Oldhamer Jim who faced losing a leg due to smoking celebrates 1,000 days being smoke-free
Date published: 22 July 2025
Pictured are: Lorraine Greathead, Jim Partington, Sarah Partington and Kidella O'Grady
An Oldham man who was faced with having his leg amputated unless he quit smoking is celebrating 1,000 days smokefree, along with his wife who quit with him.
The couple marked the milestone by sharing their story at an event at the Eastern Pavillion, which brought together health professionals and communities from across Oldham to create a plan to achieve a smokefree Oldham by 2030.
Sixty-five-year-old Jim Partington, a former singer who started smoking at the age of 10, was diagnosed with vascular disease three years ago.
Doctors told him unless he quit smoking they’d have to amputate his leg.
Jim said: “It was a stark wake-up call. I’ve always enjoyed having two legs and I wanted to keep it that way.
"I’d tried to quit lots of times in the past and the longest I ever stayed smokefree was four days.
"As soon as there was some stress in my life, I’d reach for the fags and have a smoke.”
Jim’s wife, Sarah, had also been smoking since the age of 10.
She twice quit while pregnant but relapsed as soon as her children were born.
She lives with sciatica and needed surgery on her spine but was told she’d have a much better chance of recovery if she quit smoking so the couple decided to quit together.
Sarah said: “I had been smoking from the age of 10 so I found it really tough but I knew I needed to keep going for Jim – if I started smoking again so would he.”
They got support from the free stop smoking service run by Your Health Oldham on behalf of the NHS.
Jim credits their success to their stop smoking advisor, Lorraine, who met with the couple on a weekly basis to provide advice and keep them motivated.
Jim said: “The thing that made the difference was the personal support and advice we got from Lorraine.
"Because I was a heavy smoker, she recommended I use two patches instead of one which was something I’d never tried before and that made it so much easier to deal with cravings as I was getting the same amount of nicotine I was used to.”
Sarah said: “There were times when I was really struggling, but every week Lorraine talked things through and set us goals.
"Having the face-to-face contact and accountability made all the difference.”
She added: “There were definitely challenges along the way, including keeping Jim away from the smoking area when we went on holiday as he finds flying stressful, but together we got there.”
As well as having better health, the couple have been astounded at the amount of money they’ve saved.
Jim said: “We now go abroad twice a year which is something we could never have done before.
"If Sarah says I could murder a fag, I say just think of Portugal.
“My advice for anyone who wants to quit is you’ve got to have something to spur you on.
"If you’ve got something to aim for once you’ve stopped smoking you can look forward to that.”
Sarah added: “Don’t give up. If we can do it, you can but get the help you need.”
Specialist stop smoking practitioner, Lorraine Greathead who supported the couple to quit, said: “I still remember the first time I met Jim and Sarah, and it has been quite a journey.
"It’s been a privilege to see how far they’ve come and witness how much their health and lives have improved from quitting smoking.
“I’d encourage anyone who’s thinking of quitting to take advantage of the free support and quitting tools we can offer.
"Even if you’ve tried before, we can help you try again and this time you might quit for good just like Jim and Sarah.”
To get free support to quit smoking, visit: www.yourhealtholdham.co.uk
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