Gillian Cunningham, from Pocklington, who is supporting the campaign, said she started smoking when she was 11. She described giving up as “life-changing”. <\/p>\n
“I feel so much better and I have been able to spend quality time with my family,” she said.<\/p>\n
“I honestly think if I hadn’t quit nearly 10 years ago, I would have died and, after losing my mum to a smoking related disease, there was no way I was going to put my children through the same situation.”<\/p>\n
Cunningham, 55, who now works as a tobacco dependency adviser at York Hospital, urged anyone who wants to quit to keep trying.<\/p>\n
“It is extremely hard to stop, so take each day as it comes and find the right stop smoking aid for you,” she added.<\/p>\n
She said six months after she quit, she was able to hike up Pen-Y-Gent in the Yorkshire Dales.<\/p>\n
“My breathing has improved dramatically and I’ve never felt better. I’m a keen walker now and I’ve started cycling. I also have more time for myself and my family, which is brilliant.”<\/p>\n
The campaign is being coordinated by the Centre for Excellence in conjunction with all 15 local authorities across the Yorkshire and Humber region, as well as Yorkshire Cancer Research.<\/p>\n
Tony Graham, director of retail, services and operations at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said: “Smoking remains the biggest preventable cause of cancer worldwide, and its impact can often span generations when children grow up seeing smoking as part of everyday life. <\/p>\n
“Wendy and Amy’s experiences show both the profound harm caused by tobacco and the powerful difference that quitting can make, not only for an individual’s health, but for the health and future of their family,” he added.<\/p>\n