You don’t have to get drunk to have fun – that’s the message of a hard-hitting alcohol campaign being launched on Friday.

Just the One, a campaign aimed at spreading the “sensible drinking” message through a series of community events and advice clinics, will be run by the Tonbridge and Malling Community Safety Partnership with funding from the Choosing Health programme.

Posters featuring evocative images with slogans including Just the one life, Just the chance to make a first impression and Just the one for the road will be prominently displayed around the borough during the six-month campaign.

Every year, there are around 600 Tonbridge and Malling residents admitted to hospital due to alcohol-related accidents or illnesses, and the latest recorded crime figures show that last year 34 per cent of violent crimes and 13 per cent of sexual crimes were alcohol-related.

Bar Wizards Neil Lowrey and Neil Garner, who appeared in ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent last year, will be making a special guest appearance at the free launch event, which will be held in the car park behind Tesco’s in West Malling between 7pm and 9pm, at 7.45pm, giving away their special brand of “mocktails” – alcohol free cocktails – during the evening.

Kent Fire and Rescue will be carrying out a drink driving crash and rescue demonstration and the Beat Project, a creative arts charity, will be performing a short play about the effects of excessive drinking at 8.15pm.

Cllr Gordon Court, chair of Tonbridge and Malling’s Community Safety Partnership and the council’s cabinet member for community safety, said: “We don’t want to stop people having a good time but we do want to help raise awareness of the very real risks of drinking too much alcohol.

“Many people don’t realise how many units of alcohol they are drinking whether it’s on a night out with friends or on a regular basis at home. I hope this campaign will catch people’s attention.”