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Community Action Blackburn (Changing Attitudes to Alcohol)

In 2008 The Robertson Trust funded the post of a project worker from Alcohol Focus Scotland to work with and engage with a community in developing a community action project. The initial aim of the pilot Community Action project was to work in a specific geographic community, located within the central belt of Scotland, engaging with the local residents, workforce, service providers and voluntary organisations, not only to raise awareness of alcohol related harm, but also to enable local community groups to identify community specific alcohol issues and needs and develop initiatives to address them.

Having identified Blackburn, West Lothian as the community to work within, the systems approach was used to engage, assist and support the community in addressing local concerns regarding alcohol ultimately leading to

• improved health;
• improved family life;
• improved opportunities; and
•  a reduction in alcohol related harm and anti social behaviour. 

From this it can be seen that alcohol was not being addressed in isolation but as part of the wider contextual issues covering all aspects of community life choices.

The Robertson Trust commissioned mp Consultancy to produce a report on the pilot project, which ended on 28 February 2011 and this can be viewed at here. The work of the project still continues through the guidance of Community Action Blackburn (Changing Attitudes to Alcohol), which is now a community owned entity in its own right having been granted company and charitable status.

Click here to download the full report.