Issued by City of York Council
Smokers in York are being encouraged to sign up for this years Stoptober campaign which starts on 1 October.
Stoptober is a 28-day stop smoking campaign that last year saw more than 160,000 people sign up and pledge to stop smoking during the campaign, which launches today (September 9).
As soon as smokers join Stoptober theyll start receiving as much, or as little, support as they want to keep them on track.
All Stoptober support is free and includes a stop smoking pack, a 28-day tear off calendar to track the Stoptober journey, a 28-day smartphone app with daily updates and quitting advice, a text service for motivational pick me ups and detailed tools and tips for coping.
The North Yorkshire and York NHS Stop Smoking Service run stop smoking sessions throughout the city and are launching a new weekly session at the councils West Offices starting on 1 October from 4.30pm to 6.30pm.
City of York Councils cabinet member for health, housing and adult social services, Councillor Tracey Simpson-Laing said: ”As an ex-smoker myself I know how hard it can be to quit. The support and structure of Stoptober would certainly have helped me to stop smoking.”
Dr Paul Edmondson-Jones, joint chair of the Yorkshire and Humber-wide tobacco control alliance and City of York Council’s director of health and wellbeing, said: “Campaigns such as Stoptober, along with the support provided by local stop smoking services, play a huge role in helping people to stop.
“Whilst smoking prevalence across the country as a whole is falling steadily, it remains high in Yorkshire and the Humber and is still the biggest cause of premature death with more than 80,000 deaths in England every year.
“We want every smoker in York to consider making a quit attempt this October and join the thousands of people who are feeling the benefits from stopping smoking last year.”
For more information about Stoptober and the North Yorkshire and York NHS Stop Smoking Service telephone 0300 303 1603.
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