A scheme that helps drunken clubbers is gearing up for the Christmas party season and preparing to expand beyond Brighton.
Safe Space, which is based in St Paul’s Church in West Street, Brighton, said that in previous years the number of people given help had soared over the festive period.
Last year the numbers doubled on Christmas Eve while on New Year’s Eve the figure was five times higher than a normal clubbing night.
Safe Space said that its volunteers helped to look after the “vulnerable, injured or distressed often as a result of drinking too much or drug use”.
Despite this, its funding is not yet secured beyond April.
Next month the Safe Space service is being extended to Eastbourne and Hastings.
The trial will take place in the two towns on Friday 10 December, Saturday 11 December, the following Friday and Saturday and again on New Year’s Eve.
On the basis that prevention is better than cure, Safe Space co-ordinator Gemma Doughty said: “We will be handing out leaflets and goodie bags to help prevent people getting too drunk.
“We want people to understand that they do overdo it during the festive period and that they need to help look after their friends.”
Incapable
Laura Teale, 22, from Nottingham, was impressed by the Safe Space scheme. She said: “I was about to find an ambulance for my friend but then I saw the sign and thought I’d see what they could do to help.
“We sat down for a while, had a chat and then they helped us get a taxi home.
“Much better than being stuck in A&E all night.”
Safe Space gives free help to people who are incapable of looking after themselves, with the intention of sending them home safely.
Gemma said: “It’s not our place to preach.”
The Safe Space area has three medically trained unpaid Red Cross volunteers and two YMCA members staffing it.
It is time the responisblity and cost of this was placed with the pubs and clubs.
Message for Paul Truluck from YMCA. Is you father’s name Peter, living in Hastings?