Former smokers from York voice their support for regional quit smoking campaign
Peter Milner and Shaun Bettison from York are lending their support to Yorkshire and Humber’s first quit smoking campaign developed and filmed in the region.
Pete, from the Stockton Lane area of York, smoked for more than 50 years before a diagnosis of COPD finally prompted him to quit. Just six weeks after giving up smoking, with the support of York Health Trainers, he is breathing more easily and sleeping better and is now urging the 13,900 smokers in York to give quitting a go. [1].
Pete says: “I was struggling to breathe and had a really awful cough. I quit over six weeks ago and the difference you can tell after the first two weeks – your breathing starts getting a bit easier. I used to wheeze a lot I’m not even wheezing at all now and I’m sleeping better.
“If anybody is thinking about quitting, please contact the York Health Trainers, they have been really supportive. Yes it’s hard work, it’s not easy, but I haven’t had a cigarette in over six weeks now and the support that I’ve had – I can’t fault it.”
Shaun Bettison who lives near Leeman Road smoked for 43 years before he quit. He used cigarettes to deal with stress but said he now felt strong enough to deal with anything.
Shaun says: “I don’t think I realised how strong I was. The thing that I’ve realised is I don’t need to go back to smoking if anything bad happens, that was always my failsafe,”
Their plea coincides with the launch of the ‘Turn the Corner’ campaign which features mother and daughter, Wendy and Amy Robinson from Yorkshire and Humber who have both successfully quit smoking after Wendy lost her mum to COPD.
Turn the Corner is a collaborative campaign being coordinated by the Centre for Excellence in conjunction with all 15 local authorities across Yorkshire and Humber and Yorkshire Cancer Research, who are committed to reducing smoking and protecting local communities from the harms of tobacco.
The campaign, which launches this week and was filmed in the region and will run across TV, radio and social media – with a powerful message that every cigarette takes 20 minutes off your life [2].
Councillor Lucy Steels-Walshaw: Executive Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care at City of York Council, said: “Smoking remains one of the biggest causes of preventable illness in our city, and campaigns like ‘Turn the Corner’ play a vital role in helping people take that first, often difficult, step towards quitting. Hearing from local residents like Pete and Shaun—whose lives have already begun to improve—shows what’s possible with the right support. We encourage anyone thinking about stopping to reach out to our local services and take advantage of the free help available.”
Scott Crosby, Associate Director of Centre for Excellence, said: “Everyone knows someone who has been affected by tobacco harm. Smoking is the biggest cause of preventable death and ill-health in Yorkshire and Humber. It’s a leading cause of health inequalities in the region and has a huge impact on people’s lives.
“Every cigarette steals on average 20 minutes of life – that’s why campaigns like ‘Turn the Corner’ are so important to raise awareness of the harm caused by tobacco. Wendy and Amy know first-hand the devastation that smoking has on your health and are a perfect example of how quitting can help you turn a corner.”
Tony Graham, Director of Retail, Services and Operations at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said: “It’s well known that smoking is strongly linked to lung cancer, but it is also a cause of at least 15 other types of cancer. As well as kidney cancer, smoking can lead to cancers of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, bladder, liver, pancreas, stomach, bowel, ovary, cervix, breast and, in some cases, even leukaemia.
“It remains the biggest preventable cause of cancer worldwide, and its impact can often span generations when children grow up seeing smoking as part of everyday life. Wendy and Amy’s experiences show both the profound harm caused by tobacco and the powerful difference that quitting can make, not only for an individual’s health, but for the health and future of their family.
“Even after a cancer diagnosis, stopping smoking can significantly improve how well treatments work, support better recovery, increase the likelihood of survival and reduce the risk of cancer coming back. By standing alongside our partners in this campaign, we hope more people across Yorkshire and Humber will feel supported and encouraged to take a step towards a longer, healthier life.”
If you live in Yorkshire and Humber, you can get six months access to all features on the Smoke Free app for free, including nicotine replacement medication as part of the campaign, worth up to £300.
If you live in York, you can get free stop smoking support through York Health Trainers or by calling 01904 55 33 77.