Students starting university are being warned about the dangers of initiation events which involve drinking excessive amounts of alcohol.

The Universities UK project wants students to learn from the death of a Newcastle University student in 2016.

Ed Farmer died after consuming a large amount of alcohol at an initiation event for first-year students.

His father Jeremy Farmer said he wanted to “reduce the risks of something similar happening again”.

Mr Farmer said his son had died “needlessly”, making the loss “all the more devastating”.

Danger signs

Hundreds of thousands of young people will be starting at university for the first time this term.

The project wants to raise awareness about the danger of taking part in events for new students, which involve too much drinking or other risky behaviour.

As well as warning about excessive amounts of alcohol, students are being told about other danger signs – such as events which involve bullying, coercion, manipulation or “sexual behaviour”.

The Universities UK project is in collaboration with Newcastle University, in response to Ed Farmer’s death.

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At the inquest into the student’s death, the coroner warned that young people could be “unaware of the risks of consuming large quantities of alcohol over a short period of time”.

The coroner called for first-year students to be told about the dangers of excessive alcohol and given “guidance on caring for those who are drunk”.

‘No longer just drunk’

A letter from Ed Farmer’s parents, published as part of the campaign, said they wanted other young people to understand the seriousness of the risks.

They said that “possibly just one student might be luckier on a night out than Ed” if they knew about the “dangers of drinking large volumes of spirits in short periods of time”, and if they knew when someone was “no longer just drunk but in a life-limiting state”.

Chris Day, vice chancellor of Newcastle University, said: “We all wish we could rewind three years and change what happened that night.

“But we can’t go back, and so instead we are looking forward and doing everything we can to minimise the chances of anything like this happening again.”

Prof Day says there needs to be a “long-term culture change” towards alcohol, bullying and harassment.

Universities UK says it is difficult to know how many initiation events take place, rather than more general gatherings for freshers, because some initiation events are likely to be against university rules and so might be “covert”.

This can include “team bonding” events for sports clubs, with excessive drinking often a key feature.

Guidance for universities is calling for more clarity for students about what should be prevented or prohibited at such events.

But it says it would be “unhelpful” to try a complete ban or “zero-tolerance approach” as they are still likely to take place.

There are also calls for places which serve alcohol, on or off campus, to promote “responsible behaviours towards drinking”.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have arrived in South Africa with their four-month-old son Archie, for their first official tour as a family.

The 10-day visit will see the royals celebrate the continent’s people and culture.

It begins in Cape Town, where the couple will visit a township.

Prince Harry will also travel alone to Malawi, Botswana and Angola, where he will pay tribute to his mother Princess Diana’s anti-landmine campaign.

The tour is baby Archie’s first official overseas trip.

In a post on the Sussex Royal Instagram account ahead of the tour, the duke said he “can’t wait” to introduce his wife and son to South Africa.

The family arrived in Cape Town at approximately 10:00 BST on a British Airways commercial flight.

The duke and duchess faced criticism last month after newspapers claimed they flew privately four times in 11 days.

At the Cape Town township, the Sussexes will tour a workshop supporting children and empowering young girls.

Meghan is expected to speak about the rising violence against women in South Africa.

Other highlights of the tour include a visit to another township near Johannesburg where Prince Harry and Meghan will learn about a project tackling rising unemployment.

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The royals will be in Africa until 2 October. While the duchess and Archie are scheduled to spend the duration in South Africa, Prince Harry will also tour Angola, Malawi and Botswana before being reunited with his family in Johannesburg.

The duke will uphold the legacy of his mother, the Princess of Wales, in Angola.

He is to pay homage to her work campaigning for landmines to be outlawed during a visit she made to the country in 1997.

During his visit to Malawi, Prince Harry will pay tribute to a British soldier killed by an elephant during anti-poaching operations. His visit to the country will focus on efforts to protect endangered animals.

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: “The Duke of Sussex’s love for Africa is well known; he first visited the continent at the age of 13 and more than two decades later, the people, culture, wildlife and resilient communities continue to inspire and motivate him every day.”

This is the duchess’ first visit to South Africa.

Prince Harry’s first trip to Africa came in the months after his mother’s death in 1997, when the Prince of Wales took him to the continent “to get away from it all”, he has said.

Towards the end of the tour, the Sussexes will meet Graca Machel, widow of South Africa’s former president Nelson Mandela. They will also have an audience with President Cyril Ramaphosa and his wife Tshepo Motsepe.

Archie has not been included in the official schedule for South Africa, but the couple hope to publicly introduce him to Africa at some point.