Mr Ciggie Gets Put Out For No Smoking Day

In an effort to stub out smoking, Swindon’s Tobacco Control Partnership worked together to organise an event raising awareness of National No Smoking Day.

Swindon’s NHS Stop Smoking Service, Swindon Borough Council and Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service all teamed up to give Mr Ciggie a dousing down in the town centre on Monday 9 March. The drenching took place at Wharf Green and help and advice was available to anyone ready to take the stop smoking challenge. A number of successful quitters also lent their support and talked about their journey to becoming smokefree.

Raising Public Awareness

Katie White, Health Promotion Officer within the Commercial Regulation team at SBC, coordinated the event on behalf of the partnership and emphasised the importance of partnership working on delivering the Tobacco Control agenda across Swindon. She said:

"This event was a great way of raising public interest in No Smoking Day and created a great spectacle which caught the attention of passers by. The tobacco control partnership is so important because together local services can achieve so much more and add weight to a vital campaign. Swindon’s NHS Stop Smoking service has helped lots of people on the road to becoming smokefree but is not becoming complacent. The service had a lot of interest on the day and hopefully even more people will now be looking to take the first step towards quitting."

Millions are expected to have taken the first step and quit smoking on National No Smoking Day and the 2009 theme urged people not to let their money go 'Up in Smoke', especially relevant during the current economic downturn.

A Great Opportunity

Jennie Kenyon, Stop Smoking Service Manager for Swindon PCT, commented:

"It was a great opportunity for smokers to take up the challenge and quit on No Smoking Day.  

People are four times more likely to successfully quit using Swindon’s NHS Stop Smoking service and all partners in Swindon’s Tobacco Control Partnership are encouraged to promote the local Swindon Services within their orgaisations."

Area Manager Gus Cuthbert, Director of Operations at Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service, explained that one third of all accidental fatal fires in the home are caused by cigarettes, and households containing a smoker are almost 40% more likely to suffer a fire than non-smoking households.

Councilor Colin Lovell, lead member for Public Health said:

"Swindon Borough Council was delighted to support the Tobacco Control partnership in promoting a smokefree Swindon and that No Smoking Day provides a great platform for anybody thinking about stopping smoking."

Swindon Case Study - Tim Benson

Tim Benson’s living room has undergone a total revamp thanks to the money he has saved since quitting smoking.

The 56-year-old, from Wroughton, accessed the help of Swindon’s NHS Stop Smoking service through his local pharmacy when he picked up his medication for a severe chest infection.

"I felt so ill," Tim said. "My smoking had aggravated the symptoms and when my doctor told me I could be off work for two to three weeks, it gave me an incentive to do something about it. My pharmacist, Nick Jephson, told me about the NHS Stop Smoking Service they offered there and I decided to give it a go."

Tim, who works for Swindon Borough Council, had been smoking since he was at school and had progressed to a 30-a-day habit.

"I saw Nick, a trained Stop Smoking pharmacist, on a weekly basis to begin with. He gave me some patches and inhalators to help curb the cravings and even gave me all his contact numbers, which I could use when I needed someone to talk me out of lighting up!"

As well as the health benefits, Tim is beginning to appreciate some of the extra rewards that quitting can bring.

"The wheeze and rattling in my chest are long gone and I haven’t had a chest infection since. But it’s not only my body that’s benefiting from it. I’ve put all the money I used to spend on cigarettes towards a new three-piece-suite and television."

Quit Smoking and Save

• 1 day: £5.80 = A movie rental or some magazines
• 1 week: £40.60 = A cheap flight abroad/DVDs/Computer Games
• 1 month: £176 = A shopping spree or the monthly food bill
• 3 months: £528 = Two weeks in the sun or a new laptop
• 6 months: £1,056 = A family holiday or a home cinema
• 1 year: £2,111 = A second hand car or the start of a deposit for a house

(These figures are based on a 20-a-day smoker paying £5.80 per packet of 20 cigarettes.)

More Reasons to Quit

Quit smoking and after:

• 20 minutes: Your blood pressure and pulse return to normal
• 8 hours: Nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in your blood are halved
• 24 hours: Carbon monoxide will be eliminated from your body and your lungs will start clearing the tar clogging them up
• 2 days: There is no nicotine left in your body and your sense of taste and smell are greatly improved
• 3 days: Your breathing becomes easier and energy levels increase
• 2-12 weeks: Your circulation improves and exercise is easier
• 3-9 months: Coughing, wheezing and breathing improves
• 5 years: Risk of a heart attack halves
• 10 years: Risk of lung cancer halves
• Life: You’ll be less stressed and tired, and physical activity will be easier. Food will taste better and your skin will look younger.