#TellUsYourWay success story for No Smoking Day

ng2 Estate Services Operative Foreman Mito Alvarez-Liddell took part in the #TellUsYourWay campaign on No Smoking Day at the Springburn Community Hub, and told us how and why he has stamped out the habit for good.

Joining Mito in the Community Hub were Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Officers Fiona Herriot, SFRS Officer seconded to ng homes, and Catherine Wallace, Community Action Team SFRS, who were supporting and facilitating the #TellUsYourWay campaign and raising awareness of the dangers of smoking in the home.

The #TellUsYourWay campaign acknowledges that everyone’s different, and the way you quit smoking needs to be your choice - it’s about working out the method that works for you to increase your chances of quitting for good.

Mito proudly said that he has stamped out the habit once and for all, and has not smoked in over two weeks. To support him with this, Mito downloaded an app called ‘Smoke Free’ that tracks how many days he hasn’t smoked, as well as some other great features like how much money he has saved and how many cigarettes he hasn’t smoked.

Mito said: “I haven’t smoked in over 2 weeks and this app has really worked for me because it tracks my smoke-free days which I like. To stop completely, I threw out all my lighters and any cigarette packets to remove the temptation.”

When asked why he decided to quit, Mito said: “I promised myself that I would quit before my 50^th birthday, which is in a few weeks, so I’ve done that which I am really happy about!”

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service were also present in Springburn on No Smoking Day, engaging with the local community.  

Fiona Herriot, SFRS Officer, said: “On No Smoking Day local fire crews from Springburn Community Fire Station had the opportunity to deliver advice, information about No Smoking Day and how to encourage people to quit smoking or at least signpost to other organisations.”

SFRS Officers were present across different Springburn locations, and Fiona said: “This was done at the Salvation Army Hall to local families in Springburn at the Breakfast Club. This was followed up by a pop up in the Community Hub in Springburn Shopping Centre, with SFRS engaging local people with SFRS’s Smoking and Alcohol leaflet. SFRS were also encouraging people to sign up for Home Fire Safety Visit.”

John Thorburn, ng homes Chair, said: “ng homes has a fantastic relationship with SFRS and fully applaud the excellent work they do in the community, especially today being visible in the community and spreading the important message of the dangers of smoking, especially within the home, and the free home visits to reduce the risk all households have.”

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service provide FREE home safety visits where they will help make your home as safe as it can be. A visit takes only 20 minutes and can be booked easily by calling 0800 0731 999 or text ‘FIRE’ to 80800.

Smoking is the main cause of death from fire in the home. In many fires started by cigarettes, people have also been drinking and are sleepy.

Quitting smoking can be tough, but the good news is that you are twice as likely to quit for good if you’ve got the right support. NHS Inform provide a Quit Smoking Service, where a trained advisor will be able to help you find your way to quit. For more information on quitting smoking, visit NHS Inform.