Smokers urged to swap fags for swag

No Smoking Day Becky Finn with Sheree Wilson

Rochdale Borough’s 38,200 smokers are being urged to kick the killer habit and ‘swap fags for swag’ this year.

No Smoking Day on 13 March is highlighting the savings that can be made by quitting smoking with its ‘swap fags for swag’ campaign. And with the average packet of cigarettes costing £7.46, a 20-a-day smoker could save more than £2,720 every fag-free year.

With 315 deaths from smoking in 2011/12 in Rochdale Borough, health experts at NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale hope hard-hitting health and wealth messages will encourage smokers to quit their addiction.

Dr Jane Rossini, Director of Public Health, said: “Smoking contributes to heart disease and many different cancers, and is Rochdale Borough’s biggest killer.

“We want to help as many people as possible to stop smoking and there’s a wide range of free support available to smokers through the local stop smoking service and NHS Quit Kits which are available from local pharmacies.

“NHS support is estimated at being four times more effective than going ‘cold turkey’ so I suggest anyone who is thinking of quitting, seeks advice now.”

This year’s No Smoking Day campaign highlights financial benefits to quitting and with household budgets stretched to the limit, a 20-a-day smoker is throwing away almost £3k a year.

Dr Rossini added: “We hope No Smoking Day helps smokers focus on the importance of being more healthy – and wealthy – by quitting their habit. And they look at using the money they normally spend on cigarettes to treat themselves and family to something special.”

NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale and partners have helped more than 1,900 to quit smoking last year – and more than 10,000 people since 2006.

Sheree Wilson from Rochdale, a smoker for more than 20 years, had previously managed to kick the habit for six months but began again after temptation got the better of her on holiday. And now she’s finally kicked the habit.

The medical secretary from Wellfield Health Centre was supported by her local stop smoking service, part of Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust.

Sheree said: “I’d been smoking since my late teens and despite trying, had struggled for years to give up cigarettes. When the stop smoking service came to our practice, I took part in the weekly sessions and found the advice and support invaluable - you can contact the team any time with any worries and participants have regular blow tests, using a machine that can monitor the nicotine levels in your lungs as you try to quit. You even get a certificate after four weeks of stopping smoking and a final one at the end of the 12-week programme, which I found very motivational.”

Amanda Godding, Stop Smoking Facilitator for Pennine Care, who supported Sheree through her quit journey said: “Sheree has done brilliantly and continues to remain abstinent from smoking. We want to help as many people as possible across Rochdale to stop smoking by providing the vital advice and support they need to help them in their quit attempt.”

Anyone wanting to quit can contact Rochdale’s stop smoking service on 0161 655 1581. The service can provide one-to-one support and will advice you on the best quit methods for you, including medication and nicotine replacement therapy.

You can also visit www.smokefree.nhs.uk for information, support and to find the nearest participating pharmacy for a free Quit Kit.