Stoptober starts today!
A new stop smoking campaign - Stoptober - officially kicks off today with support from celebrities nationwide.
The campaign encourages smokers across England to take up the challenge to stop smoking for 28 days.
Celebrity Stoptober advocates, including the former England football player Ian Wright, have pledged their support for the innovative campaign.
Ian Wright said:
This is a fantastic campaign, which will really help encourage quitters to work together and give up cigarettes for good._ I will be supporting everyone by showing ways to improve health and fitness for people of all levels, and to make sure the cigarettes stay stubbed out.
Promotion of the campaign, which is backed by Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation, includes ads on TV, radio and in the press, plus national media partnerships, posters, and in-pharmacy literature.
Listen to the ‘Stoptober radio ad’ on Audioboo
People joining the campaign are able to receive support from a Stoptober pack, an online and smartphone app and a 28-day text support service.
Research shows those who stop smoking for 28 days are 5 times more likely to stay smokefree. Stoptober will lend a hand to help smokers achieve this goal.
Smoking is the biggest cause of premature death in England and each year it accounts for over 100,000 deaths in the UK and 1 in 2 long-term smokers will die prematurely from a smoking disease.
Last week, Dame Carol Black, Chair of the Responsibility Deal’s health at work network, urged employers to get behind Stoptober in her latest blog, spelling out what’s in it for employers to help their staff stop smoking and urging them to sign up to the Responsibility Deal stop smoking pledge.
Smokers can search for ‘Stoptober’ online, or ask their local pharmacist for a free support pack.
- For more information visit smokefree.nhs.uk/Stoptober
- Follow @Stoptober
- Visit the Smokefree Facebook page