Community Action - Blackburn (Changing Attitudes to Alcohol)
Issue 1 of Blackburn News (pdf,1MB)
Community Action - Blackburn is part of the Community Action on Alcohol project being managed by Alcohol Focus Scotland and funded by The Robertson Trust.
The aim of the project is to engage, assist and support the community in addressing concerns regarding alcohol, ultimately leading to improved health, family life, opportunities and a reduction in alcohol-related harm and anti social behaviour.
Two key components to achieving this aim are:
- A partnership approach involving all parties who live, work and are involved in providing a service within the community. The partners are the community of Blackburn, West Lothian Council, Blackburn Community Council, West Lothian Drug and Alcohol Service (WLDAS), West Lothian Youth Action Project (WLYAP), Lothian and Borders Police, Alcohol Focus Scotland and The Robertson Trust.
- Community interaction, involvement and ownership. Sustainability is the key to the continued success of the project.
Blackburn Community Mapping Report (PDF,1.19MB)
From the information obtained through the community consultation process, the project steering group prioritised the issues identified and drew up the following outcomes to be addressed in the initial stages of the project:
- Engage with the community
- Improve communication links within the community
- Improve alcohol awareness education
- Reduce underage drinking and alcohol-related harm
Blackburn Community Consultation and Engagement Results (PDF,274kb)
Easter Inch Moss & Seafield Law: West Lothian's first local nature reserve
For more information on this click here
To view a stunning slide show click here
Blackburn present at National Conference on Communities across Scotland taking action on Alcohol Harm
Community members from Blackburn were invited along to Glasgow on 8 December to inform 200 delegates at the first ever National Community Conference on Community engagement and action around alcohol issues, about the work being taken forward by the community to address the identified issues and concerns around alcohol, health and community life choices in general.
How to Have Your Say in Blackburn.....
People are often frustrated by the lack of influence they have over local decisions or about how they can have their say with regard to what's happening in their community. Please download the pdf below for a list of groups that seek to be involved in decision making processes with contact details should you require more information, seek advise or become involved.
Decision making groups in Blackburn
Schools Poster Competition 2009
The annual school poster competition was the centre piece for the week long event.
Click to view news article and the winning posters
DrinkWise 4 Young People
Working with St Kentigern's Academy, Bathgate Academy, Alcohol Focus Scotland and West Lothian Drug and Alcohol Service, a programme on substance misuse awareness is being developed for use by S1 and S2 pupils. The 5 week programme has recently completed a trial run with 120 S2 pupils taking part. The evaluation, which is very positive, will inform the content for the pilot programme which will be undertaken in both schools during 2009/2010.
Jane Wilson, Training & Development Officer at Alcohol Focus Scotland said: "The project is very interactive and involves lots of discussions with young people. We hope that by providing the young people with information relating to alcohol and drugs and helping to build their resilience skills, they will be better prepared and able to make informed choices in the future".
Primary 7 Conference
This event was attended by 55 Primary 7 pupils and 30 invited adult guests. The focus of the day was on the children of our community who were given an opportunity to voice their opinions about what they thought it was like to live in Blackburn, what they liked, what they didn't like and what we could all do to make our village a better place to live. The children presented the survey results on the day to the invited guests, who the children will be depending on to resolve the issues and concerns raised.
A few of the issues identified by the children were:
- Improve and clean up open space areas and play parks
- Reduce vandalism, especially to the schools
- Alcohol being sold to people under age
- More for them to do
The children have now formed the P7 Community Action Group to work in conjunction with the community, steering group and key stakeholders, to address the issues identified on the day. They have already undertaken several of the tasks identified, like environmental clean up, secured a community information board within the Mill Shopping Centre and developed a poster for the under age and agent purchase initiative. They are arranging a showing of the DVD for 17 June to which they will be inviting members of the community and key stakeholders to seek their assistance in tackling the issues raised.
Blackburn School Poster Competition 2008
Click on a name for the poster view.
- Caitlin Gallagher, P7, Murrayfield Primary School
- Chloe Busby, P5, Murrayfiled Primary School
- Holly McAulay Robertson, P1S, Murrayfield Primary School
- Laura Hope, P3/4, Our Lady of Lourdes
- Luke Richardson, P2/1, Murrayfield Primary School
- Patrick Gamble, P3, Murrayfield Primary School
- Rachel Callander & Holly Blunsum, P4/5, Our Lady of Lourdes
- P6/7 Our Lady of Lourdes Primary
Scotland's second Alcohol Awareness Week ran from 5thto 11th October 2008 and asked the question 'Will you take the challenge?' This was seen as an ideal opportunity to involve the whole community of Blackburn in raising awareness of and reducing the significant health and social harm caused by alcohol.
To promote involvement with families and the wider community, Community Action Blackburn (Changing Attitudes to Alcohol) staged a number of events and competitions to help raise awareness of healthy living issues, the main one being the School Artwork Competition.
Blackburn, Murrayfield and Our Lady of Lourdes primary schools participated in an art competition to develop a poster to promote the Community Action - Blackburn project. This provided a stage to develop interaction within the family and wider community arena during Alcohol Awareness Week. In order to promote the work being done by the children and to maximise the involvement with families and the wider community, the posters were displayed alongside the Alcohol Awareness Week information stand located within the Mill Shopping Centre.
The winning entries have been published in poster format and are used in promoting the project within the community.
Jump2It Programme
The Jump2it basketball initiative is organised by the Glasgow based charity, Scottish Sports Futures. In conjunction with the Scottish Rocks Pro Basketball Team they provide a health and well being programme to school children aged between 9 and 11 years with a view to promoting healthy living and citizenship along with the development of the game of basketball. The professional players provide educational inputs on Alcohol, healthy eating, smoking and fitness. They also provide coaching sessions which culminate with an inter schools tournament with the semi finals and final being played in front of the crowd at one of the Scottish Rocks home games.
From November 2008 to March 2009 Blackburn, Murrayfield and Our lady of Lourdes participated in the programme along with Seafield Primary and four Bathgate primaries. The inter schools competition was held at Blackburn Community Centre on 19 February with Our Lady of Lourdes, Boghall, Balbardie and St Columba's progressing to the final stages which were held on 1 March at the Kelvin Hall, Glasgow. St Columba's were the eventual winners with Our Lady of Lourdes being the runners up.
Following this successful programme a basketball club, affiliated to West Lothian Wolves Basketball Team, is now being run for P6 & P7 children on Friday afternoons between 1.30 and 3pm within Blackburn Community Centre.
Our Lady of Lourdes Primary at Kelvin Hall Event
Tackling Under Age and Agent Purchase
Community Action Blackburn, in conjunction with all Blackburn licensed premises, Local Licensing Forum, West Lothian Licensing Standards Officers and Lothian & Borders Police, are examining ways of reducing the amount of alcohol being purchased by those under 18 and by adults on behalf of those under the legal age. Following a recent meeting a four stage framework was agreed and work is continuing to finalise and put the proposal into operation:
- Increase awareness of the issues of under age and agent purchase
- Identification required from those who appear to be under 21
- Provide training for staff within licensed premises
- Increased police visibility and enforcement of licensing laws
For more information on the project email Charlie Bryceland or call 0141 572 6704.