Press release
Stoptober - It’s not too late to be part of something special!
Smokers in Bury are being reminded that it’s not too late to turn this October into something special!
Stoptober is the first ever mass quitting attempt which aims to support smokers right across the country to give up and to do so for good. Stoptober sets smokers a realistic challenge. The campaign is now well underway in Bury, but health chiefs are keen to let local people know that it’s not too late to sign up and quit for good.
The Stoptober campaign is funded by the Department of Health and is backed by Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation.
Dr. Peter Elton, Bury’s Director of Public Health said: "The extra resources from Stoptober give a great opportunity for smokers to give up and do so for good. We have a lot of help in Bury to support people to quit. Our local stop smoking services helped over 2,500 people who wanted to quit last year of whom about half managed to stop. They are keen to help even more people kick the habit."
To join Stoptober visit http://smokefree.nhs.uk/stoptober/ for free support including a motivational kit, a Stoptober smart phone app and support via text.
Local people who would like support to quit can contact Bury Stop Smoking Service on 0845 223 9001 Research shows that smokers are four times more likely to quit using NHS support.
ENDS
Date:19th October 2012
FOR PRESS & MEDIA ENQUIRIES: contact Caroline Dearden, Corporate Communications Manager on 0161 762 3106 or email bur-pct.communications@nhs.net