Warwickshire youngsters help county to stub-out smoking near schools

Schools in Warwickshire are hoping to persuade parents not to smoke outside the school gates when taking their children to and from school by introducing smoke-free zones with the help of some artistic pupils. School gates are an overlooked part of the school where pupils can be exposed to smoking behaviour. Current evidence shows that children exposed to smoking on a regular basis are significantly more likely to start smoking themselves, with around 200,000 children under the age of 15 taking up smoking each year in the UK.

Designs from two children are being used by Warwickshire County Council (WCC) for smoke-free zone signs on school railings throughout the county. Their installation coincided with national No Smoking Day on 13 March - an annual health awareness day to help smokers who want to quit smoking.

The winning designs were selected by WCC Portfolio Holder for Health and Adult Social Care, Cllr Les Caborn; Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services, Cllr Jeff Morgan and Deputy Director of Public Health Helen King. A total of 30 entries were received from 15 schools with Ruby (Year 2 at Exhall Cedars Infant School) and Amelia (Year 6 at St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School, Studley) having their creations chosen for the official no smoking signs. They each received £100 for their class to spend as they wish.

If you would like to introduce no smoking zones around your school gates then please contact WCC’s Public Health team at phadmin@warwickshire.gov.uk. Interested schools will be provided with two no smoking signs and a toolkit that has been designed to equip schools with the information they need to adopt or update current smoke-free policy.

For those who would like to stop smoking, you are four times more likely to quit for good with the help of a trained Stop Smoking Advisor. There is support available in Warwickshire - go to quit4good.warwickshire.gov.uk to find out more.