Help kick the habit and start a smoke free life by getting advice at a quit smoking roadshow in Peterborough.
Peterborough City Council’s public health team will lead the event which takes place inside Serpentine Green Shopping Centre, in Hampton, Peterborough, on Friday January 31 from 11.30am to 3pm.
Members of the public are being encouraged to make the most of the specialist smoking advisers on hand and pick up a kick smoking kit.
The Live Healthy Smokefree service, run in partnership with the NHS, has supported 911 people to stop smoking in Peterborough since April 2013.
However, in Peterborough, almost one in four adults still smoke and it remains the nation’s biggest killer with half of long-term smokers dying prematurely from a smoking disease.
The roadshow will tie in with a powerful anti-smoking campaign launched by the government with the aim of convincing more people into quitting.
Spearheaded by Public Health England, the Smokefree Health Harms campaign includes an advert which highlights the damage cigarettes do as fumes travel through arteries and veins into the brain, often causing dementia and strokes.
It aims to show smokers the harm done to the human system by arsenic and cyanide – just some of the dangerous chemicals present in cigarettes.
Cheryl McGuire, Stop Smoking Service Manager for Peterborough City Council, said: “Smoking is the biggest cause of premature death in England and each year it accounts for over 80,000 deaths in the UK and one in two long-term smokers will die prematurely from a smoking disease.
“The Live Healthy Smokefree service has a wide range of specialist smokefree clinics across Peterborough which include GP practices, pharmacies and at the Healthy Living Centre in Princes Street. It also includes a specialist clinic for women who are smoking during pregnancy. This means that wherever a person lives in Peterborough they can have easy and local access to specialist stop smoking support.
“We provide one to one support and medication based on the needs of the individual. Even if you have tried to stop smoking before, please come back again as we understand how difficult it is to quit. Remember with specialist support you are four times more likely to quit and stay smoke free forever. All you have to do is ring 0845 476 55 56.”
The Mayor of Peterborough, Councillor June Stokes will show her support to the campaign by visiting the roadshow in the afternoon.
The service, ranked among the best 15 smoking cessation services in the country following a review commissioned by Public Health England, also runs a range of campaigns across Peterborough including Stoptober and No Smoking Day.
Smokers can also save themselves a packet by quitting – smoking 20 cigarettes a day will save around £50 a week, over a year this equates to around £2,500.
If you, or someone you know, would like to stop smoking they can ring 0800 476 55 56, or email livehealthy@peterborough.gov.uk
Further advice and support can be obtained via the smokefree website www.nhs.uk/smokefree
Comments