ARMAGH Lord Mayor Sharon Haughey-Grimley has launched the ‘Stop Smoking Campaign’ featuring familiar faces from around Armagh City and District.
It is all part of an innovative stop smoking advertising campaign featuring local people who have successfully kicked the habit.
The Lord Mayor explained: “Having local people, who have successfully given up smoking themselves, explain the benefits of stopping smoking, both from a financial and health perspective, is a very powerful message.
“We are delighted to be working with all the partner organisations to enable local people to communicate the benefits that they have experienced to a wider audience and help inspire and motivate other smokers to quit.”
In conjunction with Southern Regional College, a number of graphic design students were involved with this initiative, with an array of posters developed.
A judging panel from partner organisations selected the final design, produced by Jordan Davies, a Year 2 HND Graphic Design student at Southern Regional College for the local poster campaign, which features the strap line ‘Welcome to the rest of your life’, highlighting from those featured: “We’ve quit smoking, so can you.”
Locally the poster campaign features the success of former smokers including Stephen Hartley, who successfully stopped smoking 22 years, Cathy Murray, 30 years, Patricia Gibson, successfully stopped smoking almost three years, Frances Haughey, almost two years, and Una Rafferty, who successfully stopped smoking almost a year.
Gerry Bleakney, Head of Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement within the Public Health Agency, Southern Office, outlined: “Stopping smoking is the best change a person can make to improve their overall health.
“The benefits start almost immediately and continue for the rest of your life. Stopping smoking is not easy and different approaches will work for different people. While some might be able to do it with very little support, others find that planning ahead and making use of the stop smoking support services that are available can really help them make the decision permanent.
“There are over 600 free stop smoking services across Northern Ireland in pharmacies, GP surgeries, hospitals, communities and workplaces that can help your quit attempt. This new campaign will be very encouraging for every smoker doubting their ability to quit – they too can succeed in quitting because so many others have done so already.”
This initiative was a joint partnership approach funded by the Public Health Agency involving Armagh City and District Council, the Southern Group Environmental Health Committee, Southern Health and Social Care Trust and Southern Regional College.
For information on stop smoking services, phone the Smokers’ Helpline on 0808 812 8008 or go to www.want2stop.info and order your free quit kit.
