Drinkaware opens alcohol-free cafe for teens in Newquay
Alcohol awareness charity Drinkaware has opened an alcohol-free cafe for 16 and 17 year olds in Newquay.
The opening represents the start of the charity's summer youth campaign focusing on the risks of excessive drinking by 16 and 17 year-olds.
With around 6,000 teenagers set to celebrate the end of GCSE and AS Level exams in the town this summer, Drinkaware has transformed the Fistral Blu Café, overlooking Fistral Beach, into the 'Got Your Back' Café.
The Café is a designed to be a fun and informal environment where young people can meet friends and order discounted food while having access to alcohol facts and information.
The Café also has a photo booth, table football, DJ decks, TV and Wii games, as well as internet access and phone charging stations.
Newquay's post-exam celebrations were blighted last year by a series of accidents including the death of two students who fell from the cliffs, and one who suffered a broken neck.
Launched in conjunction with the Newquay Safe Partnership, the local council and police, Drinkaware's 'Got Your Back' campaign aims to advise teens on how to stay safe, encourage friends to look out for each other and think about the risks of excessive drinking.
The 'Got Your Back' Café at Fistral Blu will be open on the 16, 19 and 23 July.
Chris Sorek, Drinkaware's chief executive said: "There are identifiable links between alcohol use and unprotected sex, injury and accidents, but all too often this is the last thing on young people's minds when they're drinking. Working closely with the Newquay Safe Partnership and positioning ourselves directly in the town enables Drinkaware to tackle the issue of excessive alcohol consumption with young people directly."
