TEENAGERS in Cowdenbeath are reaping the benefits of an alcohol intervention programme thanks to nearly £7000 in funding from the Scotch Whisky Action Fund.

The Clued Up project received the funding to support its team of specialists in a bid to tackle problem drinking across Fife. On Friday nights a nurse and a youth worker join forces with a member of Clued Up as well as other services such as the police to patrol drinking hotspots between 7 and 11pm. The project is aimed at 13-18 year-olds on the streets who need support and guidance when it comes to alcohol abuse. Whether the youngsters have alcohol on them or have drunk alcohol that evening, they will be given support and information about the dangers of drinking.

For the teens who are engaged in these interventions, the project is also offering follow-up sessions to talk more about the impact of alcohol on their lives, and Clued Up service manager Laura Crombie believes that the youngsters involved buy in to what the project is trying to do. “We’ve got a really good relationship with young people,” she said. “There aren’t really any barriers and we’re well-known in the area - we’ve been working in West Fife for about five years now and built up a good reputation.

“They love the opportunity to talk about how much they are drinking, and sometimes they don’t realise how much it is. That’s where the intervention helps, and then there are follow-up sessions where we can make care plans and the young people can talk about the outcomes they want to achieve.” The scheme piloted back in 2009 in Kirkcaldy, and has since expanded to different areas in Fife. The money from the Scotch Whisky Action Fund secures the services of the team members in the various areas which the project visits, as well as helping with the running costs.