Alcohol awareness production Smashed to visit Penwortham and Lostock Hall schools

Secondary school students in Penwortham and Lostock Hall are set to receive a crucial lesson on the risks of underage drinking.

Smashed, an international educational theatre production, will visit Penwortham Priory Academy on Tuesday 3 December, and Lostock Hall Academy on Thursday 5 December. It visited Balshaw’s CE High School in Leyland earlier this week.

The initiative aims to use engaging interactive performances to educate students about the causes and consequences of underage drinking.

Now in its 20th year,Smashed has delivered educational performances to students in 38 countries around the world. By delivering a combination of live theatre performances, interactive workshops and digital experiences, the project educates young people about the dangers of alcohol use.

Combining drama with interactive workshops, Smashed uses professional actors to present a 25-minute performance followed by a 35-minute workshop where participants reflect on the themes and answer questions about the choices made by the characters.

This initiative aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by fostering a culture of health and wellbeing among adolescents, a critical demographic for instilling lifelong healthy habits.

Smashed aims to transform attitudes and behaviours towards alcohol consumption among young people. In the 2023-2024 school year, 73 per cent of students in the UK said they were less likely to drink alcohol underage following the Smashed performance.

Smashed works in close collaboration with Community Alcohol Partnerships (CAPs), an organisation that brings together councils, police, retailers, schools, health providers, and community groups across the UK to reduce alcohol related harm among young people.

In the past decade, the UK has made positive progress in reducing levels of underage drinking. However, data from the UK Government shows that hospital admissions for alcohol-specific conditions among under 18s in Lancashire are above England’s national average (27.9 per 100,000 versus 26.0 per 100,000).

Smashed is produced by Collingwood Learning and supported by Diageo

Nuno Teles, Managing Director at Diageo GB, said: “I am so proud that Smashed has reached its 20th year in Great Britain. This really is a testament to the incredible impact of the programme worldwide, consistently delivering a fantastic learning experience for young people with a proven significant increase in understanding of the dangers of underage drinking.

“At Diageo, we are deeply committed to tackling underage drinking and we hope that the students we are visiting across Lancashire will not only gain valuable insights from the performances, but also leave better informed and prepared to make responsible choices about alcohol.”

Chris Simes, Managing Director at Collingwood Learning, added: “We are excited to return to Lancashire with Smashed Live in Autumn 2024. Despite the progress made in reducing underage drinking across Great Britain, it remains crucial to continue reinforcing our message, and our team is eager to engage young people across Lancashire about the ongoing health and social risks of drinking underage.”

With a goal to educate 10 million young people by 2030, the programme expanded in 2021 with Smashed Online, which uses filmed clips, interactive tools, and assessments that can be completed in schools or from home.

For more information on the programme and upcoming tour, visit the Smashed Project website.

Subscribe: Keep in touch directly with the latest headlines from Blog Preston, join our WhatsApp channel and subscribe for our twice-a-week email newsletter. Both free and direct to your phone and inbox.

Read more: See more of what’s on in Preston

This story was made possible by you, our readers, and a host of organisations in the city, through our Crowdfund Lancashire appeal, which unlocked support from the Lancashire Culture and Sport Fund provided by Lancashire County Council. You can see all our coverage and, if you know of an arts project or event in the city we should be covering, you can submit it for our event listings and/or send details to contactus@blogpreston.co.uk for us to cover it as a story on the Blog.