Winemakers complain about threat from clean livers

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Title – Winemakers complain about threat from clean livers
Source – The Times
Date 28th February 2009

It will come as little comfort to many alcohol retailers in the UK to know they are not alone in the face of increasing legislation which cuts their margins, increases their costs and turns sentiment against them; but it is happening in many part of the world… including France.

If the cultural heritage of the French wine growers and the consumption of wine as a part of everyday life is no barrier to legislation, then what hope for anyone else. Wasn’t the instigation of the

Licensing Act 2003 in part to encourage a ‘continental café style society’ in the UK?

The arguments made by the featured wine maker whose family have been in the business for centuries, will be familiar to many here, if a little more extreme ( I don’t know too many in the UK who would argue against reducing drink driving or advising pregnant women not to consume alcohol…), but the analogy of banning sugar because of obesity in the US is a little ‘out there’ even for my fondness of a good analogy.

One point of interest is the concept of what the French are trying to legislate against, free alcohol in all its forms be that sampling, aggressive promotion, ‘buy one get one free’ deals etc; sound familiar? This is very much the line that our own government has been advocating.

Sadly however even this statement reflects badly on the UK. In the 80’s and 90’s we were known across Europe for hooliganism related to football, it seems now we are just as well known for our ‘binge drinking’ society; known maybe, but seemingly not facing this burden alone...

At Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector to help them sell alcohol more responsibly. These include; The Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR) designed for front-line staff to help them meet their statutory requirements; The National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH) which qualifies candidates to apply for their personal licence; Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course compliments these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and alcohol related disorder.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk or join us on our Facebook Page and our Facebook Group. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.

The African Connection: how the drug gangs found new routes for their trade

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Title – The African Connection: how the drug gangs found new routes for their trade
Source – The Times
Date – 28th February 2009

Understanding drugs, their effects, the signs and symptoms, drug litter and recognising drug dealing go some way to helping us deal with drug related problems in our workplace. Gaining a better understanding of the real cost of drug use which is one of those problems that is so complicated and so vast as to be incomprehensible, allows us to really get behind ‘zero tolerance’ policies.

Many acknowledge that the fight against drugs is one that can not be won and the world experts concur to a degree. However let us not confuse that with the need to keep fighting in order to mitigate further burden being placed on those people most closely affected by the trade and those areas that are blighted by it.

When people talk about the effects of drugs they most often consider the individual user, I believe that the best way to combat the scourge of drug use is to shame people into stopping, the same way drink driving has been substantially curbed by campaigns showing the unacceptable consequences of drink driving. There will always be an argument that drug users ‘have a choice’ (that in itself is an argument for another time).

The fact is; drug use has serious consequences across the world, it causes major problems including; poverty, war, civil conflict, torture, corruption, global warming, human right abuses, the propping up of illegal regimes, environmental destruction and the failure of entire states.

Since this article was published the commander in chief of Guinea-Bissau was assassinated followed by a swift reprisal in the form of the assassination of the President days later. Mexico is in meltdown as government fights immensely powerful and well resourced drug cartels. Afghanistan’s opium crop largely funds the Taliban’s fight against the Afghan people and the coalition’s troops. Colombian rainforest is slashed and burned to make way for cocoa crop. The list of destruction is long and frightening and linked directly to the ‘west’s’ addition to illegal drugs.

Of the nearly 1 million cocaine users in the UK how many are seriously concerned about global warming, global poverty, civil conflict around the world? How many insist on ‘Fairtrade’ coffee on the one hand and yet snort lines of cocaine? What they give with the one hand they take away with a violent, oppressive and destructive other hand. How many actually realise the cause and effect of their ‘habit’?

We consider the issues surrounding the impact that illegal drugs has on businesses, employees and customers.

In any business there can only be one approach to illegal drugs and that is the adoption of a ‘Zero Tolerance Policy’ and enforcement of that policy through Drug Awareness training. We can provide you with this training and using training aids such as our

Drugs Box our training provides realistic and client focussed training which your employees can relate to.

At Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector including The National Certificate for Licensees Drug Awareness (NCLDA). For other sectors our bespoke Drug Awareness (DA) courses, which examine illegal drugs, their effects and the drug litter synonymous with their use, are specifically designed to reflect the nature of our clients working environment. Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course complements these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and drug related behaviour.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk or join us on our Facebook Page and our Facebook Group. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.

Drink a day increases cancer risk

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Title – Drink a day increases cancer riskSource – www.bbc.co.uk
Date –24th February 2009

Alcohol has long been associated with the negative effects it has on health, but this is occasionally interspersed with report that small quantities of alcohol can actually be good for you; this has led to a certain degree of confusion.

There is no doubt that excessive consumption does have very negative effects on health and a knock-on effect on local communities. Where the excess represents chronic drinking or alcoholism, the burden on local services such as the police and health services can also be significant.

People must remain largely responsible for their own levels of alcohol consumption. For them to be able to remain responsible, it is important that they have the facts available allowing them to make an informed judgement.

This latest report outlines the increased risk from cancer on those who drink alcohol regularly, this is adding to the known risks of excessive alcohol consumption including; social exclusion, high blood pressure, strokes, liver damage / cirrhosis, brain damage, heart disease and ultimately death. These have however traditionally been linked to excessive alcohol consumption over a short (binge drinking) or longer (chronic drinking or alcoholism); this latest study which shows a significant increase in the instances of cancer associated with significantly lower consumption, but more regular consumption.

At this time the report has not led to a rethink of the current limits on safe alcohol consumption as outlined by the governments ‘unit’ system (

Alcohol Units Guide) which recommends 3-4 units for men per day (21 per week) and 2-3 units for women per day (14 per week); but clearly a conservative approach to these drinking limits remains the recommendation.

For alcohol retailers these limits have always been seen as somewhat of a barrier to customer’s choice and the fine line between informing customers and patronising them. It is not the duty of the Licensed Retail Sector to thrust these limits and the dangers in the face of their customers, but it is their duty to Retail Alcohol Responsibly and provide information when it is requested. It is their duty to limit individual’s consumption when it becomes excessive on a single session, to protect the customer and other customers from the detrimental effects of excessive alcohol consumption and to promote alcohol with a view to increasing customer numbers rather than increasing the consumption of individual customers.

At Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the licensed retail sector to help them sell alcohol more responsibly. These include; The Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR) designed for front-line staff to help them meet their statutory requirements; The National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH) which qualifies candidates to apply for their personal licence; Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course compliments these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and alcohol related disorder.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk or join us on our Facebook Page and our Facebook Group. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.

Mansell takes on minder as shortcut to security

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Title – Mansell takes on minder as shortcut to security
Source – The Times
Date –17th February 2009

I doubt that this will spell the end of the close protection officer in either the private or public sector; certainly our colleagues who work in these areas see this type of development as simply another tool in their arsenal.

The difference being that these dogs are not being ‘run’ by handlers, but rather by the 'principle' themselves. However any addition to the protection of individuals is welcomed and these dogs will suit some better than others.

Close protection is not an area in which we currently work, however some of our instructors do work as close protection operatives in the private sector and we are happy to introduce them to our clients.

Our focus is on security in terms of premises or businesses, but our approach is that we take systems and methodology from all those areas in which we have vast experience and transfer successful techniques from one sector to another to provide innovative solution to our client’s security requirements.

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Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Security Industry. These include; The National Certificate for Door Supervisors (NCDS) designed for those who require an SIA Door Supervisor Licence; In-House Security Induction (IHSI) which helps our clients train candidates in the specific systems of the premises in which they will be working and meet the SIA recommendation that all security operatives receive bespoke further training above their statutory requirements in the specifics of the premises in which they will operate; Physical Intervention (PI) for those who are required in their role to face and deal with violence in their workplace and may be required to restrain and / or escort aggressive customers; our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course compliments these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and alcohol related disorder.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk or join us on our Facebook Page and our Facebook Group. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.

Barman tried over fatal tequila

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Title – Barman tried over fatal tequilaSource – www.bbc.co.uk
Date –11th February 2009

This story may come from Germany, but can we honestly say that similar activities do not occur across the UK.

It is a tragedy that the real dangers of binge drinking are still not well recognised by the general public. These types of tragedies sadly occur on a regular basis as we have commented on before in the blog:
Killed by vodka binge
Killed by drink contest

It is because these risks are not always well recognised that people continue to binge drink thinking the worst that can happen is ‘the hangover from hell’, sadly the dangers in the short term and the long term are much more severe.

So it is for alcohol retailers to take their duty to Retail Alcohol Responsibly seriously. Apart from the punishments which personal licence holders and designated premises supervisors may face for failing in this respect and the censures which the premises licences would face such as closure orders, reviews and fines; this type of behaviour stands a real chance of attracting criminal charges, especially if someone under the age of 18 were to be involved.

There is a common misconception the responsible alcohol retailing is somehow the ‘fun police’ ruining a good night out or the ‘nanny state’ dictating what we should and shouldn’t do; however when properly understood it is neither. Alcohol is classed as a drug for a reason and those who retail it should have training to ensure they can retail it responsibly; to warn those who misunderstand the risk; to deter those who abuse alcohol; and to protect those made incapable by alcohol from further harm.

The drug alcohol can be enjoyed sociably, it adds to a sense of wellbeing and can be enjoyed in some moderation; but anyone who has ever been drunk, knows it lowers our inhibitions, it clouds our own judgement and our ability to know how much is too much. Sometimes retailers have to step in to make that decision for the customer; and never should the retailer, as happened here, be the instigator of the fatal dosage of alcohol.

At Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the licensed retail sector to help them sell alcohol more responsibly. These include; The Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR) designed for front-line staff to help them meet their statutory requirements; The National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH) which qualifies candidates to apply for their personal licence; Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course compliments these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and alcohol related disorder.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk or join us on our Facebook Page and our Facebook Group. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.

New glasses by Guinness are good for you

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Title – New glasses by Guinness are good for you
Source – The Times
Date – 7th February 2009

This I think is a positive step and the kind of development we have been advocating for some time. Subtly delivered information to allow consumers to decide for themselves within a system they understand.

It is not telling them what to do or what not to do, it simply tells them what they are consuming and allows them to make the choice on the quantity they consume. It is no different to the labelling on other foods telling us the number of calories, additives and all those other things which are ‘bad for us’.

I think Diageo have taken a sensible approach and it is this kind of measure that is useful for consumers, does not put off responsible drinkers, should be embraced by the licensed retail sector and should be seen by the government and regulating authorities for what it is; an industry taking steps to regulate itself effectively.

Let’s hope that everyone embraces this move and that others follow suit, I think it is very positive step and the first (and only the first) step on the ladder of promoting

Responsible Alcohol Retailing in a sensible manner, without ineffective, overzealous and expensive regulation. Let’s hope the other players in this sector (and I firmly include the retailers in this) follow this lead and do their bit.

Well done Diageo, don’t rest on your laurels. The Licensed Retail Sector has so much positive to offer the communities they serve, let’s promote that and not always focus on the bad; the good firmly outweighs the bad.

At Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the licensed retail sector to help them sell alcohol more responsibly. These include; The Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR) designed for front-line staff to help them meet their statutory requirements; The National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH) which qualifies candidates to apply for their personal licence; Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course compliments these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and alcohol related disorder.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk or join us on Facebook. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.

Ecstasy ‘not worse than riding’

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Title – Ecstasy ‘not worse than riding’
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 7th February 2009

The decision regarding the reclassification of Ecstasy is due soon and it looks like the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) is set to recommend that a downgrading from class A to class B occurs.

Having said that the current government ignored their advice on the reclassification of cannabis and few would be greatly surprised to see them ignore this latest advice. Any downgrading is seen as a sign of weakness and political opinion, especially in relation to drug policy, will make it difficult to be seen to be ‘weak on drugs’.

In this context the comment that ‘Ecstasy is no more dangerous than riding a horse’ seems somewhat frivolous. I have not read the piece of academic work from which it comes and maybe it has been taken out of context, but the fact is it has been reported.

But there is no point in trying to justify the comment, clearly the two activities are worlds apart and ‘the comment’ seems to have been made only in the context of the annual deaths from each activity. Naturally this is only the tip of the iceberg as far as illegal drugs sales go; horse riding hardly has the terrible detrimental affect on communities that drugs and drug dealing does.

There also seems to be little reference to the unknown and unproven long term effects of Ecstasy use which researches have in the past called a ‘time-bomb’ waiting to happen.

So let’s put this to one side and consider the real issues for us and that is the impact that illegal drugs can have on our businesses, our employees and our customers.

In any business there can only be one approach to illegal drugs and that is the adoption of a ‘Zero Tolerance Policy’ and enforcement of that policy through Drug Awareness training. We can provide you with this training and using training aids such as our

Drugs Box our training provides realistic and client focussed training which your employees can relate to.

At Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector including The National Certificate for Licensees Drug Awareness (NCLDA). For other sectors our bespoke Drug Awareness (DA) courses, which examine illegal drugs, their effects and the drug litter synonymous with their use, are specifically designed to reflect the nature of our clients working environment. Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course complements these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and drug related behaviour.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk or join us on Facebook. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.

Pub is shut down after Bebo boasts

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Title – Pub is shut down after Bebo boasts
Source – Metro
Date – 6th February 2009

I’m going to allow, myself a little gloat, not a gloat at this pub closing, that is never something to celebrate as jobs are lost especially in the current economic climate; but a gloat at how close this story is to the example I give in the

Responsible Alcohol Retailing section of our website.

OK, the demise of this pub was slightly more 21st century then the version I gave on our website, but the effect was the same.

Good reputations are difficult to come by and easy to loose, bad reputations are easy to gain and difficult to lose. Bad reputations spread quickly and good reputations take a long time to filter round a community.

Amongst the younger generation, a generation of Facebook, Twitter, Bebo and other such social networking sites mean a ‘good reputation’ for a pub where you can be served underage, is everyone else’s (including your customers, the police and licensing authorities) example of a ‘bad reputation’.

The thing with the internet is that it can be a great marketing tool and it can also ruin you. I typed in ‘Black Bull – Kidlington’ into Google and got back many search results painting it in a negative light. These stories are there forever, they will fade with strong positive marketing, but the effort to counter these stories is going to take a greatly disproportionate amount of effort to achieve. Let’s hope that Punch give the new landlord or landlady a healthy foot up when they take over.
Responsible Alcohol Retailing has to be at the core of any business in the Licensed Retail Sector, there really is no other choice except failure in the long term. I am not talking ‘nanny state’, I am talking about sensible proactive measures to deliver an environment where you attract responsible customers. These are the customers who will deliver you a profitable business as customer numbers increase, rather than catering to children who have little or no disposable income and put everyone else off.

At Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the licensed retail sector to help them sell alcohol more responsibly. These include; The Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR) designed for front-line staff to help them meet their statutory requirements; The National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH) which qualifies candidates to apply for their personal licence; Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course compliments these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and alcohol related disorder.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk or join us on Facebook. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.

Never mind the crocs, the pubs are running dry

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Title – Never mind the crocs, the pubs are running drySource – The Times
Date – 5th February 2009

Times are tough all over the world, economically the story has been well told, environmentally we are all aware of global warming, but in Australia the cyclone season has brought a new peril, pubs can’t get new supplies of beer… that is the real problem.

Ignore the crocodiles which have been brought to the doorstep through flooding, ignore the water lapping at the door which silently carries poisonous snakes within striking distance; the beer is running dry…

What has this got to do with us, well firstly I like a good story, life should not be all doom and gloom, even when times are difficult. We should take strength that our situation could be much worse, day to day life is much more difficult in much of the world and we still have it ‘relatively’ good in the UK.

I’m am not going to start predicting ‘Green Shoots’ as some have done, we are not there yet, but when times are at their toughest it gives us the opportunity to look at our businesses, it reveals the faults that get covered up in the good times and even when the crocs are at the door there are ways to keep them outside.

All the escape routes involve dedication and hard work, innovation and diversification. The bold will succeed and those who really put in the effort (and I make a point of differentiating between time and effort, simply putting in more hours is rarely the answer) can pull off survival and even growth and when things pick up they will be at the front of the line.

Can we learn anything from the Australians? Well where as all to often pubs in the UK are portrayed with drunks, violence, disorder and other negative connotations, we don’t get that sense from Australia. Not because they are immune to it, but because they deal with it and focus on the positives; and there are more positives than negatives we just need to make sure that the public starts to see them.

Australian pubs are often at the centre of their communities, much as the local British pub used to be. When we look at the winners in the pub sector those that have maintained this position and still play a real part in their local community are often the winners.

At

Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector to help them sell alcohol more responsibly. These include; The Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR) designed for front-line staff to help them meet their statutory requirements; The National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH) which qualifies candidates to apply for their personal licence; Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course compliments these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and alcohol related disorder.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk or join us on Facebook. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.