AN Oldham teacher is the face of a new campaign which aims to make the borough and the rest of Greater Manchester the first place in the world to stub out cigarettes and be smokefree

Anna Swailes, Head of Expressive and Performing Arts, at The Hathershaw College, is part of the Make Smoking History movement which is particularly targetting Oldham where almost one in five people smoke.

The shocking statistic is significantly worse than the national average and Anna is urging fellow Oldhamers to get on board to help the borough and the region become smoke free in the next 10 years.

Anna, aged 34, chose to front the new campaign as she passionately believes that all boroughs and communities need to work together to quit the habit.

“As a local teacher, I’m in a fortunate position to try and make a difference and by educating children about the dangers of smoking.

"I’ve found that so many people ignore the clear evidence that smoking is bad for you.

"I think smoking in public places needs to stop, especially at the front of supermarkets and hospitals. There are often huge crowds of smokers at the front doors and it’s horrible having to walk through, especially with children.

"I think if we made smokefree public spaces it would make such a difference, and help to set a positive example to young people and children.

"I’m thrilled that I’m able to help front this campaign, to help raise awareness of the dangers of smoking to future generations and to encourage positive change in our community.”

Residents are being asked to give their views about the plan to radically cut adult smoking and deliver a tobacco free generation through a whole range of local actions, including extending smoke free places and licensing tobacco retailers.

The History Makers survey will also ask people to voice their opinions on whether tobacco companies should pay a "polluter levy" for the devastation that their addictive products cause to individuals, families and communities.

Tobacco Industry profits worldwide are greater than Coca Cola, McDonalds and Microsoft combined.

Profit margins for the tobacco industry on cigarettes in the UK have been estimated at 68 per cent compared to only 15-20 per cent in most consumer staple industries.

Smoking remains a childhood addiction, with the vast majority of smokers starting as children and teenagers.

Sarah Price, director of Population Health and the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “While the numbers of young people taking up smoking has reduced drastically over the past 10 years, we still have too many smoking and starting to smoke. We plan to deliver a tobacco-free generation with our communities.

“Smoking is everyone’s business. The harm from tobacco addiction affects our whole society, from the pain and suffering of individuals and their families to the preventable costs to the economy and public services.”

To have your say get involved with the History Makers survey at www.historymakersgm.co.uk.