Westmorland & Furness Council to offer Allen Carr’s Easyway
Westmorland & Furness Council to offer free places to attend Allen Carr’s Easyway to Stop Smoking Live Group Seminars”
We are delighted to be able to offer these fully funded places on our drug-free live group seminars to the smokers of Westmorland and Furness. Allen Carr’s Easyway to Stop Smoking has helped many millions of people around the world, including A-list celebrities, to quit smoking and it means the world to us that we can now also help the good people of the Barrow-in-Furness area too. We hope to make a significant contribution towards the council achieving its “Smoke Free by 2030” ambitions”.
The council is trialling the innovative, drug-free Allen Carr’s Easyway method as part of their ambition to make their entire council area “smoke-free” by 2030.
To achieve smoke-free status, the council needs to reduce smoking prevalence to 5% of the population (the rate required to achieve “smoke-free” status) down from the current 11.1%.
This will mean reducing the current figure of approximately 20,000 smokers in Westmorland and Furness (11.1% of the adult population) by half – if nobody else takes up the habit during this time.
People living in the Barrow-in-Furness area will be able to access the pilot for free. It will only be available for 12 months and with limited spaces available, smokers wanting to quit are being urged to book their slot soon.
Pilot scheme to help people quit smoking the “Easyway”
Barrow-in-Furness has been chosen to host the pilot as the area has significantly higher rates of smoking (19%) compared to the South Lakeland (10%) and Eden (8%) areas according to the latest ONS (Office for National Statistics) data.
Allen Carr’s Easyway to Stop Smoking Method (ACE) is a cognitive behavioural therapy and the live group seminars are endorsed by NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Vicky Hepworth-Putt, a Public Health Consultant with Westmorland and Furness Council, said: “Our “Smoke Free by 2030” ambitions are a real priority for the council. If we can achieve our aims, we’ll have helped to improve the general health of the population significantly whilst reducing pressure on the NHS.
“This pilot is an exciting opportunity to trial an innovative and clinically proven intervention programme in our area.
“I’d urge all smokers living in the Barrow-in-Furness area to book a slot on the programme and give it a go. After the pilot has ended, we’ll conduct a thorough evaluation and decide how we move forward with our smoking cessation offer in Westmorland and Furness.”
John Dicey, Global Chief Executive and Senior Facilitator with Allen Carr’s Easyway, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer our drug free live group seminars and our pre-recorded online video programmes to help the smokers of Westmorland and Furness.”
Click to book a place free of charge with Westmorland and Furness Council
