Water Angel

Our story

West Sussex County Council (WSCC) launched the Water Angel campaign in 2014 to promote the health and wellbeing of young adults.

We wanted to encourage 18-24 year-olds to drink water alongside their alcoholic drinks when out partying in the county's bars, pubs and clubs.

The campaign was the result of research carried out in West Sussex which showed that alcohol-related harm and antisocial behaviour in young adults was a trend that was on the rise.

We set out to tackle the issues head-on and provide practical ways to minimise the risks associated with drinking large quantities of alcohol.

Our campaign focuses on keeping people safe, hydrated and refreshed by drinking water at regular intervals, particularly when consuming alcoholic drinks.

The campaign is not only designed to benefit those out enjoying themselves but also to have positive impacts for the wider community and businesses that cater for the entertainment and night-time economy.

It has since developed from being a campaign which focuses solely on young adults to one which embraces the whole community!

How we work

Water Angel operates in two ways:

1. We generate publicity at events - Water Angel attendance is a great way to remind people about the benefits of drinking water in between their alcoholic drinks. Water Angels are always well received and enable hosts to demonstrate their corporate social responsibility in a practical way.
2. We maintain an online presence through social media - it is through this that we engage with the highest number of people. We have dedicated Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts where we regularly post information about maintaining a healthy lifestyle, the benefits of drinking water, yummy recipes, and even information about keeping safe.

In 2017 Water Angel won a Commended Award at the National Association of Business Crime Partnerships for promoting community safety.

This was the result of the partnership work with Crawley Borough Council and Crawley and Gatwick Business Watch in promoting responsible drinking, especially over the Christmas period.

Why participate

By encouraging your customers to drink water along with their alcoholic drinks you can help to keep your customers safe as well as reduce the burden on public services and businesses.

No-one can say that drinking alcohol is absolutely safe. It is a causal factor in more than 60 medical conditions. Binge drinking can also lead to injuries, anti-social behaviour and societal harm.

In 2016/17 in West Sussex there were 16,304 hospital admissions where the primary or any secondary reason for admission was linked to alcohol.

The annual cost of alcohol-related harm in the England is around £21 billion, including £11 billion in crime and disorder, £7 billion in lost productivity and a £3.5 billion burden on the NHS.

Angels at events

Water Angels have attended a wide range of events to promote the benefits of drinking water on a night out including:

• Chichester University
• Crawley Borough Council
• Goodwood Racecourse.

As a bar, club or event serving alcohol, working with the Water Angels is a good way to demonstrate your corporate social responsibility. It also demonstrates that you care about the health and wellbeing of your customers.

If you would like to find out more about how the Water Angels can support your West Sussex event, please get in touch.

Resources

There are a number of ways that we can support you, such as providing:

• posters and promotional material, including hairbands, stickers, Instagram boards and posters
• training for volunteer angels
• support at events.

Please contact us for more information.