It’s been another fantastic year for Community Alcohol Partnerships (CAP). In addition to steady progress in developing new schemes in CAP priority areas - identified as having higher than average levels of underage alcohol misuse – we were particularly pleased that so many MPs accepted an invitation to visit CAP projects in their constituencies.

Thank you to all those organisations and individuals who have shown great commitment in supporting their local CAPs, our funders from the alcohol industry without whose generous contributions our work would not be possible, our small but dedicated team of regional officers and last but not least our Board of Directors for their wise guidance. We would like to wish all our supporters a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

We were delighted with the positive response to the publication of our first ever CAP Progress Report, unveiled on 17th November at a packed reception in Portcullis House, Westminster. Attendees included Yvette Cooper MP, Rob Wilson MP, Commander Simon Letchford and Baroness Helen Newlove, all of whom presented CAP Excellence Awards. We were honoured to have the event sponsored by Fiona Bruce MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Alcohol Misuse, and are grateful also to Kelvin Hopkins MP for introducing the proceedings.

Speaking at the event, Derek Lewis, CAP Chairman said:

“The rapid growth in the number of local CAPs launched in 2014 and 2015, is a welcome recognition of the need to achieve further reductions in underage drinking, a strong vote of confidence in the CAP model and a powerful demonstration of the effectiveness of local partnerships. The CAP Progress Report shows unequivocally that CAPs do the job they set out to do.”

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For further information or to order hard copies of the Progress Report please contact Gillian@communityalcoholpartnerships.co.uk

In recognition of the hugely successful Brecon CAP, which achieved a 39.5% reduction in alcohol-related youth anti-social behaviour, the Welsh Assembly has pledged £20,000 towards getting four new Welsh CAPs off the ground in 2016.

The four successful bids will work with CAP over a minimum 12 month period. Each CAP will decide their own priorities for local action in line with the project aims. The Welsh Government has said that it does not intend to be prescriptive about the size of areas that take part in the programme other than it should cover a priority area within a Local Authority and include a maximum of 30 off-licensed premises.

CAP will provide advice and support to areas in formulating action plans and reviewing progress and the Welsh Government will help support projects with grant funding of £5000 to the four successful applicants. This will be in addition to the resources and funding provided by CAP itself.

For further information contact russell@communityalcoholpartnerships.co.uk

CAP partners in Sutton-in-Ashfield in Nottinghamshire have come up with a novel way of deterring adults from buying alcohol on behalf of under-18s - by painting warnings on pavements outside off licences. A stencilled wine bottle with the warning: “Buying for an U18? It’s an offence” will be applied on pavements outside off licences using chalk paint, which fades over time. It is hoped that the signs will act as a deterrent to would-be proxy purchasers by highlighting that it is an offence to purchase alcohol on behalf of an under 18.

The CAP has also produced leaflets pointing out that adults may face a £90 fixed penalty fine or an unlimited fine if they go to court for the offence.

Sergeant Martin Severn, who co-ordinates the Sutton-in-Ashfield CAP, said: “ We believe that reminding people at the point at which they may be asked to buy for an underage person will be very effective and make people think about the whole issue.”

Councillor Tony Page, the Local Government Association’s licensing spokesman commented that the stencil was an innovative way of drawing attention to a serious issue and said: “Retailers have taken positive steps to prevent direct sales to underage drinkers but incidents where adults are buying alcohol for young people have increased. Many are unaware of the law around this and the LGA is pleased that Sutton CAP is bringing the issue to public attention in this innovative way.”

For further information contact alan@communityalcoholpartnerships.co.uk

On Friday 14 August Rob Wilson, MP for Reading East and Minister for Civil Society, visited the Madejski Stadium, home of Reading Football Club, to learn more about his local CAP. As part of its local operation, Reading CAP organises diversionary activities and alcohol awareness sessions for young people across the borough.

The event, delivered in partnership with Reading Football Community Trust, consisted of a six-a-side football tournament in which local youngsters showcased their talent on the pitch whilst also learning valuable lessons about alcohol awareness.

Speaking after the event, Rob said: "It was great to meet all involved in making today's event such a great success and I'm delighted to have been invited.

"Sport is a fantastic way to engage young people from all backgrounds and today's event provided the perfect opportunity for the footballers to compete, have fun, but also learn important lessons about underage drinking and the dangers of alcohol abuse.

"The Reading Community Alcohol Partnership is clearly very active around the town and it's good to hear that its multi-agency approach is aiming to tackle underage drinking through direct engagement with young people, enforcing the law with regard to underage consumption and proxy purchasing, and maintaining a constructive dialogue with businesses and retailers."

At the event, Rob boarded the 'First Stop Bus' - which by day visits the borough's schools to provide important alcohol awareness training to young people, and by night, offers assistance to Reading's revellers in the pubs and clubs, with its on-board medical team providing first aid treatment for minor injuries and helping to ease the pressure on the emergency services.

Rob toured the bus with Reading's CAP Officer Matthew Knight, who guided him through the resources used to educate Reading’s young people about alcohol. Rob also met with singer-songwriter Henry Maybury who, having tragically lost his brother Tom to alcohol addiction aged 29, aims to raise awareness through his songs such as "Lost Days", the proceeds of which are donated to addiction and recovery charities. Henry tours the UK educating others through his music and is currently visiting prisons to perform, converse, enlighten and inspire.

An independent evaluation by Alcohol Concern of the Hindley and Hindley Green CAP in Wigan found reasonable evidence of success in achieving four out of six of its objectives, with benefits to the community providing evidence for rolling out he approach to other parts of the North West. The full evaluation report can be found here and further detail on the Wigan CAP can be found here.

The Midsomer Norton CAP has succeeded in achieving a 13% reduction in crime and a 17% fall in anti-social behaviour since it was first launched in 2012. Partners have now agreed on a renewed strategy and vision to further reduce harmful drinking. The new strategy includes plans to work more closely with publicans and to support event organisers to ensure that public gatherings are not marred by problem drinking. The partnership, which includes representatives from Midsomer Norton Town Council, Bath and North East Somerset Council, Avon and Somerset Police, local schools, children’s organisations, drug and alcohol services, alcohol retailers and Street Pastors, has stated its intention to work closely with the organisers of M Fest, a music festival planned for next Summer.

The Group met with North East Somerset MP Jacob Rees Mogg to explain what is being planned. He said: “It was interesting to meet all involved in this successful local project and I am delighted to have been invited.

“The Midsomer Norton CAP is clearly still very active and it’s excellent to hear that its approach, that co-ordinates a number of government and voluntary bodies is continuing. It is concentrating on helping young people and building up the support of businesses and retailers.”

Much of the CAP’s early success was down to the passion and commitment of former town councillor Linda Dunford, who chaired the scheme from launch and was one of the first recipients of the National CAP Excellence Awards.

Pontefract and Castleford MP Yvette Cooper praised her local CAP scheme on a visit on 6th November. The Airedale, Ferry Fryston and Townville CAP is being expanded to the whole of Castleford after a 20 per cent reduction in anti-social behaviour was reported.

She said: “The partnership up in Airedale has been really successful. They’ve helped to reduce Anti-Social Behaviour in the area by 20 per cent this year and done a great job engaging students from the school as well.

“So it’s good that they are expanding to cover the whole town and hopefully that same success can be repeated, but we need to make sure that the police attached the Partnership are properly funded and supported."

“At the moment I’m really worried about cuts to policing numbers that could take officers off the beat and undermine really successful projects like this one, and that would be a disaster for our communities.”

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A multi-agency initiative to tackle underage drinking and associated problems launched in Aldershot as part of Alcohol Awareness Week (16 – 22 November). Aldershot South Community Alcohol Partnership (CAP) will educate the public on the impact alcohol abuse has on communities and will reduce young people’s access to alcohol by building on existing work already undertaken by the Safer North Hampshire Community Safety Partnership.

Agencies and partners including The Connaught School, Rushmoor Borough Council, Hampshire County Council, Hampshire Constabulary, Creating Futures, a charity for children and young people in Rushmoor, and Catch 22 (a charity which aims to deliver social benefit by turning lives around) will join licensed retailers to work together to reduce teen drinking and associated antisocial behaviour.

An action plan of activities will aim to bring about sustainable improvements through education, intelligence-led enforcement and offering positive alternatives to young people that promote a healthy lifestyle.

A priority for the campaign is reducing opportunities young people have to purchase alcohol. To assist with this, Tesco will facilitate free training for independent retailers on responsible selling practices, including the 'Challenge 25' age-verification policy and how to spot fake identification.

The CAP will also look to engage and educate parents following a recent survey which revealed parents to be the most likely provider of alcohol to young people Cllr Ken Muschamp, Rushmoor Cabinet Member for Safety and Regulation, said: “I am pleased to announce this new initiative for Aldershot South. We know from our recent survey work that reducing underage drinking is important to our local community. The knock-on effects of irresponsible drinking can be severe and together we can bring about a change in attitudes and behaviour.”

Following the success of Doncaster’s first CAP in Askern, Norton and Campsall, a further Doncaster CAP has been launched in Conisborough and Denaby. The launch took place at the Denaby Children’s Centre and was opened by the Director of Public Health for Doncaster, Rupert Suckling on 23rd November.

CAP Officer Alan Simpson said “This CAP is the second in Doncaster building on the excellent work by partners in Askern, Norton and Campsall. The CAP in Conisbrough and Denaby brings with it different issues to address but there is great enthusiasm and support from local people to make a difference here.”

For further information contact alan@communityalcoholpartnerships.co.uk

A city wide CAP launched on 18th November in Bradford. The CAP covers the whole of Bradford but will initially target effort and resource on two identified problem areas. Rebecca O’Grady from the West Yorkshire “Police Problem Solving Team” is co-ordinating the CAP.

Project lead, Becki O’Grady said:

"We are always seeking new ways to deliver to our communities and by establishing this partnership we can benefit from successful ideas elsewhere."

"It is hoped that the Bradford CAP will generate some fresh thinking around tackling youth alcohol issues and associated anti-social behaviour across the district."

Councillor Arshad Hussain, portfolio holder for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety for Bradford Council said:

"Working together in partnership is a key part of the council's New Deal approach and it's vital organisations and residents work together to make our communities safer. This partnership brings together the right organisations to help people live better, safer and healthier lives."

For further information contact alan@communityalcoholpartnerships.co.uk

Tracey Crouch, MP for Chatham and Aylesford and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism and Heritage headed back to her constituency on 2nd October to learn more about the Snodland CAP.

During her visit, Ms Crouch chose the winning entry of a ‘Create a Poster’ competition in which local youngsters were encouraged to design posters highlighting the dangers of underage drinking. The competition was organised by CAP partners Samay’s Youth Centre and Kent County Council’s 0-25 Early Help and Preventative Service who work side by side with other CAP Partners including Kent Police, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, the Kenward Trust Holmesdale Technology College, local retailers and pubs in a co-ordinated operation to tackle underage drinking in the area.

Speaking at the visit, MP Tracey Crouch said: “It was a pleasure to visit the Snodland Community Alcohol Partnership (CAP) to see first-hand how the CAP is addressing the education of young people and the local community whilst supporting responsible retailing of alcohol, and it was great to learn about the work CAP has been undertaking in the local area.  Visiting the CAP and seeing so many partners working together, over a number of years, shows that expanding alcohol education beyond the classroom and engaging with local businesses and retailers can bring benefits and I look forward to seeing this work continue in the future.”

On 9th October Gareth Johnson MP for Dartford, visited the town of Swanscombe, to learn more about the Community Alcohol Partnership (CAP) in his constituency.

Swanscombe CAP has been running for nearly a year, bringing together local partners including the Police, Dartford Borough Council, Kent County Council, Trading Standards, retailers and pubs, Swanscombe and Greenhithe Town Council and the local community to tackle underage drinking. As part of its local operation, CAP provides support and training to local retailers and educates young people about the harms of underage drinking.

Speaking at the visit, MP Gareth Johnson said: “It was a pleasure to visit the Swanscombe Community Alcohol Partnership to see first-hand how the CAP is addressing the education of young people, the local community, supporting responsible retailing of alcohol and it was great to learn about the work CAP has been undertaking in the local area.  Visiting the CAP and seeing so many partners working together, shows that expanding alcohol education beyond the classroom and engaging with local businesses and retailers can bring benefits and I look forward to seeing this work continue in the future.”

Licensed retailers in Wantage and Grove are backing efforts to help prevent underage sales of alcohol and the associated anti-social behavior. 17 staff across 7 licensed premises attended a training session organised by the Wantage and Grove Community Alcohol Partnership (CAP) as part of the local project to tackle underage drinking.

The free session, which took place at Grove Methodist Church on Thursday 1 October provided retail staff with advice on how to challenge minors attempting to buy alcohol, and over 18s trying to buy alcohol on their behalf. Free materials such as Challenge 25 posters and log books for monitoring attempted underage purchases were also provided.

Cllr Sandy Lovatt, Cabinet Member for Community Safety at Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “The training was really well received and we hope it will help retailers and their staff feel more confident about challenging people who may be underage. CAPs work because they tackle the problem of underage drinking holistically by co-ordinated actions focused on education, enforcement and changing public perceptions. This free training session was an important part of the programme and we will be offering further opportunities to attend again in the future."

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