31/07/2013 - Permalink

Families and young people invited to Community Fun Day at Minsterley

Related topics: Community

A Community Fun Day for families and young people around Minsterley and Pontesbury is taking place at Minsterley Parish Hall on Saturday 3 August 2013. 

The free event from 12pm-4pm is being organised by Minsterley & Pontesbury Community Alcohol Partnership (M&P-CAP) and will host a number of activities including:

  • pampering sessions
  • DJ skills workshops
  • dance performances
  • graffiti workshops
  • mobile BMX track
  • inflatable bungee ropes and gladiator duel plus many more. 

The event will also feature information about affordable ways to get online, money and employment advice, health advice, fire safety and opportunities to get back into training and volunteering. 

The M&P-CAP is one of several Community Alcohol Partnerships (CAP) groups set up as part of Shropshire’s Community Alcohol Partnership (Shrop-CAP) initiative, a countywide scheme to tackle underage drinking in Shropshire.  The CAP brings together organisations including Shropshire Council, Severnside Housing, Minsterley and Pontesbury parish councils and West Mercia Police to reduce crime, anti-social behaviour and harm caused by underage drinking through providing activities for young people, raising awareness and working towards sustaining activities for them for the future. 

While the immediate effects of alcohol on children may be no more than being sick or having a hangover, alcohol can leave children emotionally, physically and sexually vulnerable.  Underage drinking can have such a negative effect on a young person’s especially in terms of their health.  Prolonged alcohol misuse can lead to long-term effects such as liver damage, long-term impact on memory, reactions and attention span and can also impact on their appearance by affecting their skin and weight. 

Members of M&P-CAP will be on hand offering advice and information about the work of the partnership and raising awareness of the harms of alcohol and associated anti-social behaviour. 

Karen Calder, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for health, and Chair of Shrop-CAP, said: 

“As well as being a great day out for the whole community, events like the Community Fun Day are a great way to engage with young people, to raise awareness of underage drinking and its health risks.  If we can get young people to understand how continued, heavy, misuse of alcohol will affect their lives and the lives of those around them then we have a real chance to reduce the impact it has in our local communities. 

“The M&P-CAP is a great example of partnership working, and how by working together with the local community can bring great benefits to our residents. 

“I hope many families and young people come along to the Community Fun Day Event, have some fun and get some sound advice on health, safety and employment at the same time.” 

Edge Abboh, community development officer for Severnside, said: 

“Although the event focuses on raising awareness to young people, it will be a day for the whole community to attend, enjoy and benefit from.  We are pleased to be part of the Community Alcohol Partnership as we know that working together will help make a positive impact to the community.”

Tudor Bebb, local Shropshire Councillor for Minsterley, said:

“This is a great way of bringing local people together to help them understand the issues they have.  I don’t think we spend enough time addressing our young people, especially in the rural communities: this also gives them the chance to give their ideas and concerns, plus helping them see what can be done to help them to help us.”

For more information about the event and the scheme, and to get involved, contact David Fairclough, M&P CAP Co-ordinator, Shropshire Council on 01743 252483. 

For more information about the Shrop-CAP visit: http://shropcap.wordpress.com/.  You can also follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/shropcap.  

Further information

Last year Shropshire was successful in being awarded £90,000 of a £1million ‘Alcohol fund’ from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).  The fund was announced by Baroness Newlove in her latest report “Building Safe, Active Communities”, to help local neighbourhoods address alcohol-related issues such as underage drinking and associated anti-social behaviour. 

The two-year project is being led by Shropshire’s Community Alcohol Partnership (Shrop-CAP), a multi-agency partnership set up to oversee the scheme, which comprises of Shropshire’s Drug and Alcohol Action Team, West Mercia Police, and Shropshire Council’s positive activities team and trading standards teams.