Artist lends support to alcohol initiative

Malcolm Buchanan-Dick was recommended for the project by a council official after he worked on a projection at Shoreham Power Station.

He has set up an interactive window in the entrance to the Guildbourne Centre, Worthing, with a large screen showing three short films aimed at different types of drinkers, alongside a number of T boards with drink-related slogans on.

Malcolm said: “It’s a difficult campaign because getting people to rethink how much they drink is quite a thing really. I’m not a drinker but I’m passionate about getting people to think about different things that affect them.

“It’s quite controversial, a lot of people think it’s nothing to do with anyone else how much they drink. We want people to go on the website and see how drinking might affect them in the future – ‘here’s the information, you make your choice’.

“A lot of people drink socially quite a lot, since I’ve been doing this I’ve realised it can affect you if it’s a regular thing.”

When the video screen is approached, it plays out loud through speakers.

The films include a group of younger people filmed drinking on the street but in the style of people who drink in their homes, the second is an older person binge drinking as a younger person might do and the third is of a couple arguing over drink.

The campaign, developed by Adur and Worthing councils, West Sussex County Council and the NHS Coastal West Sussex Clinical Commisioning Group, is aimed at people drinking at ‘risky levels’ but who don’t realise it.

Janice Hoiles, well-being hub manager for Adur and Worthing councils, said: “We are not aiming at street drinkers or people who are dependent, it’s people who go home after a long day and open a bottle of wine and aren’t really thinking about how that will affect their health.”

The T boards and drink-themed projections have also been used in various locations around Adur and Worthing. The idea is to grab people’s attention without letting them get used to where the messages are.

For more information on the campaign, visit www.rethink-your-drink.co.uk