Health, Safety and Environment

National No Smoking Day - 14 March 2007

22 February 2007

No Smoking Day is an annual health awareness campaign that helps smokers that want to stop. The campaign is now in its 24th year and is a firm fixture in the UK calendar because of its continuing success. On No Smoking Day 2006, 1.5 million smokers made a quit attempt and millions more used the Day to take a step towards stopping smoking.

The first No Smoking Day was on Ash Wednesday in 1984 and it now takes place on the second Wednesday in March. The campaign is run by the No Smoking Day charity. The charity is funded by a coalition of governmental and voluntary sector organisations with an interest in health.

The No Smoking Day charity has a very clear vision and mission:

Vision
• To reduce tobacco related illness and death.

Mission
• To support smokers who want to stop through providing an opportunity to do so, and highlighting the effective help that is available.

No Smoking Day is a good opportunity to stop, smokers can get help when they want to stop and there are health and other benefits to stopping smoking.

• A 20-a-day smoker stopping at New Year will have saved £350 by No Smoking Day on 14 March and nearly £900 by the time England goes smokefree on 1 July 2007.
• Smoking can create hormonal imbalances which decrease libido – giving up smoking will improve your sex life.
• Feel fitter within two weeks of stopping: finally run for the bus without a coughing fit.
• Using an NHS stop smoking service is four times more likely to work than going cold turkey.