Anti-glass campaign's gathering momentum

by John Harrington

A second campaign to ban glass at pubs and clubs led by the parents of a glassing victim has been launched.

This comes as the new MP for Taunton, where the orginal McClintock campaign to ban glass was launched last summer, looks set to lobby the Home Secretary and the Portman Group in a bid to gain support for scrapping glass in pubs.

Marjorie and Robert Golding have set up an on-line petition to persuade drinks producers and pub and club operators to convert to plastic and shatter-proof glasses.

Their son, Blake, suffered horrific injuries after he was hit across the head and struck in the neck with a broken bottle while working as a doorman at a Milton Keynes nightclub in the early hours of Christmas Day 2004. He needed 39 stitches and was permanantly scarred.

A similar campaign was launched last summer by the parents of former model Louise McClintock, who was blinded in one eye after being hit with a wine glass at a club in Taunton, Somerset.

The Institute of Licensing (IOL) gave its backing to the McClintock campaign. So far around 10,000 signatures have been collected in support of a glass ban for pubs and clubs.

Taunton's new MP, Liberal Democrat Jeremy Brown, has said he will follow his predessessor, Adrian Flook, and give his support to the campaign.

Jim Hunter, licensing manager at Taunton Deane Borough Council, said Flook was looking to set up meetings with Home Secretary Charles Clarke and the Portman Group to discuss the matter.

'He is keen to take this forward. We said the Portman Group is the industry self-regulatory body, while the Home Secretary is another avenue to take, Hunter said.

Hunter, who is also IOL vice-chairman, added that he would be interested in talking to the organisers of the latest anti-glass campaign to discuss the possibility of working together. The new campaign can be seen at www.pop-campaign.co.uk