Bolton students get creative on 40th anniversary of No Smoking Day
To mark No Smoking Day NHS Greater Manchester ran a workshop with young students in Bolton.
Young students got creative to highlight the 40th anniversary of No Smoking Day and share their views on a future smokefree generation as part of the 'What Will You Miss' campaign.
Year 10 and 12 health students from University Collegiate School in Bolton created their own radio adverts with the help of Hits Radio to emphasise the harms of smoking and the rising trend of youth vaping.
Students were shown the hard-hitting ‘What Will You Miss’ TV advert during the workshop. The advert’s powerful message for Greater Manchester residents highlights that up to two in three smokers will die too soon unless they quit smoking. This provided the students with a foundation to frame their own ideas on the message and how to ‘stop the start’ of smoking, for good.
L-R: James Inman, Headteacher at University Collegiate School in Bolton, Suzanne Gilman, Assistant Director of Public Health, Bolton Council, Mohammed Ayub, Mayor of Bolton, Jane Coyne, Programme Lead for Treating Tobacco Dependency for NHS Greater Manchester and Mathew Lewis, ABL Health Bolton – Head of Stop Smoking Service, Bolton.
View fullsize imagePresented by the Make Smoking History team at NHS Greater Manchester, the workshop attracted prominent health leaders from the city-region, including Suzanne Gilman, Assistant Director of Public Health at Bolton Council, Mathew Lewis, Head of Stop Smoking Service at ABL Health Bolton, and Jane Coyne, Programme Lead for Treating Tobacco Dependency for NHS Greater Manchester. Mohammed Ayub, Mayor of Bolton, was also in attendance to meet the students and hear their views on smoking.
The workshop is part of a wider community engagement programme being delivered across Greater Manchester as part of the campaign. Workshops are also taking place in Bury, Salford and Wigan, with the aim of working with young people and encouraging them to talk about their perceptions and perspectives on the harms of smoking.
Students at University Collegiate School in Bolton.
View fullsize imageStudents were separated into four groups, half of them were tasked with delivering a radio advert targeting long-term entrenched smokers and the other half focused on getting young people to ‘stop the start’ of smoking and tackle youth vaping. Supported by Hits Radio presenter Mike Toolan, pupils created a range of emotive and thought-provoking messages with one group opting to voice their advert using rap. All the adverts recorded across the four workshops will be available to listen to on Hits Radio’s website in due course.
This event, as well as highlighting the 40th anniversary of No Smoking Day, showcased the collaboration between the NHS, community, and local governments, capturing their continued dedication to driving real behaviour change and creating a healthier, smokefree city region for everyone.
Find out more about the ‘What Will You Miss’ campaign here.
