National Winners!

Nottingham Crime and Drugs Partnership and Students from Nottingham Trent University have scooped first prize in the national FRANK stakeholder awards.

‘Heart and Soul of the Party?’ is a groundbreaking campaign which highlights the effects of Alcohol, Cocaine and ‘Cocaethylene’ the chemical produced in the body when these two drugs are mixed.

This prestigious award is being presented by Alan Campbell MP Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Crime Reduction.

Nottingham Trent University and the Crime and Drugs Partnership have developed health promotion campaigns each year as part of Public Health degree courses since 2006. These campaigns are developed by students in partnership with professional designers and a variety of local agencies.

Competition for this national award is highly competitive, 12 projects from across the country made the final shortlist ‘Heart and Soul of the Party?’ was judged as National winner and received the following feedback;

• Heart and Soul of the Party? came out top for it’s highly comprehensive approach, thorough methods and process from research right through to quantifiable evaluation. It was recognised for its strong partnership work, youth-led, innovative and creative approach, and the longevity and the replicable nature of the project.
• The project was highly commended for its highly targeted approach, focusing on further education (an area in need of drugs communications), clear and measurable objectives, and relevance of the issue for the community being targeted.
• In addition the campaign used FRANK effectively as a support mechanism and also highlighted local support services, and the key messages of the campaign had a natural synergy with the FRANK campaigns.

Alan Campbell MP Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Crime Reduction said;

"The powerful campaign produced by the Nottingham Trent University students is a fantastic example of work to educate young people about the dangers of drugs to discourage them from getting involved and the first prize is well deserved."

Dr Linda Gibson Senior Lecturer in Public Health at Nottingham Trent University said;

"The University is thrilled that these students have been recognised with this award, taking important health messages to their peers. It reflects the hard work and input of both the students and the staff. It supports our wish to produce students who can understand theory as applied to public health and apply it in real world multidisciplinary settings. This project allows students to refine important transferable skills of partnership working that they then take into the workplace thereby enhancing their employability."

Steve Youdell, Head of Communications at Nottingham Crime and Drugs Partnership said;

"We are delighted for the students on winning this award, which is the highest accolade a drug campaign can receive. The award is also testimony to the partnership which has developed between the University and the Crime and Drugs Partnership over the past 3 years. The national profile this campaign will receive as a result of this award will also ensure that it will been seen by young people across the country."