2500 Downloads For Oxfordshire Drug App

19 October 2011, 09:39 | Updated: 22 December 2011, 09:27

Heart's got hold of figures showing a phone app developed by Oxfordshire schoolchildren to stop others taking drugs has been downloaded almost 2,500 times.

Year 11 pupils at Carterton College in Oxfordshire helped the county's Drugs and Alcohol Team come up with game - which they hope young people across the country will play.

Spikes House Party can be downloaded on Android and I Phones and involves a player navigating a character through the party.

The aim is to avoid the drugs - but if you hit them you're shown what some of the effects are like a blood nose, hallucinations or getting sleepy.

Pasqualle Bremmer from DAAT said:

"We decided to design an app and a game to show the effects and consequences of different drugs and alcohol and really get the message across, especially to younger people who might be seeing their peers using drugs and alcohol."

Joe Millgate was one of the students involved:

"It gives you the effects and it shows what the drugs can do to you and it's not good.

"I think it is really good for people who are interested or who don't know much drugs and the effects like come downs and everything like that."

The students - who are all studying IT - told Heart they enjoyed the challenge of creating the app.

Along with the innovative app, the DAAT will also be distributing supporting materials and holding awareness events in schools.