A Community Alcohol Partnership (CAP) was launched in Fylde on September 7 to highlight the risks of underage drinking and improve the health and wellbeing of local young people.
The CAP will work with youth services and local organisations to provide alcohol-free leisure and sports activities for young people. It will also work with local schools to take a proactive approach to alcohol education and ensure that young people are equipped to make the right decisions about issues including alcohol and drugs and anti-social and criminal behaviour. Working with local retailers the CAP aims to help them avoid making underage sales and reduce ‘proxy’ sales where adults buy alcohol for under-18s.
CAPs are made up of partnerships between local authorities, police, schools, retailers, neighbourhood groups and health providers, working together to prevent alcohol-related harm to young people and improve the quality of life for residents. More than 200 schemes have now been launched across England, Scotland and Wales.
In Fylde, partners include Fylde Borough Council, Lancashire County Council, Lancashire Police, AFC Fylde Community Foundation, Fylde Rugby Foundation and Streetwise Youth Community plus local schools and retailers.
Kate Winstanley, Director of Community Alcohol Partnerships, said: “I am delighted to see the launch of a CAP in Fylde. Underage drinking is associated with school and educational problems, unprotected sex, drug-taking, violence and drinking problems in later life. In just over a decade CAP has set up more than 200 partnerships around the UK and our evaluations show they are having a significant impact on reducing children’s alcohol consumption, improving their health and wellbeing and enhancing the communities where they live.”
Ian Brookes, Sports Development Officer at Fylde Brough Council, said: “Concerns were raised by the community about young people’s drinking and anti-social behaviour and after consulting with local young people, we decided to tackle the issue by setting up a Community Alcohol Partnership, with partner agencies working together to help reduce some of the harm that alcohol causes in our communities and to our young people. We believe it will be a really positive influence on the area.”
Ends
About Community Alcohol Partnerships:
Since CAP was created in 2007, it has launched more than 200 schemes in England, Scotland and Wales. They bring together a range of local stakeholders with a shared interest in preventing underage drinking and encouraging responsible drinking among young adults.
A rigorous evaluation framework shows how this innovative partnership approach has brought significant reductions in alcohol supply to children, alcohol-related anti-social behaviour and underage street drinking, with CAP areas demonstrating:
- 61% average reductions in weekly drinking among 13–16-year-olds
- 99% of retailers passed Challenge 25 compliance test for alcohol sales
- 86% of retailers did not sell alcohol when they suspected it was a ‘proxy’ sale
- 50% reduction in young people hanging around shops and asking adults to buy alcohol for them
- 42% reduction in youth alcohol-related anti-social behaviour
For more information see: www.communityalcoholpartnerships.co.uk
Stay in the know
Keep up to date with the latest Fylde Council news by following us on social media or subscribing to our newsletter. Any new information will be posted directly through these channels, so if you are following us, you’ll be the first to know.
