Watch Out Noise Annoys
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Watch Out – Noise Annoys
Young people across the city have been asked to get creative to promote the message of noise and the nuisance it causes.
To celebrate the first anniversary of Night-Watch, and as part of Noise Action Week, Newcastle City Council’s Play and Youth Service has been working alongside Safe Newcastle and the Public Health and Environmental Protection team on activities to make young people start thinking more about noise and the affect it can have on people around them.
In Newcastle, noise is the most common complaint made to the ‘It’s Your Call’ reporting line, with neighbour noise being the main problem.
To raise their awareness of the issues, youngsters took part in a poster competition, with the three winning designs being used to promote Noise Action Week next year.
The three lucky designers (pictured) were Lauren Maxwell, Daniel Bamford and Melissa Ricley. They all received an MP3 player kindly donated by ASDA and Tesco at an event at the Gala Field Youth Centre.
Kevin McGready, Anti-social Behaviour Coordinator for Safe Newcastle said:
“It is important that we involve the young people of Newcastle in positive activities so they are not just seen as causing anti-social behaviour. Too often they are all blamed for the actions of just a few but we know that the majority of kids in this city don’t cause problems.
“The activities that have taken place around Noise Action Week are an excellent example of everyone working together in partnership to provide opportunities for young people, something Safe Newcastle supports whole-heartedly.
“The young people have thoroughly enjoyed the activities they have been involved in and I am very impressed with the fantastic poster designs that they have come up with”.
Noise Action Week is a national campaign promoting practical solutions to everyday noise problems.
Newcastle City Council’s Executive Member for Environment & Sustainability Cllr Wendy Taylor has given Noise Action Week and the activities that have taken place in Newcastle her full support.
“Noise can affect the quality of life for everyone,” says Cllr Taylor. “Loud noise can be annoying, persistent loud noise can cause misery and distress.
“It’s all about being a considerate neighbour, so letting people know how much their noise can affect others can only help us to tackle these problems and build stronger communities.
“Noise Action Week has been designed to help promote a responsible attitude towards noise and raise awareness of the social impacts of noise. This year by taking part in the Play and Youth Service activities, children were able to raise their awareness of noise and the impact it can have on people.”
"We hope that by reaching out to young people with this year's campaign we will provide them with some useful information as well as help them to live peacefully with their neighbours."
Night-Watch was launched in conjunction with last year’s campaign to tackle the problem of night time noise in Newcastle.
In its first year it has been a phenomenal success. Over 1000 complaints have been dealt with by the noise busting team and nearly 500 visits have been made to pubs and clubs. The team has also confiscated noise making equipment and stopped a considerable number of noisy parties.
Night-Watch also works alongside MINT (Mediation in Newcastle and North Tyneside) to resolve any noise related neighbour disputes.
