Stronger Communities Partnership.
Kingswood has been chosen for the focus of this campaign because it is one of the main areas in South Gloucestershire where people go for a night out.
South Gloucestershire Council has also invested in a taxi marshal scheme in the High Street to make sure people feel safe and get home safely after their night out.
Neighbourhood Inspector Kevin Thatcher said: “Many people enjoy a night out and a drink, but a minority drink too much and ruin the night for everyone.
“Police are determined to work with the council, licensees and other partners to tackle the problems caused by binge drinking, and this campaign will help us do that.
“Much violent crime across the country is alcohol-fuelled and the Know Your Limits campaign is a reminder to everyone that drinking too much could mean they get involved in trouble and get hurt or arrested themselves.”
Cllr John Godwin, executive member for external affairs and partnerships, said: “We hope that these innovative activities will help young people on a night out in Kingswood this weekend to become more aware of their actions and take steps to look after themselves. The campaign will be about telling young people to think about their behaviour when they have been drinking so that everyone can enjoy a happy and safe night out.”
The Know Your Limits campaign is a Government initiative to highlight the negative consequences of drinking too much alcohol. The campaign stresses the need for young drinkers to know the transformation point that occurs between having a good time and becoming a bad drunk, and the need to be aware of the consequences of excessive drinking.
Following the weekend of activities, the agencies involved will work together to evaluate the results of the campaign in order to plan any future events.
Alcohol units and information fact file:
Sensible drinking for women =2 to 3 units per day = 14 units per week.
Sensible drinking for men = 3 to 4 units per day = 21 units per week
What is a unit?
A UK unit is 10ml or 8 grams of pure alcohol. However the number of units in a drink depends on what you are drinking, how strong it is and how much of it there is.
Source: www.drinkaware.co.uk which includes a unit calculator to track your drinking
Source: Avon and Somerset Police
