In the winter of last year, we launched a long-term project to encourage responsible drinking in the town centre.
We’ve worked with the Public Health Institute at Liverpool John Moores University to evaluate the data from people surveyed in the town centre, and worked alongside a number of partners to do a lot of important work.
In some of the results we’ve already gathered for the Drink Less, Enjoy More project, it looks as though the campaign has seen a fantastic start.
The research we’ve had back suggests that there has been a drop in the sale of alcohol to drunk people in Wrexham licensed premises – including pubs and clubs – since the campaign started, as well as a growth in the knowledge of the laws around the sale of alcohol to drunk people.
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The campaign was first introduced in Wrexham in November last year, aiming to increase the awareness of the law around serving alcohol to drunk people and discouraging preloading before coming into Wrexham for a night out.
The main aims of Drink Less, Enjoy More are:
- Increasing the awareness of the law around serving alcohol to, and purchasing alcohol for, people who are drunk
- Supporting bar staff in refusing the service of alcohol to people who are drunk
- Discouraging drinking too much at home prior to coming into Wrexham for a night out
- Promoting responsible drinking in Wrexham
Cllr Hugh Jones, Lead Member for Communities, Partnerships, Public Protection and Community Safety, said: “The Drink Less Enjoy More campaign is about encouraging people to think about and limit how much they are drinking during a night out, which could in turn stop them from getting into some dangerous situations later on.
“The campaign has had a positive impact on the night time economy in Wrexham and it will be great to see how we can build on these successes in the run up to Christmas and at key events during the year.”
As part of the campaign we worked with North Wales Police, Public Health Wales, the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB), the Area Planning Board, Glyndwr University and Coleg Cambria to deliver:
- A training session for all 26 on-licensed premises and another training session to all 26 heads of door security
- 2 training sessions with all University captains of sports and social clubs/societies
- Police and the project coordinator visited all 26 licensed premises and provided them with framed posters and spoke to them about their duties with regards to the law around serving alcohol to drunks.
- Surveys to people on a night out in Wrexham to gauge their knowledge of the law
- Social media and news articles aimed at making people more aware of the dangers of being vulnerable due to drinking too much. As well as reminding people of the laws around buying a drunk friend drinks.
The campaign is modelled on a programme first implemented in Sweden and the approach combines partnership working, community mobilisation, training and law enforcement.
Alison Watkin, project coordinator said, “The project, so far, has been a success but we know there is more work to be done. Drink Less Enjoy More will continue in the run up to Christmas and we will be focusing on awareness raising and building on the successes of last year.
“Our aim is to continue to make Wrexham a safe place for a night out whilst making people aware of the dangers of drinking too much and becoming vulnerable.”
The full evaluation report was published at the North Wales Alcohol Conference and is available to view here
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