The winning designs have been chosen in Nottingham City Council’s poster competition to promote its Smokefree Summer.

Six winners have been selected from four city schools and their designs will now be turned into large, eye-catching posters to advertise family events over the coming days and weeks where smokers will be asked not to light up.

These will include the The Deliveroo Beach in Old Market Square, and family areas within Splendour at Wollaton, and the BMI Park Hospital Nottingham Riverside Festival on Victoria Embankment, where thousands of people will see them.

The winners are:

• Charleigh Lewis, aged seven – Rosslyn Park Primary, Aspley
• Erin O’Regan, aged eight – Fernwood Primary, Wollaton
• Tisya Mohamed Zamri, aged nine, and Prabhjeet Swali, aged 10 – Forest Fields Primary
• Nia Calladine and Austin Winter, both aged 11 – Haydn Primary, Sherwood

Each will receive a framed copy of their winning poster and a £10 gift token during a presentation ceremony at The Deliveroo Beach.

smokefree winnersNottingham City Council announced in January that it planned to ask people not to smoke at more family events in 2016, following the success of last year’s Beach and Winter Wonderland which were made smokefree for the first time.

This was well respected and proved overwhelmingly popular with both smokers and non-smokers. A survey carried out at the time showed that 93% of those asked didn’t like people smoking around their children, and 91% supported more future family events being smokefree.

The idea for a Smokefree Summer 2016 followed the publication of Nottingham Health and Wellbeing Board’s second Tobacco Control Strategy in January, which set out aims to reduce smoking and protect children from the harmful effects of tobacco.

Councillor Alex Norris, Portfolio Holder for Adults and Health at Nottingham City Council, said: “We were thrilled with the response to our poster competition and the standard was so high it made judging really difficult. We had entries across the age range from both infant and junior pupils.

“A huge part of what we’re trying to do in Nottingham is reduce the harm caused by smoking. We are working to reduce the number of smokers in the city, while protecting people – particularly children – from the effects of second-hand smoke. Taking smoking out of the sight of children and making it seem less of a normal activity is a key part of this.

“With that in mind, it’s great that pupils have understood this message and helped us design a number of powerful and thought-provoking posters, which we can now use at major events this year. 

“As we pointed out in January, we’re not preaching to people here – but trying to address a significant issue with high levels of smoking in Nottingham. While the gap is closing all the time, we’re still a long way behind the rest of the country.

“Smoking has a huge impact on the health of Nottingham’s citizens. It’s a major cause of illness and explains much of the differences in health between the richest and poorest people in our city.”  

The City Council was the first in the East Midlands in 2011 to introduce a voluntary ban on smoking in playgrounds and around school gates. It was followed by a motion passed in September 2014 where the authority agreed to introduce more smokefree areas where the public wanted them.

Evidence shows that smoking is a social norm in many less affluent communities and children who grow up around family members and friends who smoke are much more likely to become smokers themselves.

Anyone wanting more information or support to stop smoking can contact New Leaf on 0800 561 2121 or 0115 883 1540, text NEW to 80800 or visit https://www.newleafstopsmoking.co.uk