AN alcohol support project has been launched in the borough.

Residents from Hag Fold in Atherton are giving up their time to become champions as part of a course called Communities in Charge of Alcohol (CICA).

It has been designed to get people talking about alcohol and change their relationships with it.

The course has been integrated into Wigan Council’s Deal for Health and Wellness.

Professor Kate Ardern, director for public health at the council, said: “I am hugely grateful to the residents of Hag Fold who have volunteered their time and expertise to become CICA Champions.

“I was privileged to attend the first morning of their training programme and was inspired by their enthusiasm and ideas for taking the programme forward in Wigan.

“This is another fantastic example of how The Deal for Health and Wellness is making a positive difference to people’s lives.

“I look forward to working with them and our fantastic Wigan and Leigh Recovery Partnership to make CICA a reality for our borough.”

The volunteers, who will be known as “Alcohol Health Champions”, will work as a team to suggest ways about how the community can reduce alcohol-related harm including making licensing decisions.

The champions are being trained to talk to family, friends and colleagues to let them know about services and information which is available to help them cut down on alcohol if they want to.

Wigan Council will recruit a network of around 30 Community Alcohol Champions who live or work in the area.

They will work alongside the Wigan and Leigh Recovery Partnership, which will be the co-ordinator for the Alcohol Health Champion network in Hag Fold.

Latest statistics from Public Health England shows people in Greater Manchester are consuming more alcohol than the national average.

It is also putting emergency services under greater strain.

The success of the project will be measured over five years.

This will be done by looking at figures such as hospital admissions, ambulance call-outs and levels of alcohol-related crime.