BIIAB Celebrates Scottish Alcohol Awareness Week
09-Oct-2008
In celebration of Scottish Alcohol Awareness Week, Andy Kerr MSP presented nine members of staff from Botterill’s Convenience Stores with certificates for having passed the BIIAB Scottish Certificate in Alcohol Awareness. He was joined by Alice Cardwell-Hodges of BIIAB.
The presentation took place at SPAR, 86/88 Calderwood, East Kilbride on Monday 6th October.
BIIAB is the awarding body of BII, the professional body for the licensed retail sector and the BIIAB Scottish Certificate for Alcohol Awareness has been developed to help Government raise awareness of alcohol issues with young people and adults. The qualification is designed to educate and inform learners about the social, economic, career and health impacts of alcohol, and the importance of the licensed retail sector to the local and national economy. It also gives those who successfully pass the examination, a nationally recognised certificate.
Alice Cardwell-Hodges, Client Development Director for BIIAB, commented: “We’re delighted to have had Andy Kerr’s support for the presentation and the event provided a great opportunity for us to celebrate Alcohol Awareness Week with a highly relevant and well received qualification.”
Last year, AAW focused on getting people to understand the number of units in their drinks, and to consider what this meant for their own consumption in terms of the sensible drinking guidelines. AAW 2008 aims to take the message a step further and build on the success of the 2007 campaign. The theme for AAW 2008 is – ‘you can make a positive choice when it comes to drinking alcohol’.
A range of ‘Hints & Tips’ have been developed around making positive choices which individuals can make about their own drinking. The Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) is encouraging interaction with the campaign through challenging people to sign up to one or more of these choices. The key strap line for the week is: ‘Alcohol Awareness Week - Will you take the challenge?’
John Drummond, Chief Executive of SGF said: “We know that many Scots enjoy alcohol responsibly, but also that alcohol related health problems are on the increase. We therefore very much welcome the willingness of MSPs during AAW, to engage with convenience store customers within their local communities, about the amount of alcohol they consume and to consider sensible drinking guidelines.
“Everyone should seek to play their part in changing the drinking culture in Scotland. To do this our members focus on practical measures they can take in their business which drives up standards. These include taking part in industry initiatives including AAW and Challenge 21.
“In August, SGF members recorded over 20,000 refused alcohol sales in their refusal registers, predominately to underage youngsters, who were unable to provide proof of age when asked by a sales assistant. This is highly responsible and can be directly linked to the considerable resources our members invest in staff training and responsible retail procedures.
“We hope, with the support of MSPs, our customers will understand that making positive choices about alcohol consumption doesn’t have to be difficult, and that small changes can have really big benefits.”
Click here for more info on the Scottish Certificate for Alcohol Awareness .
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| Contact | Michelle Luscombe Corporate Communications Manager 01276 417863 |
