Sunderland AFC support Stoptober
Sunderland AFC is backing the mass quit challenge from Public Health England to encourage people locally to take on the 28-day quit attempt.
Smokers across the region have embraced Stoptober during its first four years with around 47,000 sign-ups from the North East. It’s hoped that thousands more will take their first step towards a smoke free life this year.
As well as the immediate health benefits, there are many other great reasons to quit smoking including saving money. Someone who smokes a packet of cigarettes a day could save around £250 a month.
Pickford and Watmore gathered at the Stadium of Light to praise the efforts of those who are half way through the Stoptober challenge and to also remind other smokers that it’s never too late to sign-up to quit.
Striker Duncan Watmore said: “It’s great to see such a great initiative helping promote healthy living and one that ultimately could help people to stop smoking altogether. If by us showing that we support such a beneficial campaign, we can do our bit to help, then hopefully we’ve done our bit.”
The smoking rate across the North East has fallen from 29% of people smoking in 2005 to 22% smoking in 2012 and 18.7% smoking in 2015 – a drop of 3.3% over the past four years and around 189,000 fewer smokers in the last decade.
Alongside this, according to the latest data from Nielsen, the number of cigarettes sold in the North East also dropped by 13.01% in 2015.
Ailsa Rutter, Director of Fresh, said: “Stoptober provides a fantastic opportunity for smokers to give quitting a go, even if they have tried before and not succeeded. Every quit attempt is different and there’s a wide range of support and advice available for those keen to take that step.
“Players are role models and it is brilliant to see them backing this campaign.”
Councillor John Kelly, Sunderland City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Public Health, Wellness and Culture, said: “It’s still not too late to give up and be part of the Stoptober team.
“Smoking is the biggest cause of preventable death in the UK and, as the club and players are reminding us, once you stop smoking you are making yourself healthier and wealthier.”
Professor Peter Kelly, PHE NE Centre Director, said: “Quitting is the best thing a smoker can do to improve their health and reduce the chances of developing long-term conditions and dying prematurely.
“It is fantastic to have the support of our local clubs and if you know someone who is quitting, be sure to give them lots of encouragement!”
Loveable football pundit, Chris Kamara has also been supporting the campaign this year and comments: “Quitting smoking is hard and that is why we need to support each other. If you know someone giving it a go, give them encouragement. As we all know, team-work is a great way to achieve our goals; by taking part in Stoptober you’ll be joining a squad of thousands all embarking on their quit-smoking journey. And here’s the thing: if you quit for 28 days, you are five times more likely to quit for good, so go on, search Stoptober to find the best quitting method for you.”
Last year, out of the 2.5 million smokers who made a quit attempt, 500,000 people (20%) were successful – the highest recorded success rate and up from just 13.6% six years ago.
This increase in successful stop smoking attempts reflects the high number of people using quitting aids across England. In 2015, just over a million people (1,027,000) used an e-cigarette in a quit attempt while around 700,000 used a licensed nicotine replacement product such as patches or gum. In addition, over 2,043 people in Newcastle used their local stop smoking service in 2015/16.
For more information, search ‘Stoptober’ online and choose the package of support that will help you quit for good.
For information and support on stopping smoking, contact Sunderland Live Life Well on
0800 107 0741 or ask at your GP surgery or local pharmacy.
Picture L-R: SAFC players Jordan Pickford and Duncan Watmore support Stoptober at the Stadium of Light.