Wirral health campaign offers financial incentive to smokers who kick the habit

Feb 3 2010 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

SMOKERS are being offered a financial incentive to kick the habit.

NHS Wirral launched its new campaign – Your Reason, Your Way – in Birkenhead town centre on Monday, giving quitters the chance to win £500 – if they stay smoke-free.

Every time a quitter stays smoke-free for four weeks, they will be entered into a prize draw for £100 of vouchers from Asda, to be spent on food or clothing.

A bigger draw for £500 will be held four times a year.

All winners will be given a carbon monoxide test to ensure they remain smoke free.

A outreach programme will see the campaign taken into communities. Smokers will be able to sign up on the spot and access nicotine replacement therapy (such as patches and gum).

The campaign also has a website – www.yourreasonyourway.co.uk offering hints, tips and a forum.

Smokers who want to quit on their own can still sign up and enter the prize draw.

Mike Donnelly, Smoke Free Wirral programme manager, said: “I tried several different ways to give up – I went through a formal programme, did it alone, and knew the text books backwards.

“Everybody is different and has different needs – we know that quitting smoking can be hard, and the solution isn’t one size fits all.”

Stop smoking health trainers are being recruited to work with people in community venues, pubs and shopping centres as part of the campaign.