Boycott Newquay, says dead boy's stepmum
Holiday resort's attitude to underage drinking blamed after 16-year-old plunges to his death from cliffs
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Paddy Higgins drinking with friends in a Newquay restaurant just hours before he fell 70 feet to his death
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Little more than two hours after being pictured drinking under-age in Newquay, 16-year-old Paddy Higgins plunged 70 feet to his death from a cliff.
Yesterday, in an attempt to shame the Cornish seaside town where the boy died into halting the drinking culture, his family released a picture of the drinking party where he had been celebrating the end of his GCSEs with friends.
Paddy, like thousands of young people, had been attracted to Newquay's reputation as a place to party.
His parents, John and Maria, were too distraught yesterday to speak publicly but his stepmother, Shireen Higgins, spoke out to urge other families to boycott the holiday town.
She has launched a campaign group on Facebook, the social networking website, and said: "We just want to warn parents not to send their kids there.
"We are telling them 'Do not send your children to Newquay' until they do more to stop under-age drinking and fence off the cliffs."
Mrs Higgins was critical of the town's attitude to under-age drinking after learning that Paddy had been served sambuca in a restaurant about two hours before he died. At home in Wokingham, Berkshire, she said, he and his friends would have been seen as too young to be served.
"Newquay is advertised as the party capital of the UK for teenagers. To 16-year-olds partying means getting drunk. It is all about the messages the resort is sending. We cannot bring Paddy back but if we can stop other families going through what we are going through something positive can come from what has happened."
Mrs Higgins' son, Tom, 19, also went to the seaside town after finishing his GCSEs. Now at Brunel University, he said that teenagers were attracted to Newquay because it was possible to be served alcohol. Paddy was reported to have been proud to have been able to buy his friends a round of drinks, and the photograph of them clutching glasses was taken by a restaurant waiter.
The teenager's body was found on Tolcarne Beach early on Monday morning. He was the second youth to die in a cliff fall in Newquay in a just over week.
Eight days earlier, Andrew Curwell, 18, from Saddleworth, Lancashire, was found at the foot of cliffs at the nearby Great Western Beach. The Leeds Rhinos' rugby academy player was on holiday with friends celebrating the end of his A-level exams when he fell.
The owner of the Indian Express restaurant in Newquay's Central Square, where Paddy and his friends were photographed, denied the group was served sambuca. But he is said to have confirmed the group was at the restaurant and was drinking.
"They were in here drinking but there is no way we would served them sambuca," he is reported as saying. We ID everyone and people are only allowed to drink with a meal. This is a family restaurant."
Inspector Dave Meredith, of Devon and Cornwall Police, urged people visiting pubs and clubs in the town to use buses and taxis rather than walk near the cliff edges.
Paddy was staying at a campsite just outside the town.
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Comments
Boycott stupid parents and their stupid children. That might solve the problem!
The views from Tolcarne, Great Western Beaches during the daylight is outstanding. Why should they be fenced off because some inexperienced, under age drinkers decide to throw themselves off? We have all seen the advert of that kid who threw himself off a building after a drinking session.
Parents need to except responsibility and stop blaming others! Its hardly rocket science is it!
Just one other thing, what were the parents thinking of? These kids are hardly going to go there to build sand castles are they!!!! WAKE UP - SMELL THE COFFEE!!!
This boy's death is a tragedy, as are all the others I have witnessed in my years here. I hope that others who come here do so in t he knowledge that, however beautiful or exciting, they are coming to a dangerous place which demands respect - not just for their own wellbeing, but the wellbeing of those in the rescue services. No holiday destination is going to advertise that, people ultimately have to take responsibility for themselves.
You make an interesting statement about the nanny state too and how it affects people inability to do their own risk assessment on a situation without the added impediment of Alcohol.
If we get too fat we blame fast food outlets and then go to the NHS for a 'cure'
If we get too drunk in 24hr pubs - we fall over in the street and the ambulance picks us up and takes us to the NHS
If we want to stop some arsehole making a public nuisance of themselves we have to call the police - and then the NHS because we were assaulted
If we fail to get an good education because we played truant all day - we can sue teh Education department for failing to educate us.
If we can't get a job becuase we are not educated & too drunk and abusive we can sue the local council for not caring for us and any employer for discrimination.
If we were to take care of ourselves - erm - eh - how do I do that?
Sad relection on the sort of society that has evolved to take care of teh weak and the poor.
I don't think the blame, if there should be any (?) lies at the door of Newquay?
RJD
Cornwall
you can tell with this much hypocrisy that its a staunch Tory area
most town centres are now alcohol fuelled pig pens on weekend nights, accurately reflecting the standards of behaviour which the parents of teenagers (and the hordes of pathetic 30 year old teenagers) apparently find perfectly acceptable;
good behaviour and accepting responsibility for one's own actions start at home, long before reaching the dreaded teenage years
The responsibility here is that of the parents and the child - who all seem to have failed.
How about less boycotting and more parenting.
But as father of 3 boys, and Secretary of a Welsh rugby club, I remain a 'fan' of Newquay precisely because of its relatively tolerant attitudes . I agree with many other posts here
I have taken literally dozens of groups of young men 16 - 19 years old on tour to Newquay over 20 years with little if any real problem. We looked after them !
Yes the bars should apply the same age limits for drinking as elsewhere, but youngsters can get booze if they want to.
The answer is in the bringing up of the young people to treat alcohol properly,
Oh and you can't fence off all the cliff edges in Cornwall !
If they're stupid enough to let their children go down to newquay then its their own fault.
As a person from newquay we hate all these under age kids coming here and causing problems.
I have never seen any of this "advertising" promoting it as an underage hotspot for getting served drinks.
Like dave meredith said of the police, simple advice....
AVOID THE CLIFFS!!!!
Also / There are fences around all the cliffs, he must have climbed over one.
Absurd.!!I hate stupid irresponsible people who blame places or other people for their own failings.
There is also no indication in this story that the boy's fall from the cliff was alcohol related - since another older youth fell off the cliff recently it could be implied that a footpath without barriers and adequate warnings near the cliff edge is responsible although there is one comment here that says there is a barrier? Surely this path is well trodden by the legally drunk year in and year out?
I'm living in France at the moment and Saturday night in town is so different to a Saturday night in Reading. Its just as busy as back in Reading, perhaps busier but there are a wide cross-section of people of all ages. You do get wild displays of youngsters' exuberance, but this is because these 7 and 8 year olds are excited at being out with their parents at midnight, not because they don't have school tomorrow and have just polished off a few bottles of Asda value cider and are looking for someone to fight. You don't really see anyone out of their tree (except of course the Poles who live in the same block as me - you can lead a Pole to water but he'll still prefer vodka) and most refreshingly you do not find that air of threat that hangs so pervasively in the air in any British town centre on a Saturday evening.
i have to again defed the poles here following your homophobic post full of simplifications - and I can do it by just posting 2 links to articles about your kind behaving in poland
http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/blogs/200
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.htm
.. but I know you shouldn't judge the nation by behavoiur of minority
you're an asshole
the pole
My post is also not meant to imply Britain is a nation of teetotallers, it saddens me to see the alcohol abuse so rife in Britain these days. I'm glad you have made the connection that I am a heavy drinking nudist abroad - your sharp eyes spot the details others would miss. Why can't people just have a few quiet beers and chill?
As for your comment on me getting a nice girl or boyfriend I'll mention it to my wife and see if she agrees.
It's time people started taking responsibility for their (in)actions, rather than blaming everyone else.
If you don't want your child boozing, don't let him go to Newquay.
You don't go on safari and complain about the wildlife.
Paddy Higgns is no saint or sinner, merely a normal young manthat provides a typical example of the tradegy that results from a combination of avoidable issues. There is clearly a polarisation of views with each attempting to justify there own position. If Paddys death is not to be in vain, each component needs to accept its own responsibility to avoid a repetition.
Parents need to accept responsibility and conduct some foirm of due dilligence before allowing there children to go away on trips.
The young adults need to behave in the way they claim they are - ie adults, and not abuse the freedom this type of holiday offers.
Those promoting the 'exodus break' need to get real about how it is interpreted by 16 year olds. Why do these youths go to Newquay - mainly because they are too young for foreign destinations - why not increase the minimum age for booking to 18?
The businesses profiteering from this trade need to accept their own responsibilities.
And finally, if the local authority cannot guarantee adherence to minimum drinking age requirements they need to make the location safer.
Until everyone accepts their own responsibility, the sad events that have surrounded Paddys death will be repeated year on year. If the residents ofd Newquay truly do not want this trade then make it unnatractive for these young people to goi there. Or perhaps, business and profit really dictates that this income despite protestations to the contary, is too giood to give up.
As for Paddy, I have no doubt that despite the media coverage, he was a decent, well like boy who just did what many others do, but unfortunately drew the wrong card.
Until we all accept responsibility unfortunately Paddy will not be the last to suffer this terrible fate
"They were in here drinking but there is no way we would served them sambuca," he is reported as saying. We ID everyone and people are only allowed to drink with a meal. This is a family restaurant." The owner of the Indian Express restaurant in Newquay's Central Square, where Paddy and his friends were photographed, denied the group was served sambuca..Inspector Dave Meredith, of Devon and Cornwall Police, urged people visiting pubs and clubs in the town to use buses and taxis rather than walk near the cliff edges. Why dont you just close thes or fence these. The drunks will go anywhere
Mr. Patel please if you are stying in UK you can at least lose some cash one day but why not tell all. One day it may be your son. Just because you are Indian making money since long paying low salaries to all what do you expect from the waiters? You better go to the Police and tell all It will help them to stop the more knife murders and balls knocked off I thank you sir
Firozali A Mulla IN the meantime BOYCOT Mr. Patel and his pals
It's not Newquay's fault that lad died, it HER fault.- clearly as parents they never thought of installing a attitude of self preservation, responsibility or self discipline into their son. They also decided to throw money at him and allow him to go on a young lads binge drinking and shagging weekend. When I was that age my wages from my various student jobs would have barely covered the costs for binge drinking, and even at todays prices clearly to have got so inebriated he would have had to have had access to a decent enough bank balance no doubt paid for by a Mummy and Daddy who had no time to teach their child self respect, self discipline and social responsibilty.
Yes it's sad and bad that a young lad died, but as others have said it's not the fault of the Cornish or residents of Newquay, it's the fault of Middle class English idiots who can't bring their children up properly.
Whilst it is undeniable that his death is a tragic waste, what good will come of blaming the town of Newquay? Young people will always want to celebrate summer with their peers. Parents individually have to ascertain whether their own child is capable of looking after themselves and their friends whilst unsupervised. If they have any doubts, then they simply should not be allowed to go. I'm sure my Mum had her concerns about me visiting Newquay, but I'm also sure that she knew I wasn't totally reckless and irresponsible and wouldn't mess about on cliffs whilst I'd been drinking.
Paddy's family are understandably distraught and perhaps this is why they are angrily lashing out, rather than accepting that their faith in their son's abilility to take care of himself was misplaced.
What riles me about this tragedy was the serving of powerful of spirits. It is completely irresponsible of the restaurant owners.
Maybe it's time to bring in a new split-level law - whereby only low % alcohol drinks like beer can be purchased by people aged under 21? That way teenagers can still have their fun, but are not so exposed to the devastating consequences that come hand in hand with extreme intoxication.
I have two teenage children ages 18 16, the older one does not drink at all and has no interest in even though his friends do my younger on the other hand has tried it but we have always tried to have a sensible approach yes youngster will drink. She goes out to some of the places that the teenagers come down here to Newquay for, she has told me they drink loads which they bring with them they have false ID's or older brother and sister's id's. We are now being told that false id's are being sold here in Newquay well if thats the case why do my daughter and her friends have no idea about them yes you could say she tell me what she wants but she is happy being 16 and knows the clubs will still be there when she's old enough. I will not send my daughter away when she finishes her exams because i do not feel at that age they are responsible enough she has good manners and respects people but i feel we have a responsabilty as parents to make sure when we send them out into the world they know of the dangers out there they respect other people their way of life and culture.
It makes me really angry that Newquay have been blamed for not doing enough why don't these parents who are complaining come down here for a weekend and see just how badly their children behave and then they have every right to complain. I would not want to be a police officer or any of the youth workers that go out and have to take the abuse and disgusting behaivour that i have seen from some of them, but there are also some really well behaved teenagers that come down as i have seen many times in my job and its a shame that a small minority spoil it for the majority. So come on parents remember we have to take some of the blame for how our children act when they go our in the world.
So it's not just Paddy who was a dumb brat then ?
How come it's your friend that's not dumb but everyone else is.
I don't suppose you'd include yourself in everybody ?
I felt I had to post something here as I have just returned from a weekend in Newquay. I had a great time. The scenery is stunning, the townfolk really friendly and the nightlife very busy. It reminded me very much of being on holiday in Majorca in my late teens. Now being a 37 yr old female, I went down with some friends as we wanted a 'girlie weekend' together to relax and have a good time, which included going to a few bars. I had been to Newquay last year on a hen weekend so this prompted my return this year as I had a great time last year also.
My point I wanted to make is that Newquay cannot be blamed for this. To be honest, no one can. It is a tragic accident but understandably the parents want to blame something or someone. They are grieving for the loss of their child so I think it is wrong to critise them for that. Unless you have lost a child you will not be able to understand what they are going through.
These tragic accidents happen in life unfortunately. I originally come from a seaside town in Scotland and growing up I did a bit of underage drinking, sometimes at the beach. One of the main hazards is the sea itself and there have been countless incidents where people of all ages, not just teenagers, have lost their lives swimming while under the influence of alcohol. But there are dangers everywhere when people are under the influence. I have read stories of people being hit by cars as they wander home drunk and have stumbled on the road. The common denominator here is the alcohol taken to excess.
What I suppose I am trying to say is that rather than boycotting Newquay, should the focus not be put on empowering young people with the advice about the dangers of being there with regards to the cliffs and the sea, especially when alcohol is involved. As I think someone said in another post, if you are not familiar with the sea side you will not be as aware of the dangers that are there. If you ban the young people from being there they will simply go somewhere else, like we all did when we were young. There are plenty of other beaches to camp at or lochs for example which again hold dangers for swimming in if you have consumed too much alcohol.
As a society, for many young (and older) people being able to go out and enjoy yourself means going out and consuming lots of alcohol. Many of us will have done this and just been lucky enough to not have got into any dangerous situations.
My advice for anyone with teenagers going to any seaside resort with friends would be to drum in the dangers of taking alcohol to the excess while in these places. But on top of that to drum in the dangers of excessive drinking at anytime. I had it drummed into me but at the end of the day, kids will drink, some will drink far too much and the majority will only have to suffer a rotten hangover the next day or the rath of very unhappy parents.
In Britain unfortunately until the attitude to having a good time is changed with regards to the consumption of too much alcohol, there will be other cases of deaths by accidents when the people involved have drank too much.
Finally, Patrick appears to have been just a normal teenage boy, out with friends enjoying himself after his exams. Many people go out and enjoy themselves and take too much alcohol (not just young people!), so to blame him also is ridiculous. I believe the phrase is 'Let he who is without sin cast the first stone' should apply here.
Lets hope that what has happened to Patrick will have left a mark on other people (young and older alike) who drink to much to remind them of the tragedy that can happen.