Junior Cert disco held in The Bounty a success

The Junior Cert disco held in The Bounty last Wednesday night was a success, according to the organisers. The alcohol-free disco was organised by Athlone Drug Awareness Group in conjunction with the gardai and Athlone Rugby Club. Chairman of the Athlone Drug Awareness Group Cllr Frankie Keena said: "The hall was full to capacity by students from the six secondary schools taking in Athlone and Moate. Athlone Rugby Club kindly provided its facilities as the venue and the feedback received from parents and teenagers was that everyone had a good time. It was also heartening to get positive feedback from the schools." He said the main purpose of the disco was to give these students an opportunity to enjoy themselves in a safe environment away from the influence of alcohol. "This is one day of the year where the threat of underage drinking is very high where unfortunately some teenagers turn to alcohol to celebrate their exam results," said Cllr Frankie Keena. "The feedback from the Athlone gardai on these Junior Cert discos is that it leaves the town incident free on these nights from underage drinking as the majority of students are all under the one roof. It is great to see parents dropping them off and collecting afterwards," he added. He said without help from Athlone Rugby Club and Athlone gardai the discos would not go ahead. "There is plenty of supervision provided on the night that ensures that everything runs smoothly. I want to sincerely thank Athlone Rugby Club for their continuous involvement," said Cllr Keena. Barry Reid from Athlone Rugby Club said the club was delighted to be associated with these alcohol free discos and that they will continue to run them as long as possible. He thanked all those who helped out on the night with supervision and urged more parents to get involved. "It is important that these events are made as safe and enjoyable as possible for these teenagers," he stressed. The next alcohol free disco will be held over the Halloween period. It will be well advertised in advance.