University Green Councillors Morgwn Trolinger and Ian McCulloch have joined the Students’ Unions of Lancaster University and University of Cumbria in calling for a halt to the Carnage UK organised pub crawl due to take place in town next week.
Councillor Trolinger said “This event has been cancelled in Preston, Blackpool and Bolton due to health and safety risks and public safety issues. Pubs and clubs have a responsibility to promote responsible drinking and I don’t see how they are doing that by taking part in this event.” The event called ‘Dirty Porn Star Fancy Dress’, organised by a private company called Carnage UK and is set to take place in Lancaster on the 20th November 2008.
The University Councillors have submitted an emergency motion to Lancaster City Council calling on the participating licensed premises, including Hustle, The Lounge, Revolution, Litten Tree, Varsity, Walkabout and Elements Nightclub to cancel the event.
Similar events in other cities have been criticised for causing public disorder and increasing drink related hospital admissions. The National Union of Students (NUS) and Lancaster’s two universities are trying to encourage ‘responsible drinking’, notably University of Lancaster’s ‘Easy Tiger’ campaign, and to help shed the image of students doing nothing but downing drink after drink. The NUS feels that events such as this one run by Carnage puts hurdles in their way of achieving this goal, as it is at events like these that people feel under more peer pressure to drink and are therefore putting themselves at risk of sexual diseases and crime.
Councillor McCulloch added “This seems to be simply a ‘binge-drinking event’ that could put students in danger. I don’t understand why the police are letting it go ahead when it has been stopped in other towns.”
City Centre Councillor Anne Chapman also expressed her concerns about the event she said “ I will be writing to the venues that are hosting the Carnage event and asking them to explain how this sort of event fits with their obligations to promote responsible drinking.”
No related posts.
