Anti-smoking campaign success

ALMOST 2,500 people from Oldham have helped make a North-West anti-smoking campaign a national award winner.

They were among more than 60,000 from the region — the biggest response in the country — who sent postcards in support of Smokefree North-West’s “Let’s make smoking history for our children” campaign.

The campaign won the Public Sector Campaign of the Year category at the Public Affairs News Awards 2009.

The award was presented by ITV’s economics editor Daisy McAndrew to Smokefree North-West, which co-ordinated the campaign.

The postcards were sent to the Department of Health, calling for a long-term plan to protect children and future generations from the harm smoking causes.

Cigarette, pipe and cigar smoking kills one person every day in Oldham.

Dr Peter Elton, lead Greater Manchester Director of Public Health for Tobacco, said: “Tackling the uptake of smoking in young people is needed to break the cycle of tobacco-related health inequalities passing from one generation to the next.’

Andrea Crossfield, director of Smokefree North-West, added: “I hope the success is reflected through support from the region’s MPs for the proposals in the Health Bill and that the influence of tobacco displays on young people, and their access to vending machines, become a thing of the past.’