Happy 10th birthday to #drugchecking in the UK! Drug checking has grown from 1 festival field to 4 Home Office-licensed city drug checking services by @theloopuk.bsky.social & more opening this year. Thank you to all supporters, staff, stakeholders & especially The Loop’s amazing volunteers. ♾️💜♾️

#Announcement 👇 @snappyalligator.bsky.social @aoifemod.bsky.social @profkarenboyle.bsky.social @gcalder.bsky.social @egeertsphd.bsky.social @fdelond.bsky.social @jonathanherring.bsky.social @jekantol.bsky.social @katefitzgibbon.bsky.social @lawatleeds.bsky.social @fmeasham.bsky.social

Thank you to Alison Bell @somersetccc.bsky.social for supporting #drugchecking. The more DPHs who support this, the quicker we can achieve universal access to drug checking services across the UK & the quicker we can tackle drug-related death rates. #drugchecking can be the canary in the coalmine 🔔

‘The task facing a mature society is to adapt its methods of financing universities to sustaining the purposes for which such institutions exist – rather than, as at present, the other way round.’ Stefan Collini on what went wrong with UK higher education. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Proud to announce that @theloopuk.bsky.social has started 2 regular drug checking services in London, with a 3rd opening soon! Free, non judgmental #harmreduction advice from dedicated professionals. Read @whatareyou0n.bsky.social’s article here:- whatareyouon.substack.com/p/inside-the...

Tomorrow we are drug checking in #Camden How does it work? 1. Surrender a substance 2. Tell us what you think it is & about your drug use 3. We do lab tests inc. a test for synthetic opioids 4. After ~1 hour, we have results & can give honest advice wearetheloop.org/drug-checking

As featured at @fabriclondon.bsky.social! The Loop #harmreduction infographics are designed to be printed XXL for nightclub, festival & hall of residence walls. Download all 4 infographics at @theloopuk.bsky.social website for ✨free✨! #JustSayKnow

Today is #InternationalDrugCheckingDay Our free & confidential service is for all. Our next drug checking dates are: - 4th April in Camden - 18th April in Hackney - 25th April in Bristol Find out more, including where to go on our website: wearetheloop.org/drug-checking

⚠️ We have launched 2 new drug checking services in London - in @hackneycouncil.bsky.social & @camdencouncil.bsky.social. Read our statement below & check out our website for more info: wearetheloop.org/media-centre...

This Saturday we are back in Bristol City Centre with our FREE drug checking service 📅 Saturday, 28th February 🕗12-7pm 📍Bristol Drugs Project, 11 Brunswick Square, BS2 8PE Visit our website for more information: wearetheloop.org/drug-checking

“I’ve reviewed over 50 sticky toffee puddings” is an incredibly powerful way to begin a video

Fascinating piece by @whatareyou0n.bsky.social on fear, fun, (lack of) alcohol & generational change in nightlife, with brief comment from my students. open.substack.com/pub/whatarey...

Happy 2nd birthday to regular #drugchecking in the UK! Watch the video charting the launch of @theloopuk.bsky.social Bristol drug checking service, containing interviews with senior chemist Guy, senior health professional Debs & CEO Katy at the launch. 2 years of testing, learning & #harmreduction.

Noooooo! @radio4rne.bsky.social www.bbc.com/news/article...

School of the Arts @sotauol.bsky.social showing off its fine compositional skills here, as you would expect 🎨🏛️

The UK's first safer drug consumption facility has registered 575 users in its first year. The Thistle in Glasgow has been accessed 11,348 times and used for 7,827 injections of illegal drugs. Staff on site also managed 93 medical emergencies. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Fireworks, pyrotechnics, sparklers, flares… Please can we ban them from basement nightclubs with flammable soundproofing, only 1 exit up a narrow staircase, & no functioning alarms, extinguishers or sprinklers? Or, can we just ban fireworks from indoor venues full stop? news.sky.com/story/how-in...

When people say they want to go back to a time "when men were men", I point them to Issue 2528 of the "Men in Belted Sweaters" catalogue.

If you, or someone you know, is experiencing domestic abuse, sexual violence or any other form of violence against women, our Live Fear Free Helpline is open 24/7, including Christmas and New Year. We are here for whatever you need, whether that's support, advice or just a listening ear.

Some regular MDMA users are unaware that MDMA itself can cause overdose & death. ~80 people die in the UK every year from MDMA overdose, not adulterants, contaminants or a ‘bad batch’. The current trend for dissolving in drinks is an additional risk factor in many of these. #CrushDabWait 👟👇🕑

I am trying to get hold of Alasdair Forsyth, esteemed writer of many academic articles about nightlife in the 90s + 2000s. He has dropped off the radar and I can't get him through his old university (Glasgow Caledonian) and not turned him up on social. Does anyone have a lead? @fmeasham.bsky.social

#TakeQuarterSipWater #CrushDabWait #GoSlowStayLow More harm reduction advice & drug testing info at: www.wearetheloop.org

Thoughtful, humble, passionate about music. Lovely man. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

The Loop is well represented at #CDP25 with *5* volunteers from @theloopuk.bsky.social & The Loop AU & another *3* whose work was presented. I presented on our poppers paper published in BJC, written wth @markmccormack.bsky.social, @liamwignall.bsky.social & Henry Simmons. £0 doi.org/10.1093/bjc/...

Always exciting to get a new book through the post, especially one on the changing world of #drag. With a chapter by @markmccormack.bsky.social & I, as part of our wider @artscouncilengland.bsky.social funded queer nightlife research. @astonuniversity.bsky.social @liverpooluni.bsky.social

Tonight! 8pm BBC Panorama featuring @theloopuk.bsky.social in action testing at a festival last month & interviews with @ukguyjones.bsky.social & I.

#AcademicSky please amplify this is a new feminist social science journal focused o. #equality & #justice THANK YOU!

We’re recruiting a book review editor to join our existing team. Details👇 www.lexnetwork.org/gender-and-j... ✳️ Deadline 1. 8 .25 Please circulate @deirdreflynn.bsky.social @nicolabarker.bsky.social @fmeasham.bsky.social @leahfburch.bsky.social @whaireland.bsky.social @geogsara.bsky.social 1/2

Don’t leave your mates in a state. Looking out for each other at festivals and clubs isn’t just about safety, it’s about care, consent and community. For more advice & resources: wearetheloop.org/resources #DontLeaveYourMatesInAState #HarmReduction

With reference to TheLoopUK.bsky.social & #drugchecking. Thanks @davidhillier.bsky.social!

🌞Hot weather + 💊drugs = higher risk of dehydration, overheating & illness. - Sip water (+ salt/sugar) - Seek shade & wear sunscreen - #GoSlowStayLow - Know early signs of heat illness & seek help early #HarmReduction #JustSayKnow

Following the suspected nitazene-related deaths of 2 clubbers in London in May & ahead of festivals, we wanted to let you know, no nitazenes were detected by us at Parklife last weekend. But please be aware of the risks & carry naloxone. For more info visit our website: wearetheloop.org/resources

Drug checking service in Bristol TODAY - 11 Brunswick Square, BS2 8PE. Drop off substances anytime before 7pm. Come & find out about drug checking & harm reduction information. The service is anonymous & free! #HarmReduction #DrugChecking #NaloxoneSavesLives @bdpbristol.bsky.social

📣♾📣 2 deaths last weekend in London were from pills confirmed as #nitazenes & similar to pills tested by The Loop. They looked like oxys BUT it is not known what they were bought as. Take care whatever pills you take. Carry #naloxone, check in on friends & test if you can.

New documentary released this month - “Free Party: A Folk History” djmag.com/news/documen...?

Always an honour to read support for @theloopuk.bsky.social & #DrugChecking from bereaved parents. As we head into summer festival season next month, we need to keep spreading the #harmreduction messages, especially regarding the prevalence of double strength ecstasy pills. #TakeQuarterSipWater

Journal articles ✅ Conference papers ✅ Data analysis ✅ Book proposal ✅ The end of a productive Loop researcher writing retreat at the cutest cottage (not the castle!) Thanx to @markmccormack.bsky.social, Liam, Tom, Henry & Eddie for top food, company & creativity.

JOIN US and @liverpooluni.bsky.social Criminal Justice Unit on 21 May for NIGHTLIFE: SAFETY, SECURITY AND POLICING - a stakeholder event led by @fmeasham.bsky.social and ft @theloopuk.bsky.social, @bristolnights.bsky.social & more Free registration ⬇️ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nightlife-...

Wednesday 21st May 2025: 1-day nightlife conference organised by Ellen Reeves & I with our @n8prp.bsky.social & @liverpooluni.bsky.social Criminal Justice Unit hats on, gathering together a great range of contributors. Free tickets - limited places - book now! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nightlife-...

Pleased to be appointed to the London Nightlife Taskforce Advisory Group this week, at the invitation of the Mayor @london.gov.uk. I have been researching UK nightlife for over 35 years, including annual surveys of London gay clubs. Safety, inclusivity & harm reduction are key themes.

Very sad news from Macedonia. Indoor pyrotechnics by bands in nightclubs have an ignominious history - The Station (USA, 2003) & Colectiv (Romania, 2016) tragedies spring to mind. Check out the unforgettable documentaries on both. Lessons still to be learnt. www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

New research shows that almost a third of all drug-related hospital presentations at one of the UK’s busiest hospitals involved ‘chems’

"He knows how to make sure that there is no evidence". Research by Professor Sandra Walklate & Dr Ellen Reeves, examined the challenges faced by victim-survivors, when your domestic violence abuser is a police officer, for @aunz.theconversation.com. Read more ⤵️ theconversation.com/he-knows-how...

I’ve still got my orange vinyl version! Nearly wore out the grooves on it. Discovering The Jam was utterly life changing & led to a whole merry-go-round of gigs, clubs, vinyl, hunting down 60s clothes & music, & all the friendships, fun & ferocious commitment to our tribe. What a time to live thru!!

There’s no love like the 1st band you see live (New St Odeon). The Jam was the soundtrack to growing up. We went to every gig we could, bought every record, devoured every word in interviews & inspired by them to discover 60s soul. What a drummer. What a trio. What fun. #RIPRick

Gen Z, drug checking & harm reduction. Professor Fiona Measham (@fmeasham.bsky.social) shares insights on Gen Z’s attitudes toward drugs, the impact of drug checking, and the work of The Loop (@theloopuk.bsky.social) on Times Radio. 🎧 Listen at 40:50 www.thetimes.com/radio/show/2...

Published a blog with @tomcarpino.bsky.social for Recon.com about the importance of sexual (and physical/mental) health at kink events! You can read here: www.recon.com/en/Blog/Arti... (I need to get a new "professional" picture...)

Thank you to @figlover.bsky.social & Jane Garvey for having me on your @listentotimesradio.bsky.social show today to discuss Gen Z attitudes to alcohol & other drugs. Also I got a chance to explain the value of #drugchecking & the work of @theloopuk.bsky.social. More info at: www.wearetheloop.org

Great to catch up with nightlife folks at @ntiaofficial.bsky.social summit & to chair the *best* panel yesterday, brimming with the wonderfulness of the insights of Philip Kolvin KC, Dr Caroline Copeland, Jason Harwin & Billy Chauhan, on responding to nightlife drug-related deaths. Thanks everyone!