Event to help smokers quit this October

SMOKERS in Tameside are invited to attend a quit smoking event being held at Ashton Market, as part of Stoptober.

Be Well Tameside is backing this year’s Stoptober campaign by holding the smokefree event on 11 October 2022 at 9.30am – 4pm at Ashton Market, Bow Street, Ashton-under-Lyne, OL6 6BZ.  People can drop by and speak to friendly advisors who can offer support to help them make the quit attempt to stop smoking and improve their health.

Approximately 15.6% of people in Tameside smoke which is above the national average of 13.4%.

Smoking not only costs Tameside smokers around £2,000 on average each year, but also costs approximately £16.4million in health and social care costs in the borough.

More than 2.5 million others have made a quit attempt with the campaign since it launched a decade ago in 2012.  Nearly 6 million adults in England still smoke, and it remains the single biggest behavioural cause of preventable death, with 64,000 deaths a year.

This year's Stoptober mass quit attempt is as important as ever, with quitting being one of the best things a smoker can do for their health. That’s why this year’s Stoptober campaign is encouraging smokers to join the thousands of others who are giving quitting a go for the month of October – making it to 28 days smoke free means you’re five times as likely to quit for good. Quitting will allow you to start moving better, breathe more easily - and give you more money to spend.

Quitting with others, together with the range of support offered, means that Stoptober can trigger resolve and boost confidence, motivation and readiness, making smokers realise that they are stronger and better prepared than they think and setting them up for long term success.

Stoptober offers a range of free quitting tools including: the NHS Quit Smoking app, Facebook messenger bot, Stoptober Facebook online communities, daily emails and SMS, and an online Personal Quit Plan tool.  It provides information and advice on proven quitting methods - expert support from local Stop Smoking Services and the range of stop smoking aids, including further information on how vaping can help you quit.

Just search ‘Stoptober’ for more information.

Tameside Council’s Executive Member for Population Health, Councillor Eleanor Wills, said: “In addition to the support and resources available through Stoptober, the Be Well Tameside service is there should anyone who lives or works in Tameside need help to quit.

“The service offers one-to-one appointments face to face and by phone, regular contact, practice tips and support to help people achieve their goals on a variety of health and wellbeing issues.  To get in touch or to complete a referral form visit their website www.tameside.gov.uk/bewelltameside, or for more information call 0161 342 5050, or email bewelltameside@tameside.gov.uk.

“As well as improving your health by stopping smoking, another great benefit is the amount of money you’ll be able to save – something which is going to help those struggling with the rising costs of food and energy bills.”