- A pilot scheme to tackle underage drinking in the North Eastern Education and Library Board area is to be launched in Ballymoney. The Binge Drinking Roadshow will attempt to educate parents about the dangers of alcohol and drugs. It will include talks from a former alcoholic and a representative from the Causeway hospital in Coleraine. The NEELB said in Northern Ireland the number of alcohol-related deaths had more than doubled since 1994. The event has been organised by the board in conjunction with the PSNI. BBC News
- Staffordshire: Young people from several schools involved in a county council drive to target teen drinking are being encouraged to put their thinking caps on to challenge their peers' perceptions about alcohol. The competition invites specific schools across the county to come up with a piece of thought-provoking new media about alcohol. This is Cheshire
- Greater Easterhouse Alcohol Awareness Project “GEAAP” has launched a new online campaign highlighting the dangers of binge drinking, as well as to promote awareness of the amount of alcohol units in drinks. The site challenges users aged between 9 and 17 to take part in a series of alcohol related quiz with 4 games that can be unlocked at the end of each one. Players compete against each other and the ten highest scores achieved for each game will go into a top ten.
Users have the choice to submit their points to the high score tables and enter themselves into a Prize Draw. The Prize Draw offers winners the chance to win an Apple Ipod Nano and will run monthly. Those who enter into the ‘toptables’ will be eligible for the monthly prize draw and can have their scores entered as many times as they like. The site is being promoted through email, online seeding and will be hosted on the Young Booze Busters website. For further information, contact: Chunk, 0141 226 8880.
- Northern Ireland: Children as young as 10 who drink carry-outs with their teenage friends are leaving themselves vulnerable to serious injury or even death, says Altnagelvin A&E consultant Alan McKinney Last year almost 50 children under the age of 15 were treated for alcohol abuse at Altnagelvin's Accident and Emergency department. Mr McKinney said: "We had an average of almost one child a week needing treatment at Altnagelvin for harming themselves with alcohol. The youngest was just 10 years old. The question must be asked: where did the alcohol come from? And in the majority of cases the alcohol came from the child's home." Mr McKinney said it was the first time staff at Altnagelvin had collated statistics for an entire year but, despite not having evidence in the past, they felt the problem was gradually increasing. Derry Journal
- Cracking down on under-age drinking during half term in Southampton - observations out on police patrol. Southern Daily Echo
- And in Bedfordshire a dozen extra officers were drafted in to tackle alcohol-fuelled anti-social behaviour among underage youngsters during half-term. Bedford Today
- Bicester's 'Operation Jaunt' for half term Oxford Mail
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