National praise for Smoke-free Homes conference

A senior policy manager from the Department of Health for England has praised a Lincolnshire project which encourages people to cut back on or completely quit smoking in the home.
John Tilley, Senior Policy Manager for Tobacco, joined over 150 delegates from across England and Wales at a Smoke-free Homes conference at the Lincoln Showground this week.
The event was hosted by Lincolnshire County Council's Healthy Communities team and the Smokefree Lincs Alliance. It was designed to inspire other key healthcare professionals to follow the county's highly successful Smoke-free Homes project and has drawn praise from all quarters.
John Tilley from the Department of Health, said: "Action on smoking in the home will be a necessary part of future strategy on tobacco control. The arrangements and presentations at the conference were of a very high quality and the obvious enthusiasm from the organisers in Lincolnshire was truly impressive. I will be keeping in touch with future activities in the county following this excellent conference and encourage a repeat event in the future."
As well as hearing speeches from Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue and NHS Lincolnshire, the conference also heard a recorded address by Smoke Free Homes Patron Fiona Castle, widow of the late Roy Castle who died of cancer in 1994.
Since 2004, over 12,000 Lincolnshire residents have promised to quit - or curb - smoking in the home, protecting many thousands of children from the effects of second-hand smoke.

Source: Lincolnshire County Council - 22 October 2009