Councillor Maureen Bateson with Holly Nicoll and other pupils and teachers at St James'
Published Tuesday 22 March 2016 at 16:48
Two winners have been selected in a school arts competition designed to highlight the benefits of quitting smoking.
Primary and secondary school pupils from across Blackburn with Darwen were tasked with designing a poster for national No Smoking Day, which took place on Wednesday March 9.
The children were encouraged to consider the financial cost of smoking by drawing posters depicting what they would do with the £58 an average smoker spends on cigarettes each week.
Designs by Rachel Hughes from St Thomas’s Centre, Blackburn, and Holly Nicoll from St James’ C.E. Primary School, Lower Darwen, were selected as the winners. The two girls’ posters are now featuring in bus stops across the borough.
Rachel and Holly were also awarded £20 shopping vouchers and t-shirts with their designs on by Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Executive Member for Children’s Services, Councillor Maureen Bateson.
Councillor Bateson said: “It was a pleasure to attend the prize-giving and meet Rachel and Holly. Both of their designs are fantastic and really help to drive home the messages around the financial costs of smoking and No Smoking Day in a creative and impactful way.
“Well done to them and to all the other children from schools across the borough who took part in the competition.”
Blackburn with Darwen Council once again backed the national No Smoking Day campaign this year, signposting people to its Stop Smoking Service which offers a range of personalised support to help people quit smoking for good.
In the last year alone the service has helped just under 2000 people. On offer is a range of personalised support including one-to-one consultations, follow-up appointments, clinic times, quit kits and information and signposting support.
Contact (01254) 682037 or email: quitsmoking@blackburn.gov.uk for more information. For a list of local stop smoking clinics visit:http://refreshbwd.com and search ‘stop smoking service.’
For more information about the No Smoking Day campaign, visit www.nosmokingday.org.uk