The decision to make Ivy Street Picnic in the Park in Salford smokefree, to help promote healthy behaviour to children, has received strong support from the public and families that attended.
Desislava Dedelglova who lives in Eccles and attended the picnic with her children Aksiniga, 8 and Harun, 3 and said:
“I think smokefree events for children are great because they set a good example. They also encourage people not to smoke, which can be a real problem round here. Sometimes people just need a little nudge to show them that smoking is bad for you, and they can start to look into quitting.
“I used to smoke but gave up around six years ago, so events like this are great as they just help to take smoking out of children’s lives. I quit because I had my daughter and I didn’t want to smoke around her. Plus I just didn’t see the point anymore, it’s bad for your heath and it was becoming so expensive.
“After I quit we used the money to buy nice clothes and treat my family. My health also improved; I could breathe better and wasn’t coughing so much. More smokefree events means less smoking so they help everyone.”
Smokefree Summer has been co-ordinated by local social enterprise Tobacco Free Futures which has worked together with local authorities and event organisers across Greater Manchester.
Councillor Lisa Stone, Salford City Council’s assistant mayor for health and wellbeing, said:
“As a mum myself I think smokefree family events are a great idea where possible and practical. Anything that keeps children and young people from starting smoking and encourages people who do smoke to give up, is very welcome in Salford. It is tough to quit smoking but the help and support is there and it can be done.”
Andrea Crossfield, Chief Executive of Tobacco Free Futures said:
“Young people consistently overestimate the prevalence of smoking, with 60% thinking it’s the ‘norm’, when in reality four out of five people don’t smoke in the North West.
“Smokefree summer has been created to increase the amount of clean and healthy
environments that children and families play in, helping children to understand that smoking isn’t a normal activity.
“This isn’t about protecting children from secondhand smoke in outdoor spaces, rather its promoting healthy behaviour to children. The more events that become smokefree, the less likely children are to take up smoking – preventing them from entering into a deadly addiction that kills one in two long-term smokers.”
