Rochdale Under 9s Netball Team Call For Smoke Free Games

Rochdale Under 9 Netball Team sporting smoke free wristbands, water bottles, bags and banner with Angela Jagger, coach and Sarah Gouldbourne, Enforcement Officer

Sharp shooting youngsters from Rochdale’s Under 9s Netball Team have their eyes on a big goal – to stamp out smoking among sporting spectators.

And as health chiefs urge the nation’s smokers to quit as part of national No Smoking Day on 13 March, young netballers across the Borough are calling for completely smoke-free matches.

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

“The Rochdale Under 9s Netball Team are right to urge family, friends and all spectators to let them have smoke free games. It’s well-known that children exposed to second-hand smoke have an increased risk of asthma and decreased lung functions.

“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.”

This year’s No Smoking Day highlights 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.

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.

Anyone wanting to quit smoking 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.