Stoptober encourages residents to quit smoking as 100-day countdown to a smoke-free generation begins

People across Cheshire West and Chester are being encouraged to join this year's Stoptober campaign and make October the month they quit smoking for good.

A series of community drop-in events are taking place throughout the borough to support residents to join Stoptober this year. 

Stoptober is England's annual mass-participation stop smoking campaign, designed to help people who smoke make a successful quit attempt with the support of proven tools, services and a community of others on the same journey. The campaign aims to show that nobody has to quit alone.  

Cllr Lisa Denson, the Council’s Cabinet Member for A Fairer Future (Poverty, Public Health and Mental Health), gave up smoking three years ago. She said has saved £13,300 by quitting and feels so much healthier.

She said:

“I was really surprised at how quickly you feel the improvement. I no longer have a cough every day and I haven’t had a chest infection since quitting – I used to get them every year.” 

In Cheshire West and Chester, fewer people smoke than ever before (9.4 percent of the population, which is approximately 28,208 people) but smoking remains the leading cause of preventable ill-health and early death. This is why reducing smoking continues to be a key priority for Cheshire West and Chester Council. 

This year's campaign comes as the country marks a significant milestone in tobacco control. On 23 September, there are just 100 days to go until the introduction of the smoke-free generation legislation, which aims to protect future generations from the harms of smoking by preventing the sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009.  

The milestone highlights the importance of supporting people who currently smoke to quit, while helping ensure fewer young people take up smoking in the future. 

New Stoptober themes highlight the links between smoking and stress, reinforce that it can take several attempts to quit successfully, and emphasise the benefits of quitting for family and loved ones.  

Cllr Denson said:

“I have three teenage daughters who grew up seeing me smoke – this was one of my driving forces to quit. Thankfully, seeing me smoke has really put them off smoking and vaping.  

“Their age group will be the start of the smoke-free generation and they all welcome it. As a parent I feel this is a brave, but much-needed, move to protect the health of our young people in the future.” 

Evidence shows that quitting with support is far more effective than relying on willpower alone, and Stoptober provides access to a range of tools and services to help people stay smoke free. 

Cllr Denson said:

“If you want to quit, my advice would be to get support through Brio. I’d tried so many times before on my own, and without any quit aids, and failed every time. I can recommend patches alongside professional support – they were a game-changer for me.” 

As part of Stoptober, Council company Brio Leisure, which runs the borough’s stop smoking service, is hosting a series of community drop-in events across the borough, offering residents advice, support and information to help them quit smoking, detailed below.  

• High Street, Frodsham, WA6 7AF, from 10am to 2pm on Wednesday, 23 September 

• Winsford Cross Shopping Centre, CW7 1BA, from 10am to 2pm on Thursday, 1 October 

• Port Arcades, in Ellesmere Port, CH65 0AP, from 10am to 2pm on Thursday, 8 October 

• Witton Street, Northwich, CW9 5EB, from 10am to 2pm, on Thursday, 8 October 

• The Venue, Lache, CH4 8HX, from 10am to 2pm on Monday, 12 October 

• Port Arcades, in Ellesmere Port, CH65 0AP, from 10am to 2pm on Wednesday, 14 October 

• High Street, Neston, CH64 9TY, from 10am to 2pm on Thursday, 15 October 

• High Street, Tarporley, CW6 0AY, from 10am to 2pm on Thursday, 15 October. 

Stoptober will run throughout the month of October. However, there is support to stop smoking all year round.  

Cheshire West and Chester Council provides a universal stop smoking service operated by Brio Leisure which supports anyone over the age of 12 living or registered with a GP in the borough to quit smoking.  

For more information visit: 

http://brioleisure.org/what-we-offer/wellbeing

Call:

0300 777 0033

...or email: 

wellbeing@brioleisure.org.   

Anyone who lives outside Cheshire West and Chester, can access support to quit smoking via a local stop smoking service.

For details of the services available across Cheshire and Merseyside visit the Smoking Ends Here website: 

https://smokingendshere.com/   

For people living in Wales, ‘Help Me Quit’ is the National NHS stop smoking service.

For more information visit:  

http://www.helpmequit.wales.