Beeston residents urged to go for gold by making their homes smoke free

The Primary Care Trust and Yorkshire County Cricket Club have partnered up to promote a major Smoke Free Homes Campaign which will be launched at the Beeston Festival on Saturday 14 June and also include a Cricket Fun Day in Beeston on Tuesday 19th August.

Over the coming months members of the PCT's Smoke Free Homes Team will be visiting primary schools, mosques and community centres to educate people on the dangers of second hand smoke and outlining how they can achieve gold in the smoke free homes challenge.

In particular the focus will be on those who suffer most through breathing in second hand smoke - children. A child living in a home where someone smokes indoors is more likely to find their lungs damaged. In addition to this they are likely to develop wheezing, coughing and asthma and suffer ear problems. A recent study has also found that a third of babies whose parents smoke at home end up in hospital before their first birthday.

Local GPs and health care professionals will talk to parents of children who develop any conditions that could be related to living in a smoky home and advise them how, by smoking outside, they could help alleviate the problems affecting their child's health.

Running alongside a similar initiative in Lahore, Pakistan spearheaded by the PCT at the request of the Institute of Public Health in Lahore, the campaign will primarily focus on the South Asian community. National research indicates that there is a higher level of smoking prevalence within this group and it is hoped that the findings from this project will help develop regional and national health policy.

Dr Ian Cameron, Director of Public Health at Leeds PCT, said: "We are asking people to come along to our gazebo at the Beeston Festival to receive free advice and goodies from the smoke free homes team where we will also have a face painter present. We look forward to working with people in Beeston over the next six months on a number of fun initiatives which includes a Cricket Fun Day on Tuesday 19th August with support kindly offered by Yorkshire Cricket Club and interactive sessions in schools and mosques."

The PCT is looking for local South Asian families to take part in a short documentary film about the campaign which will be shown at a community event in December at the Hamara Centre in Beeston - those interested can email: shak.rafiq@leedspct.nhs.uk.

The Cricket Fun Day will be taking place at Cross Flats Park in Beeston on Tuesday 19th August between 3pm and 6pm. Ajmal Shahzad will be attending and there will be Kwik Cricket, skills sessions and plenty of space for families to bring along picnics for the day. For more information please contact Alison Giles on 0113 203 3620 or email agiles@yorkshireccc.com.

As part of the smoke free homes challenge householders are encouraged to go for gold by signing up to the following steps:

Step one - To promise to never smoke in the presence of children.

Step two - To promise to limit smoking to one well-ventilated room and never to smoke in the presence of children.

Going for Gold (Step three) - To promise to make the house totally smoke free at all times.

 

http://www.beestontoday.co.uk/news/Beeston-to-Pakistan-Bid-to.4179296.jp

 

Smoke Free Homes Poster
Cricket Fun Day Poster