Beer Mats UK

Cumbrian college students have joined forces with local police to warn of the dangers of drinking too much festive booze. The youngsters have designed beer mats and posters which will be distributed to pubs and clubs. The beer mats drive home the message that alcohol can fuel violence and is often the cause of many A&E admissions. All the winning designs will be projected on to Furness House, opposite Barrow police station, from today and on the screen in the town hall reception. The initiative to design the beer mats and posters began in October. Crime and Reduction partnership co-ordinator Rebecca Rawlings and Barrow police sergeant Ian McClymont visited students to ask for their help with the Christmas campaign. Read the full story in the North West Evening Mail .

The lowly beer mat , traditionally used by young pubgoers to play flicking games or build towers, may have a future as a chat-up aid. Students in Newcastle have developed a mat which senses the presence of desirable nearby customers and projects a selection of light messages – like a news ticker or teleprompter – across tables or bars. Prototypes will be revealed tonight at Newcastle University where piles of the so-called "dual sex" mats will be tested. Activated when touched by a drinker's glass, they initially flash a pink (for women) or blue (for men) halo which users can change by giving a second tap with their glass. The mat can then be manoeuvred within range of a similar one being used by anyone fancied. Once within 60cm, the mat sends light messages along the bar, guided to the target mat by projectors hidden below. Read the full story in The Guardian .

Shoppers are being warned against buying counterfeit goods, the sale of which can help finance serious organised crime, a charity says. The Crimestoppers campaign, which will highlight fake DVDs, money, tobacco and fashion, will see beer mats and posters being distributed in pubs and clubs. Read the full story on the BBC News website.

Details of local walks are being provided to ramblers stopping off for a pint in the form of beer mats - the National Trust has produced five different beer mats showing maps of short walks in Devon and Cornwall that all include various pubs on the route. See the full story in The Publican .

The first cardboard beer mats were made in 1880 by a German printing company called Friedrich Horn. The first beer mat made of wood pulp was appeared in Germany in 1892. They were first introduced into the UK in the 1920s by Watney Brewery to advertise their ale. The beer mat wasn’t introduced in the USA until the late 1970s by the American Coaster Company. Today, beer mats are used for all sorts of purposes, even the Police use them to circulate around pubs hoping that someone will recognise the criminal they are looking for. In fact, as reported in Printweek , beer mats produced by a Hampshire based beer mat manufacturer  were successfully used to snare a murder suspect in Warwickshire! Beer mats have also been used by many organisations for public awareness campaigns for various issues including the dangers of drink driving and smoking.