School pupils in Bedfordshire to receive hard-hitting lesson on dangers of underage drinking

More than 2,000 secondary school students are set to receive a hard-hitting lesson on the dangers of underage drinking, courtesy of alcohol awareness theatre production Smashed.

Smashed will be visiting 10 schools in the area this week, including Etonbury School in Arlesey and Holywell School in Cranfield.

The programme combines drama with interactive workshops to help students understand the facts, causes and consequences of underage drinking and drive down alcohol consumption among young people.

Developed in consultation with young people, it has been developed and presented by Collingwood Learning and supported by Diageo

Chris Simes, chair of Collingwood Learning, said: “As statistics show, underage drinking presents a real threat to the health and well-being of young people. Our goal is to enhance the current alcohol education curriculum in schools with our memorable performance and workshop experience that helps young people explore the risks of underage drinking and build their confidence to say ‘no’ in the face of teenage peer pressure.”

Nuno Teles, managing director at Diageo GB, added: “Smashed has an impressive and proven track record of delivering an informative and engaging performance that equips young people with the knowledge to make smart decisions and understand the dangers of underage drinking. Underage drinking causes many risks to young people and ‘Smashed’ plays a crucial role in our ambition to tackle harmful drinking and deliver against our commitment to educate 10 million young people, parents and teachers on the dangers of underage drinking by 2030.”