Tobacco Alliance fired with award win - AboutMyArea

Published: 26th October 2010 13:42

The Barking and Dagenham Tobacco Alliance has won the No Smoking Day charity's Best Community Partnership award for its efforts during No Smoking Day this year.

Representatives from the Tobacco Alliance partnership received the award at the launch of the 2011 No Smoking Day campaign on Friday 15 October in central London.

L-R: NHS Barking and Dagenham social marketing manager Penny Stothard
and tobacco programme coordinator Vicki Evans from the council's
drugs and alcohol action team are presented with the award by Helen Gordon,
chief executive of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. (Photo: NHS)

The Best Community Partnership award recognises the Tobacco Alliance partners' hard work and determination in delivering a successful event to mark No Smoking Day 2010, reaching thousands of smokers who were ready to take the first step and quit smoking. The alliance fought off competition from over 140 entries and will receive vouchers worth £50 to spend on merchandise to help local smokers stop next year.

Over 1,300 local people quit smoking last year using stop smoking services

The Tobacco Alliance consists of NHS Barking and Dagenham, the council's drugs and alcohol action team, trading standards, and occupational health teams, the stop smoking service, CVS, and local schools.

Over 1,300 local people quit smoking last year using stop smoking services. You are four times more likely to quit using an NHS stop smoking service than going it alone.

NHS Barking and Dagenham's social marketing manager Penny Stothard said:

"Smoking is a really important health concern for us. Working collectively across a range of organisations to promote local support means we can help more people along the difficult journey of quitting."

Cllr Linda Reason, cabinet member for health and adult services, said:

"It's fantastic news that the Tobacco Alliance has been recognised for its partnership working. I'd like to congratulate all the partners on winning the award and working together to help local residents quit smoking."

Marking No Smoking Day in Barking and Dagenham in 2010 saw the alliance getting out and about to get the message across about quitting. The activities included:

introducing a free text messaging service for quitters, making it easy for local people to get information and support about how to quit. People of any age can text QUIT to 82055 and they'll receive a call back from the stop smoking service within two days. advertising that targeted schools and young people by getting them to think about the impact smoking has on their bodies with the messages "Save your skin" and "What's your game plan?" including generating ‘aged' photos of young people in 30 years' time to highlight effects of smoking on their looks and skin and signposting young people to youth health information website http://www.badhealth.nhs.uk/working with local primary schools, which marked No Smoking Day with homework sheets on the dangers of smoking. Secondary school health advisors and teams of students focused on raising the awareness of the effects of smoking to their peers.local advertising and PR campaign to promote the Stop Smoking Service having trained quit advisors at Morrisons and Asda to talk to shoppers sending occupational health nurses to Frizlands and Creek Road depots to talk to staff about quitting.

Top tips to stop smoking:
· Call the local free stop smoking service on 020 8532 6284 or text 82055 and check out what support it can offer - you are four times more likely to stop smoking with their support than going it alone.
· Get some nicotine replacement therapy products such as patches or gum. It can double your chance of stopping - talk to your GP or pharmacist.
· Write down all the reasons you want to stop and stick it on the fridge to help you stay motivated.
· Talk to your friends, family and workmates - support from them is essential - why not quit together and keep each other motivated?

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