A new Community Alcohol Partnership highlighting the risks of underage drinking to children and young people has been launched today (date) in Newcastle with the support of Newcastle College.

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Launching the event at Newcastle College’s Rye Hill Campus, local students put on a smoothie bar/ bubble tea pop-up to encourage their peers to talk about the benefits of being alcohol aware.

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Newcastle College is the first CAP in the UK to focus on one educational organisation and the first new CAP to launch in the North East since 2020 following recent data revealing the region as one of England’s worst affected areas for underage drinking, with double the average hospital admissions for under-18s related to alcohol.*

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Despite these worrying figures, Newcastle College’s own study shows that 35% of its 16–18-year-old students say they never drink alcohol and 25% drink only a few times per year. This positive response is in line with headlines that young people are more likely to choose an alcohol-free lifestyle, but 40% of respondents said they do drink alcohol regularly, something the College wants to tackle through this partnership.

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CAPs are partnerships between police, local authorities, schools and colleges, and retailers who work together to highlight the risks of underage drinking and work towards ensuring an alcohol-free childhood for children and young people in the area.

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They create alcohol-free activities for young people, encourage open conversations about the dangers of alcohol, and will work with Newcastle College to educate students on making responsible choices. By focusing on prevention, CAPs aim is to equip young people with the knowledge and skills needed to resist the pressures of underage drinking and other harmful behaviours. Working with local retailers, the CAP also aims to prevent underage sales and ‘proxy’ sales, where adults buy alcohol for under-18s.  

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Rachel Gibson, Assistant Director of Central Support Services at Newcastle College said: “We are joining forces with CAP to encourage conversations amongst young people, parents and carers about underage drinking and its associated risks on their physical and mental health.

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“This is the start of a long-term partnership that we hope will lead to a sustainable reduction in teenage alcohol use which is closely linked to our existing mental health, wellbeing and pastoral work across the College to ensure every student has the ability to fully enjoy life studying and living in Newcastle. We look forward to working with the CAP and wider partners in the community to help our young people with the right support and information to ensure they have the confidence to make the right decisions.” 

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Kate Winstanley, Director of CAP comments: "This collaboration with Newcastle College is a powerful example of proactive prevention. We know from extensive research that underage drinking can lead to lots of challenges for young people in their education, relationships, health and also in later life. What better place to equip them with the knowledge they need to help them make responsible choices than in their learning environment. We are looking forward to working with the college and the students as well as the other partners involved in the CAP.”

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* The most up to date alcohol profile figures are here: Alcohol Profile - Data | Fingertips | Department of Health and Social Care. The England rate for admission episodes for alcohol-specific conditions for under 18’s for all persons is 22.6 per 100,000 for the three years combined total of FY2021/22, FY2022/23 and FY2023/24. The England rate for the same time frame for under 18 males is 15.4 per 100,000 and the rate for under 18 females is 30.0 per 100,000. For Newcastle, the rate is 35.7.

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