Smoke free Oxfordshire by 2025

Stopping smoking is the best thing an individual can do for their health and wellbeing.

On this page

How to manage your cravings

Besides managing your cravings with nicotine patches and gum, there are other things you can do to make the most of your quit attempt.

  1. Once you have picked your quit date, remember to add it to your calendar.
  2. List your reasons to quit.
  3. Tell people you're quitting. Don’t be The Lone Ranger – buddy up with someone else who is thinking of quitting.  Share your experiences and give each other support.
  4. If you have tried to quit before, remember what worked.
  5. Use stop smoking aids, like patches and gum.
  6. Have a plan if you are tempted to smoke.
  7. List your smoking triggers and how to avoid them. 
  8. Keep cravings at bay by keeping busy.
  9. Exercise away the urge.
  10.  Get some free advice from local stop smoking advisors. Text ‘STOPOXON’ at 60777 or visit www.stopforlifeoxon.org to find out more.

Good luck. Throw away all your cigarettes before you start. Remember, there is never 'just 1 cigarette'. You can do it!

Stop smoking service

If you would like to increase your chances of quitting, use our free local stop smoking service where you will get advice, information, support, and free nicotine replacement therapy or pharmacotherapy, to help you on your way.

Allen Carr's Easyway (ACE) 

We are also offering the innovative, drug-free, Allen Carr’s Easyway method, as part of our ambition to make Oxfordshire “smoke-free” by 2025. Allen Carr’s Easyway to Stop Smoking Method is behavioural therapy and a one-off five hour Live Group Seminar. It can be face-to-face or accessed easily via smartphones, tablets, or laptops so no-one needs to leave their home.

To find out more about Allen Carr’s Easyway and how to book a slot, please visit the Easyway website.

Our strategy

We have created a comprehensive Tobacco Control Strategy (pdf format, 3Mb) as we believe stopping children from starting is the best thing we can do for the public’s health. The strategy aims to reduce the overall prevalence of smoking in Oxfordshire to below 5 per cent by 2025. In doing so, we will achieve our vision to inspire the first smoke free generation in Oxfordshire.

An example of the initiative includes smoke-free sidelines where children train or play football.

Another example is developing the South East of England Position Statement on vaping to ensure an evidence-based approach is taken to promoting and using them.

Smokefree School Gates

Smokefree School Gates is an initiative that aims to protect children from the harms of second-hand smoke during drop-off and pick-up at school and to denormalise smoking to create a smoke free generation.

Oxfordshire County Council's Public Health team is willing to support schools in creating smoke-free policies for their premises and provide financial support in creating and printing signage to be placed at school gates and/or entrances.

If you would like to discuss Smokefree School Gates, please feel free to email smokefreeoxon@oxfordshire.gov.uk.

Secondary school youth smoking and vaping resources

Online resources for schools to use

The emerging issue of youth vaping is one of local and national concern. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and the charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) have reported national data with trends in youth vaping and continue to work on this emerging public health topic.

Here are a few key resources to support secondary schools, teachers, and school health nurses in delivering vaping education to pupils, staff, and parents. 

Secondary School Programme to prevent smoking and vaping - FREE and open to all secondary schools

INTENT is a licenced prevention programme, for smoking and vaping, and is available free of charge to all OCC secondary schools and youth groups from 1st September 2024 until July 2028.

Oxfordshire County Council holds a Public Health budget for both smoking cessation and tobacco control and INTENT is part of our strategy to commit to the Government’s Smoke Free Generation 20230, it will help to reduce the cost of smoking in our county and at the same time reduce inequalities and lift children out of poverty. 

Brief outline of programme;

73% of teachers rated the programme as ‘high quality’. 

25.6% of students who received INTENT were less likely to report ever having smoked.

Evidence based programme from 20 years of research

  • Sessions are designed for Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 to be delivered in PSHE lessons.
  • Training for teachers takes less than an hour and will be delivered live online in scheduled sessions that staff can sign up to in summer terms, or self-led online.
  • High quality lesson plans which build incrementally, and a Curriculum Guide will be provided.
  • Sessions are cross-referenced to the PSHE Association objectives, so instead of giving teachers extra work, we are providing resources to meet their existing objectives. (see appendix for further details)
  • The majority of activities are based around the interactive whiteboard. 
  • Each year group receives one or two 45-60 minute tobacco sessions a minimum of three months apart.
  • Vaping sessions can be delivered to any of the four year groups and may be repeated. Each session follows the same information and behaviour change methodology and also lasts 45-60 minutes.
  • Support is available for teachers via the INTENT website and telephone Helpline.
  • Dedicated Resources area for teachers on the website.
  • Find out more here: https://intent.evidencetoimpact.com

Smokefree Community Fund

The Public Health team at Oxfordshire County Council have launched a Smokefree Community Fund in which voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations (e.g., district and parish councils, charities, schools, leisure centres, community groups, etc.) can apply for funding between £150-£1000 to create smoke-free spaces or hold smokefree events.

If you would like to apply for this funding, please email smokefreeoxon@oxfordshire.gov.uk to begin the application process.

Become a #SmokefreeOxon champion

Sign up for training

Very Brief Advice (VBA) on smoking – free online training sessions

VBA is a simple and powerful tool designed to be used in almost any conversation with a smoker and allows you to offer practical advice in as little as 30 seconds.

VBA training is suitable for anyone likely to come into contact with people who smoke in their day-to-day work. Our free interactive VBA courses are of three types:

Book a place for a free online course that suits you: smokefreeoxon.eventbrite.co.uk.

You can also complete free online training provided by the NCSCT, including the theory behind becoming a smoking cessation practitioner.

Join us

  1. Join the Oxfordshire Tobacco Control Alliance – email smokefreeoxon@oxfordshire.gov.uk for more information
  2. Use the #smokefreeoxon in relevant social media posts and follow us on @healthyoxon on Twitter
  3. Make your home smokefree – advise any visitors who smoke that your home is smokefree.
  4. Make your workplace smoke-free – ensure all relevant staff, like managers, are trained in VBA, and HR policies support staff to quit.
  5. Make your event/business smoke-free – consider positive signage and create 100% family-friendly smoke-free areas.