Herne Bay mum educating Kent's youngsters about substance abuse after death of son

A mum from Herne Bay says her son's life 'will not be in vein' as she continues to educate Kent's school children about the dangers of alcohol and drugs.

William Horley died in 2018 after taking the painkiller Tramadol mixed with alcohol. He then fell unconscious, before being rushed to hospital where, tragically, he couldn’t be revived.

Six years later, Kim Webster now works for Kenwood trust, educating pupils about underage substance abuse.

Kim said: "I only said this yesterday, if we had been at Will's school and spoke to him about the dangers of alcohol and drugs then i really believe that will would have thought twice that night.

"We just need to make a change, education must be upgraded to the here and now. When we speak to children at schools, they haven't had any education, or if they have they don't remember it.

"They only need one lesson in their school life to make a difference, one lesson... that's all it takes.

Yesterday we told you how England was "top of the charts" globally for child alcohol use.

A report by the World Health Organisation has found that by the age of 11, 34% of girls and 35% of boys say they have drunk alcohol.

By the time they are 13, this number increases to 57% of girls and 50% of of boys who admit to underage drinking.

Then, at the age of 15, 53% of girls in England have drunk alcohol in the previous 30 days, compared with 39% of boys.

Penny Williams, chief executive of Kenward trust said: "In our education system there is only an hour a year put towards education towards alcohol and drugs, which is nowhere near enough.

"There's so many young people who don't realise the impact of taking these substances so there needs to be more education than there currently is.

"Alcohol is such an addictive substances and the damage young people can do to their bodies, which are constantly growing and developing, by drinking is horrific.