SMOKERS across Cumbria are encouraged to quit today by offering free expert advice. 

Wednesday March 14 is National No Smoking Day and Cumbria County Council (CCC) are encouraging people to seek free support to kick the habit.

“Our vision is to create a smoke free generation in Cumbria by 2022, to support our vision, and the national tobacco control plan, we are kick-starting our efforts by making 2018 the year when we join forces with our health partners to help Cumbria to become smoke free," Cllr Deborah Earl, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Community Services, said.

“We would like to see everyone across the public, private and third-sector pledging to do at least one thing to help people to stop smoking and help achieve our vision for a smoke free Cumbria.“

  • Smoking contributes towards approximately 2,800 deaths in Cumbria each year in people aged 35+.
  • In Cumbria, 64,000 people over the age of 16 smoke, that’s 15.5% of the population.
  • The estimated annual cost of smoking to the Cumbria economy is £6.7 million.
  • 12.3% of mothers in Cumbria say they smoke when asked about their smoking habits at the time of giving birth (national average 10.6%).

To support people in Cumbria to quit, local services and pharmacies are available to provide free, expert support and guidance.

People who quit with the support of a stop smoking service are four times more likely to successfully stop for good.

“Every cigarette a person smokes causes real harm, by quitting you’ll be improving your own health, you’ll feel better and have more money to spend on other things that you enjoy," Colin Cox, Cumbria County Council’s Director of Public Health, said.

“People can choose what works best for them: face-to-face help, stop smoking aids, a quitting app, email, social media, and SMS support. E-cigarettes are also particularly effective when combined with support from pharmacies and people who choose this route have some of the highest quitting success rates.

“It doesn’t matter if you have tried before and it didn’t quite work out, you can access support as many times as you need.“

Members of the public can access local stop smoking services by calling 0300 013 3000, going online at po.st/HHCumbria or by dropping into a local pharmacy.

Public Health England’s Smokefree campaign provides motivation, information and free support for smokers who want to stop. Just search ‘Smokefree’ for free support and advice to help you quit smoking.