Record numbers sign up to Dry January

A record 729 people signed up to the Dry January campaign in Blackburn with Darwen helping to make it a big success.

Dry January was organised by Alcohol Concern and Public Health England in conjunction with Blackburn with Darwen Council. People from across the borough again backed the campaign smashing the total of 500 sign ups in 2014.

Dry January aims to start new conversations about alcohol and give people a different perspective on their use of it and the risk of drinking on a regular basis. It is a chance to ditch the hangover, lose weight, save money – and for people to make a real difference to their lives.

The Council worked with partners including VOICE and ADEPT and local employers like Crown Paints, Graham & Brown, The Mall Blackburn and Blackburn College on this year’s campaign to put out the invitation to sign up.

Marselle Davies, VOICE events coordinator, said:

We’ve been really pleased with the amount of positive feedback overall and also the level of interest from the public. I hope that in supporting Dry January we have helped spread the positive messages about the benefits a month away from alcohol brings.

Councillor Mohammed Khan, Executive Member for Health and Adult Social Care, added:

Well done to everyone who took part, even those who only had a short break, and extra special congratulations to those who made the full 31 days. Hopefully you will have enjoyed the health benefits of making a rejuvenated start to 2015. Even more people in the borough have backed the campaign this year which is great to see. The new perspective people will have on their drinking as a result of the campaign and everything they learned through the month can hopefully be used to create a new set of rules for their drinking as they move forward in 2015.