Trust marks No Smoking Day with signage supporting Smoke-Free Coventry and Warwickshire campaign

No Smoking Day on Wednesday 12th March 2025 is the perfect opportunity to take a step towards a healthier, smoke-free life.

People who quit smoking with the help of free Stop Smoking Service are three times more likely to quit for good.

To support this campaign, the Trust has started to install new signage around University Hospital signposting the help available to smokers across Coventry and Warwickshire. This is in addition to the smoking co-ordinators who are on site to chat and hand out advice.

Allison Duggal, Director of Public Health at Coventry City Council, was a smoker but managed to quit smoking for good.

She said: “I started smoking at a young age and it doesn’t surprise me that eight out of 10 smokers started before they turn 20.

“I managed to stop 21 years ago, but I know it is not an easy process for people. We have lots more work to do to help people through the process of stopping. It’s about managing cravings, withdrawals and the reliance that people have with smoking.

“It’s never too late to quit smoking. Even if you’ve tried quitting before, give it another go and set your quit date this No Smoking Day."

When people stop smoking, they will see vast improvements to both their physical and mental health. The benefits can be felt almost immediately after stopping, with your senses of taste and smell improving after only 48 hours. Within eight hours, the levels of harmful carbon monoxide in your blood will have reduced by half.

The benefits of stopping smoking don’t just stop at your health. Smoking is also the biggest cause of accidental fires in the home, often because of people being careless when smoking in bed or not taking care extinguishing their cigarettes properly after drinking alcohol. 

Councillor Margaret Bell, portfolio holder for Adult Social Care and Health at Warwickshire County Council, added: “This No Smoking Day, we are encouraging smokers to reach out and get support.

“Stopping smoking is an incredibly hard thing to do, which is why residents have access to free, non-judgemental support. There are real benefits to talking with a professional stop smoking adviser.”

People aged 12+ who live, work, or are registered with a GP are entitled to free support. Smokers get access to:

• 12 weeks of free, personalised one-to-one support (face-to-face or virtual) with a specialist stop smoking practitioner.
• Help to manage cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
• Free/low-cost nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products or Vape Quit Kits (18+ only).

For free stop smoking support, visit www.smokefreecw.co.uk or phone 0800 122 3780 for Coventry services or 0333 005 0092 for Warwickshire services.