What have they been doing? Children from West Bank Primary School in Halton have been learning about the danger of passive smoking through art. Pupils took part in a competition to design an anti-smoking-themed poster. During October half-term, the winning drawing was transferred from a piece of A4 paper and turned into a large mural on the wall of the school playground.
How did it go? Halton Borough Council's lead member for health Ann Gerrard argued that education schemes are key to helping parents and pupils understand the impact that passive smoking can have on children. "Structured lessons take place at all schools throughout Halton as part of their curriculum," she says. "Lung cancer remains a high priority for health professionals in the area. Almost one person each day is referred to further NHS services across Halton and St Helens with suspected lung cancer."
Anything else? The poster design project is just one of the smoking initiatives run by Halton Borough Council, NHS Halton and St Helen's NHS Trust. Smoking education officers from the local health improvement team have been training teachers to discuss tobacco control with pupils and parents for a number of months now.
