A Breath of Fresh Air
| Author(s)
Laura Ridout, Andrea Dickens and Kate Knight
| | Presenter(s) |
Laura Ridout Stakeholder Engagement & Development Manager, Smokefree South West, Bristol | Abstract ‘If we are to celebrate the cultural and community assets that parks and community space represent and, concomitantly, to protect children and young people from the normalising effect of observed smoking behaviours, then extending the smoking ban to other public spaces will have a positive effect’. Darzi (2015) BMJ
In February 2015 Smokefree South West, with Bristol City Council, initiated the UK’s first city to pilot smokefree outdoor public space in two of its inner city squares. The success of this pilot has generated in excess of £1 million worth of PR across the national and international press.
Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ group Forest, criticised the scheme as an example of ‘creeping prohibition’ and yet already we know that over 60% of the public support this voluntary smokefree code.
This pilot builds on the success of smokefree play parks in the south west where a voluntary approach has seen significant shifts in smoking behaviour. Our aim is to indirectly influence current and potential tobacco users by creating a social climate in which tobacco becomes less desirable.
This session will cover the insights gained from smokers and non-smokers, to inform both the design and implementation of the pilot and the knowledge gained to support further work and the initial evaluation results.
| Presenter biography Laura Ridout is the Stakeholder Engagement & Development Manager for Smokefree South West, a regional organisation established in 2009 to work with partners to reduce smoking prevalence. Laura has worked in public health for fourteen years. She has a Masters degree in Nutrition, Physical Activity and Public Health from Bristol University and began her public health career in a Local Authority around promoting healthy lifestyles.
Working with partners ranging from Acute Trusts, Primary Care, Tobacco Control Commissioners, Local Authority Officers and Members and Stop Smoking Services, Laura has helped develop a broad range of interventions and awareness campaigns.
| Source of funding: Local Authorities
| Declaration of interest: I do not have a conflict of interest.
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