Singer songwriter Henry Maybury will visit The Holmesdale School in Snodland on January 29 to warn pupils of the dangers of underage drinking.
Henry’s song “Lost Days” was written in tribute to his brother, who died from an alcohol related illness aged just 29. It has achieved over a million views on YouTube.
Henry travels around schools and prisons to share his story and music, delivering a powerful message about the dangers of alcohol.
His visit to the school has been organised by Snodland Community Alcohol Partnership (CAP), which brings together local partners including Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, police, schools, neighbourhood groups and health providers to tackle underage drinking and improve the quality of life for residents.
Snodland CAP has been an active partnership since 2012 and last year was highly commended for its success in reducing underage drinking and anti-social behaviour in the town.
Tracey Crouch, MP for Chatham and Aylesford, said: “I’ve visited the Snodland CAP and seen first-hand how successfully it is dealing with this issue. I really applaud its efforts to reach out to young people to get messages across to young people about the risks of underage drinking - from the damage it poses to their health, to the risk that they could injure themselves or someone else, fail to reach their potential at school or get involved in anti-social behaviour.”
Neil Golding, Deputy Headteacher at The Holmesdale School, said: "We are very excited at the prospect of working with Henry and are confident his story will have a huge impact on our students."
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For more information please contact: Gillian Powell, CAP Programme Manager and Regional Adviser for South East England, tel:07825 225018.
Notes to editors: Henry will perform to year 9 pupils at 11.40am and to year 10 pupils at 12.40pm. You are very welcome to send a reporter/photographer but please note, any photos of the young people must be with their permission. Please let us know if you plan to come along.
Henry will be available for interview.
About Community Alcohol Partnerships:
• Community Alcohol Partnerships (CAP) schemes are set up to tackle underage drinking and the resulting harm to local communities. All schemes are managed and delivered locally via partnerships between local authorities, police, retailers, schools and neighbourhood groups and health providers, offering a flexible model tailored to fit the needs of each community. All schemes incorporate a mixture of education, enforcement, community engagement and the provision of diversionary activities for young people.
• CAP is a community interest company (CIC), funded by major retailers who share its concerns about underage drinking. Current funders include: Aldi, ASDA, ACS, Brown Forman, Co-op, Diageo, Heineken, Lidl, Marks and Spencer, Molson Coors, One Stop, Sainsbury’s, SHS Drinks, Tesco and Waitrose. We are also grateful to the Welsh Government which provided £15,000 towards the establishment of three new CAPs in Wales.
• The first CAP was set up in St Neots in 2007. Between 2014 and 2016 the number of CAPs more than doubled and there are now 150 across the UK.