Brighouse students get a hard-hitting lesson on the risks associated with underage drinking

Brighouse High School pupils will watch a play about a group of friends who find themselves in trouble as a result of their misuse of alcohol.

The performance is followed by an interactive workshop where pupils will be invited to probe the cast on any of the issues brought up during the play and explore the consequences portrayed by the actors.

Read: These are the top ten Calderdale schools for Attainment 8 in latest league tablesThis performance is part of ‘Smashed’, an alcohol education and awareness programme sponsored by Diageo and delivered by Collingwood Learning.

Craig Whittaker, MP for Calder Valley said: "I'm very happy to see that Smashed is visiting Calder Valley this year. The programme's unique approach has proven to effectively engage with young people and I'm confident that, with the help of Smashed, our local pupils will be even better able to stand up to the peer, health and social pressures that surround underage drinking."

This tour will visit 90 schools in seven different regions across England, reaching 18,000 students. To date the programme has reached over 380,000 pupils in 1,610 schools across the UK since it began in 2005.

‘Smashed’ was developed in consultation with young people and has been designed to engage with pupils in a different way to typical school lessons.

Read: These are the top ten Calderdale schools for Progress 8 in latest league tablesIt combines the use of drama with interactive workshops to help young people understand the facts, causes, and consequences of alcohol misuse and the risks of underage drinking.

Chris Simes from Collingwood Learning said: “The Smashed team are thrilled to be travelling the length and breadth of the UK for another year as we tackle the culture of underage drinking.

"By combining powerful emotive theatre with engaging interactive workshops, our creative educational performances are making a difference nationwide."