Swalec Stadium Joins ASH Wales’ Campaign For More Spaces Smokefree

Young cricketers will kick off a new campaign called #ShareTheAir by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Wales later today to make more public spaces in Wales smokefree.

Building on its successful Smokefree Playgrounds campaign in 2013, ASH Wales will launch #ShareTheAir across Wales later today urging people not to light up in other public areas such as sports grounds, playing fields, beaches and outside schools.

The Swalec stadium in Cardiff which is home to the Glamorgan Cricket team already has a smokefree policy covering most of the stadium but is asking spectators to think twice before lighting up anywhere within its grounds.

The #ShareTheAir campaign forms part of ASH Wales vision for a smokefree generation in which children born today will not be exposed to second-hand smoke and will have the confidence to say no to smoking themselves.

[/vc_column_text][mk_blockquote font_family=”none”]“As part of our #SharetheAir campaign we will be working with councils, businesses and schools to promote smokefree areas across Wales. We will be encouraging people to think twice before lighting up around children or in public places for the benefit of everyone. We’ll also be working with local councils to encourage them to sign up to a ‘Smokefree Charter’ which places a smokefree ethos at the heart of any planning of future public areas.

“Sports grounds, playing fields and beaches are family-friendly areas which should be free from second-hand smoke and cigarette litter. We hope that members of the public will promote smokefree environments and help bring about a change of attitudes towards smoking, especially around children in family environments.”

Elen de Lacy, Chief Executive of ASH Wales

In April this year, Anglesey council implemented a smokefree village at Llanfairpwll where a voluntary ban was put into place. The smokefree sign designed by Morgan Jones, from Ysgol Dwyran, was placed outside entrances and exits of pubs, shops, playgrounds and other community facilities.[/vc_column_text][mk_blockquote font_family=”none”]“There has been a great deal of support amongst residents and businesses, with the local community council also playing a prominent role in efforts to extend the current smokefree playgrounds scheme throughout the whole village.”

“The scheme won’t be policed, but we’re hoping that the local community will encourage visitors and residents not to smoke in designated public areas. Businesses and tourism establishments, especially catering outlets, should also benefit as Llanfairpwll becomes smokefree.”

Luned Edwards, Health and Wellbeing Project Officer, Anglesey Council

MPs Approve Standardised Tobacco Packaging Regulations

With 367 votes in favour and only 113 against, the regulations have been approved by Parliament. Following this, there will be a final debate in the House of Lords on Monday, after which it is expected the regulations will be implemented in May 2016.

“This move will prevent cigarettes being sold in attractive packaging, and help to protect the next generation of children and young people. Stopping children from taking up smoking is crucial – two thirds of current smokers started as children, and one in two long-term smokers will die from a smoking-related disease.”

“ASH Wales Cymru’s youth project, The Filter, works with young people all over Wales to give them the facts and filter out the myths about smoking. The project aims to educate and empower, never to rebuke or lecture. Plain packaging is another supportive move to protect our young people in Wales from the tobacco industry’s marketing techniques and another step towards a smokefree generation in Wales.”

Elen de Lacy, Chief Executive of ASH Wales

ASH Wales delighted by Government Announcement on Standard Cigarette Packs

Public health experts have given a warm welcome to the UK government’s announcement that it is moving forward with plans to ban branding on cigarette packs. Regulations on the standardised ‘plain’ packaging of cigarettes and other tobacco products are to be brought to a vote in Parliament before the General Election in May.

This move will prevent cigarettes being sold in attractive packaging, and help to protect the next generation of children and young people from starting to smoke. Two thirds of current smokers started as children, and one in two long-term smokers will die from smoking-related disease.

In Australia – the first country to introduce standardised tobacco packaging – total consumption of cigarettes and tobacco in the first quarter of 2014 was the lowest ever, and the Australian ‘National Drug Strategy Household Survey’ for 2013/14 showed that the proportion of daily smokers aged 14 years or older in Australia fell from 16.6% in 2007 to 12.8% in 2013. Despite this, the tobacco industry has been lobbying the UK Government with misleading claims about the effects of standard packs.

“Every day a classroom full of children take up smoking in Wales. We are delighted that the UK government has resisted pressure from the tobacco industry and now plans to pass regulations on standardised ‘plain’ packaging in this parliament. Standard packs have the backing of public health professionals, decision makers and two thirds of the Welsh public. It’s time to take away the last form of tobacco advertising to our children and look towards a smokefree generation.”

Elen de Lacy, Chief Executive of ASH Wales

Click here to see reactions to the news on Twitter.

To find out more about standardised packaging, visit our topic page here.

ASH Wales Calls for more Smokefree Spaces in Wales Following London’s Health Commission Report

ASH Wales welcomes the report released today by the London Health Commission recommending that open spaces in London, including parks and public squares, should become smokefree. The organisation is now calling for the same in Wales.

In 2013 ASH Wales led the way with its successful Smokefree Playgrounds campaign which saw all 22 local authorities in Wales committing to make children’s playgrounds smokefree. Earlier this year the organisation launched a new smokefree spaces campaign, #SharetheAir, which aims to make spaces where young people meet, play and exercise smokefree across Wales.

Elen de Lacy, Chief Executive of ASH Wales, said, “We are pleased to see authorities in London committed to smokefree spaces. Wales should be leading the way and expanding on the successful smokefree playgrounds initiative to include other spaces used by young people. There is overwhelming public support for smokefree spaces in Wales, with nearly three quarters of Welsh adults in support of smokefree children’s play areas. The time is now to make our outdoor leisure spaces smokefree.”

Research shows that second-hand smoke exposure is damaging to long-term health, particularly in children whose lungs are smaller and therefore take in more smoke relative to their size. Young people watch adults smoking in parks and outdoor spaces and see this as a normal activity. Smoking is actually a deadly, addictive habit so it is important to denormalise smoking and make sure today’s children do not become tomorrow’s long-term smokers.

ASH Wales is calling on all local authorities in Wales to act now and implement smokefree spaces across Wales.

ASH Wales Cymru Wins Prestigious Award for Keep the Ban Campaign

ASH Wales and wales tobacco control alliance are 2013 gold winners in CIPR Cymru Pride Awards

ASH Wales and the Wales Tobacco Control Alliance have been named gold winners in the Public Affairs category in the 2013 Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) Cymru PRide Awards.

This year’s awards which took place at the Hilton in Cardiff saw a large number of the region’s leading public relations practitioners attend the ceremony, hosted by Matt Johnson.

ASH Wales’s high profile Keep the Ban campaign which helped overturn the Welsh Government’s decision to exempt the film industry from Wales’s smoking legislation was described as a “clear and well thought through campaign”.

The judging process for the PRide Awards is rigorous with a national panel of industry experts assessing the shortlisted entries and choosing the winners. The 2013 Chairs of Judges, Gill Dandy FCIPR, Senior Consultant at The Centre for Strategy and Communication, and Chris Genasi FCIPR, Senior Consultant at APCO Worldwide, assisted in ensuring a fair and consistent judging process.

“The judges particularly liked the use of social media, as well as more traditional lobbying tools; the use of background research with key stakeholder groups; and engagement with ASH Wales’ youth project, The Filter, to support and drive the campaign”.

Judges’ Comments

“The CIPR Cymru PRide Awards celebrate the very best public relations campaigns, teams and individuals from across Wales. The exceptional quality of entries received this year is a real testament to the thriving industry which exists here. The CIPR PRide Awards represent the best, most creative and most effective public relations work across the UK regions and nations and to win an award is a great achievement.”

CIPR President Sue Wolstenholme FCIPR

Youth Stop Smoking Service to Launch Snapchat Campaign with Community Art Project

The Filter, ASH Wales’ flagship youth stop smoking service, is to launch its latest campaign this week, using popular image-sharing application Snapchat to connect young people with advice and support to help them quit smoking.

The Big Lottery funded Filter project is in its third year of supporting young smokers to quit, sharing information and promoting a healthy lifestyle. The new campaign, ‘Snaptober’, has been timed with the national Stoptober campaign, which encourages people to quit smoking for the duration of October. Young people will be able to follow The Filter (+thefilterwales) on Snapchat and receive tips and advice, each day during October, on topics such as how to cope with cravings and how much money quitting smoking could save.

The Snapchat campaign will be launched on Thursday 2nd October at Forsythia Youth project in Merthyr Tydfil, where young people will work with The Filter’s youth development team to create a large spray painted graffiti mural to promote the campaign. The Filter project has developed a close working relationship with the Forsythia youth project over the last two years and gained the trust of local young people, who have participated in educational workshops. Taking part in ‘Snaptober’ will be the next step for these young smokers to quit for good.

The former Youth Mayor of Merthyr Tydfil, Daniel Walsh, was part of the Forsythia youth project, and has recently quit smoking. He said:

“I am really excited that The Filter team are coming to Merthyr Tydfil to launch their Snaptober campaign. I was grateful for their support when I recently quit smoking, and talking to the advisers was really helpful. Using Snapchat is a good way to reach young people as it’s something most young people are already using anyway.”

Rhys Simmons, Youth Development Manager at ASH Wales, said:

“Working with young people on a project like the Snaptober mural is a great opportunity to engage them in discussions and information about smoking and health. The Filter has worked closely with the young people from Forsythia over several years and built up a trusting relationship which enables us to work effectively and promote positive health messages. This is why we’ve chosen it as the location to launch our new Snapchat campaign, which makes the Stoptober challenge relevant to young people in Wales.”

Young people who would like advice and support to quit, or have questions about smoking, can follow The Filter on Snapchat ‘thefilterwales’.