NHS Swindon is supporting a campaign to highlight the harmful effects of secondhand smoke by encouraging more people to quit smoking.

The “You Smoke, I Smoke” campaign was launched yesterday by Smokefree South West in an attempt to educate people across the region that secondhand smoke can be harmful to other people’s health.

“We are supporting the campaign by holding a drop-in session at the Carfax NHS Medical centre today for people who want support in giving up smoking.

“Our team of stop smoking advisors will be on hand to offer advice and help people plan how to quit.”

Mark Cross joined NHS Swindon’s Stop Smoking Service in May this year, after his daughter urged him to give up smoking.

He said: “Since stopping smoking, I have seen nothing but positives.

“Firstly my daughter is really proud of me. My diabetes has also dramatically improved.

“I’m going to the gym more, feeling fitter and healthier; and with the money I’ve saved, I’ve bought myself a motorbike.

“This is my first proper attempt to kick the habit and the support from the stop smoking service has really helped me.”

As part of the campaign, survey results have been released which found nine out of 100 adults in the South West still think secondhand smoke has little or no impact on increasing risk to a child’s health, despite all the publicity surrounding the introduction of the smokefree legislation.

The survey also revealed that more than 22 out of 100 adults in the region still allow smoking inside their home, and that 21 per cent of people describe the drive of the vehicle they travel in most often as allowing smoking – nine per cent at any time, six per cent not when children are travelling and six per cent not when non-smokers are travelling.

Ms Jones said: “It is vital that we increase parents’ awareness of the harmful effects of secondhand smoke to babies and children. The health problems associated with secondhand smoke can be both serious and long lasting.

“We hope this drop-in session will encourage smokers to find out how they can quit, and the wide range of support and resources available to do this.”

Fiona Andrews, director of Smokefree South West, said: “The cocktail of over 4,000 chemicals in secondhand smoke causes cot death, asthma and respiratory illnesses in children.

“More worrying is that it’s not always obvious where the smoke is, because 85 per cent of it is invisible – waving away any smoke that you can see is pointless.

“I am sure that if more people realised just how dangerous secondhand smoke is to their children they would be really surprised and would want to do everything in their power to make their home and car completely smokefree.”