Why "Last Orders" could call time on underage drinking 
September 23, 2009
Gloucestershire Trading Standards is launching one of its biggest ever pushes against underage drinking in schools.
The county council's Community Safety Directorate is working with the Gloucester Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership to support a theatre play that will carry the message to more than 1,000 students countywide.
'Last Orders' will carry the hard-hitting warning that underage drinking and alcohol use are common factors that link anti-social behaviour, teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted illnesses and illegal purchase of age restricted products.
When it was performed before around 750 students last year, more than half said it had forced them to change their attitude towards alcohol.
"The show is primarily aimed at Year 9 students – 13/14 year olds. It's based on true events and written in their language", said Head of Trading Standards Eddie Coventry.
"Through professional actors, students are shown how alcohol affects the way people think – their inhibitions, attitude to risk and ultimately their self-control. And after the performance, specially designed workshops explore the themes of anti-social behaviour, illegal purchase (including law on alcohol & age-restricted products), attitude to risk and sexual health (including unplanned pregnancy and STIs).
"So far the results have been very encouraging and we are hoping to build on that."
'Last Orders' looks at the consequences of binge drinking by two young girls and has been developed by a team of Doctors, Police, NSPCC professionals and teachers. Together with the workshops, it runs for approximately 60 minutes and can accommodate audiences of up to 250 students.
It is described as very flexible and is incorporated in a series of roadshows working with the Police, Primary Care Trusts and Trading Standards as part of the Trading Standards Service's Age Related Sales Awareness Month which is targeting at raising awareness of the issues surrounding the sale of age restricted products among both purchasers and sellers.
Cllr Will Windsor-Clive, Gloucestershire County Council cabinet member for community safety said: "Underage drinking is a growing social problem, partly because kids who think it's cool are unaware of the dangers. By incorporating the information into a format they can understand, we are hoping to put that right."
Of those who saw it last year:
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85% students said they enjoyed the play a lot (scoring 8 out 10 and above)
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54% of students said they did drink alcohol
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42% said they did not think about the consequences of drinking before watching 'Last Orders'
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59% said that they had changed their attitude towards alcohol as a result of watching the performance and taking part in the workshop
"Judging by those results, it makes sense to repeat the project – only this time to a wider audience".
Notes for Editors:
'Last Orders' is being performed at the following venues:
Friday 25th September
Bishops College 9 a.m - 10.50 am
Beaufort Community School 13.30 – 15.15
Monday 28th September
Central Technology College 9 a.m.- 11 a.m.
Barnwood Park School for Girls – 13.35 – 15.15
Tuesday 29th September
Ribston Hall School for Girls 8.45 – 10.30
Newent Community School 12.05 – 13.05 (performance); 14.30 – 15.30- (workshop)
Wednesday 30th September
Sir Thomas Rich's School 9 a.m. – 10.55
Brockworth Enterprise School – 13.25 – 14.55
Thursday 1st October
Gloucestershire College 10.00 – 12.00 & 13.00 – 15.00