On Wednesday 11 March, No Smoking Day organisers are keen to remind the UK's 9.4 million smokers that quitting can have benefits for wealth as well as health.
As the recession bites, the No Smoking Day charity has found many smokers are concerned at the rising proportion of household income that's literally going up in smoke. And with surveys showing almost three-quarters of smokers want to quit, health campaigners say there's never been a better time to kick the habit.
"We've been speaking to groups of smokers right across the country, and it's clear that the squeeze on household budgets is a major factor pushing them to think about quitting," says No Smoking Day Chief Executive Dan Tickle.
Duncan Bannatyne OBE, No Smoking Day President and Dragons' Den star, said: "A
twenty-a-day smoker could save £2,111 a year by quitting, so it makes financial sense, health sense and good common sense. There's no better time to quit than No Smoking Day."
Local events to mark No Smoking Day are taking place right across the UK, with more than a million smokers expected to quit on the Day.
- No Smoking Day is organised by a charity of the same name run by four full time staff. Based in London, the charity is funded by a coalition of governmental and voluntary sector organisations with an interest in health.
- No Smoking Day aims to help people who want to stop smoking by creating a supportive environment for them, and by highlighting the many sources of help available to people who want to quit.
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