Stay safe and enjoy Reminisce

With Reminisce Festival returning to Sherdley Park this weekend (Saturday 10 September), St Helens Council’s Public Health team has released some top-tips to revellers to ensure their experience is a safe and enjoyable one.

Event goers are reminded that:

•  Legal highs are now illegal
•  All drugs and illegal substances, including laughing gas (or similar mixes), are banned from this event and festival organisers state that all incidents will be reported to the police.

Recently there have been a number of incidents involving the use of ecstasy (MDMA).  New tablets available have branding and bright colours that can appeal to young people in particular. But varying production methods mean that two tablets that look similar may cause very different effects, they can often be mixed with other potent substances or variations of MDMA and users won’t be able to predict the effect it will have until they have taken them.

Users of ecstasy locally have been reporting a number of adverse effects including extreme agitation, paranoia, numbness, shaking and feelings of being unwell for several days after using. The potential consequences could be severe or life threatening.

For those planning to drink alcohol, it is advised that you eat well before going out, try having some non-alcoholic drinks through the event - and avoid mixing with other drugs.

St Helens Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Councillor Jeanie Bell said: “ I hope those attending have a really good time.  Let’s do all we can to make sure that young people are aware of the harm that drugs can cause and that we as parents and caring community members take the time to talk to young people about the issues that are important to them”.

For more information about any drugs or alcohol, you can contact either Addaction on 01744 766210 or St Helens Young People's Drug and Alcohol Team (YPDAAT) on 01744 675605. Young people, parents and anyone with concerns can also access further information by visiting www.sthelens.gov.uk/ypdaat 

You can also visit the Talk to FRANK website http://www.talktofrank.com/ for more information on drugs.

More advice can be found by visiting: www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Festivalhealth/Pages/Safety.aspx or the Reminisce Festival website http://www.reminiscefestival.com/info.php