Fresh was the UK's first dedicated regional programme set up in the North East in 2005 to tackle the worst rates of smoking related illness and death in England.
Smoking is our biggest avoidable killer - more than alcohol, accidents, suicide, illegal drugs and diabetes combined and a massive drain on the NHS and economy. The source of this is the tobacco industry which sells and promotes an addictive product.
Fresh works with the regional media to ensure that the benefits of quitting, the harm of smoking, and tobacco issues are kept in the public eye all year round.
If you are a professional in the North East working in the field of tobacco prevention please join our Tobacco Control Alliances section on the Knowledge Hub
If you are interested in work around illegal tobacco visit
Smoking has been linked with more serious Coronavirus cases and research suggests more than one million people in the UK – like David below - quit smoking since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic to protect their health.
NEW FIGURES out today suggest 84,000 people in the North East have stopped smoking since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country – the highest rate in the UK.
A NORTH East doctor appearing in a major quit smoking campaign has appealed to over 50s not to wait to quit smoking after new figures highlight age differences in quitting.
A NORTH East respiratory doctor is making a powerful plea for smokers to quit for COVID and other vital health reasons in a major new campaign launching this week on TV, radio, digital and social media.
NEW figures released for World No Tobacco Day (May 31) show 15 North East children start smoking every day – around the same number of people in the region who die each day from tobacco.