East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s public health team is supporting No Smoking Day, which takes place on Wednesday 11 March.
The annual campaign is run by the British Heart Foundation and encouraged one million smokers to make a quit attempt last year.
An estimated 14 per cent of adults in the East Riding smoke, but studies show that around two thirds of smokers want to quit, and this could be their opportunity to kick the habit.
This year’s No Smoking Day has a ‘Proud to be quitter’ theme, which aims to inspire hundreds of thousands of smokers to stub out cigarettes once and for all and be proud to quit.
There are lots of reasons why it’s a good idea to stop smoking – over time smoking causes health to deteriorate and hits smokers’ wallets too.
Councillor Jonathan Owen, chairman of the East Riding health and wellbeing board, said: “No Smoking Day is a great opportunity to encourage and support smokers in the East Riding to quit, alongside hundreds of thousands of other people across the UK.”
Dr Tim Allison, East Riding’s director of public health, said: “We know that quitting isn’t easy but we want to reassure smokers that support is available to them and that they can win the battle against cigarettes.”
The Hull and East Riding Stop Smoking Service will be on hand to support smokers to quit this No Smoking Day. Their team will be out and about with their mascot Wilma Willpower in Bridlington town centre on Tuesday 10 March, between 10am and 3pm, giving out information bags and advice on quitting.
There is a much higher chance of succeeding with support, and this is why the Hull and East Riding Stop Smoking Service is spreading the word to smokers about the wide range of free services (including free nicotine replacement therapy like patches or gum), which are available locally. The service has one of the highest quit rates in the UK.
Free one-to-one support to help quit smoking is available at walk-in venues across the East Riding.
For more information and support visit www.readytostopsmoking.co.uk, or text QUIT to 61825 (normal network rates apply) or call Freephone 0800 915 59 59.
