Drinkheads wins national awards

Wakefield District Community Safety Partnerships' 'Drinkhead - think more drink less' advertising campaign has won three prestigious national awards.

At the Roses Awards in London 'Drinkheads' won a silver award and two bronze awards, including in the Best Outdoor Campaign category. Special mention was made of the quality of the posters and the impact of the images.

The 'Think More, Drink Less' campaign targeted people in Wakefield city centre, Castleford and Pontefract in the run up to the festive season. Binge drinking, it warned, increases the chances of being arrested, ending up in the cells, needing accident and emergency treatment and getting into illegal taxis.

The campaign followed research carried out in Accident and Emergency departments across the District, which revealed that binge drinking can dramatically increase the chances of becoming a violent crime victim.

City and town centre billboards and posters, beer mats and bar runners in licensed premises urge young people to 'not be a drinkhead' and to 'think more and drink less'. The posters were highly effective, replacing people's heads with beer and wine glasses to show the dangers of letting alcohol rule the head.

A range of initiatives led to a 25% reduction during November, December and January in violent crime offences on Friday and Saturday nights in Wakefield Westgate, compared to the same time the year before. As well as the Drinkhead campaign night-life marshals were deployed and traffic restrictions and an alcohol exclusion zone were in place.

A new phase of the campaign has now been launched focusing on anti-social behaviour fuelled by alcohol, and the dangers of accidental fires, of which nearly 50% are alcohol related.

Councillor Olivia Rowley, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Cohesion said: "This has been a tremendous campaign that has been well received across the district. For it to win these prestigious awards, against massive national brands is a great achievement. Tackling violent crime and the harm caused by alcohol is one of the priorities for the district, and we will continue to work in partnership to reduce the crime and anti-social behaviour that often results from substance misuse.

Roses Awards are awarded by The Drum magazine and are the national advertising awards for everyone outside London, with all the UK's top advertising agencies competing for prizes.

Wakefield District Council