‘DON’T give up on giving up!’ - that was the message being issued by Cornwall Council to the county’s estimated 60,000 smokers this week to mark national No Smoking Day on Wednesday.

The council wanted to stress that smoking remains the leading cause of premature death in England, with almost 75,000 preventable deaths a year.

Worryingly, a recent nationwide survey of 2,000 current smokers found that nearly half (45%) have been smoking more since the first lockdown began.

With life beginning to return to some kind of normality, people are being urged to have another shot at stubbing out their habit for good or help a family member, friend or colleague to quit.

Cllr Dr Andy Virr, Portfolio Holder for Adults and Public Health and an Emergency Department consultant at the Royal Cornwall Hospital, said: “Almost every day I see the devastation that smoking causes to people’s lives and the lives of their families and loved ones.

“Stopping smoking is always beneficial to health and it is never too late to quit. The chances of success of any given quit attempt get higher the more times someone tries so why not use the support available and give it a go today?”

Ruth Goldstein, Deputy Director of Public Health at Cornwall Council, said: “Quitting can be less stressful than you fear and can have a huge, positive impact on your life. There is a lot of support available and if you ditch the cigarettes, not only will you be able to lead a more active, longer life, you’ll also save a fortune.

“So why not join the thousands of others across the country who are stubbing out their habit?”

Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), who is helping to co-ordinate this year’s No Smoking Day, said: “No one should give up on giving up. Every time someone tries to stop smoking, they are a step closer to success. Like anything worth doing it can take practice to stop smoking – but there is lots of help out there."

For support and information visit www.healthycornwall.org.uk/no-smoking-day22