Pupils say no to smoking at school gates

PUPILS at four schools in Warrington are asking adults not to smoke near the school gates.
It’s part of the new Smoke Free School Gates initiative launched by LiveWire and Warrington Borough Council.
The campaign has both immediate and long term aims – namely to protect children from second-hand smoke at the beginning and end of their school day and also reduce the likelihood of them taking up smoking in later life.
It builds on the success of the Smoke Free Play Area campaign and encourages schools to implement a voluntary ban coupled with signage and a public awareness campaign.
To show their support, children from years five and six at four primary schools – St Andrew’s, Beamont, St Oswalds and Glazebury – designed posters and wrote poems or raps to discourage their parents, carers or guardians from smoking near school.
Advisors from LiveWire’s stop smoking team also delivered sessions to the children to show them the impact of passive smoking.
Ruth Armstrong, stop smoking advisor at LiveWire, said: “The pupils at the schools were incredibly knowledgeable and showed a real interest in learning more about the dangers of smoking at the school gates.
“By participating, they have demonstrated a commitment to smoke free school gates and by doing so, are reducing infant smoking-related illnesses like asthma, glue ear, throat and eye infections and irritations, as well as tackling long term health impacts.”
The council and LiveWire now plan to roll out the scheme to children’s centres across Warrington.
Cllr Maureen McLaughlin, the council’s lead utive member for public health and wellbeing, said: “Research has found that children exposed to smoking are significantly more likely to start smoking themselves.
“We know from opinion polls that public support for smoke free spaces is high, especially around children.
“Warrington’s Tobacco Control Ambitions aim to develop further smoke free policies that will protect young people from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke, and the influence of seeing adults smoke.”