Nuneaton Kasli Pharmacy has won the Best Pharmacy Activity campaign in the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) No Smoking Day Organiser of the Year competition. The Kasli Pharmacy activities on No Smoking Day included fantastic on site promotion and recruitment for their dedicated stop smoking course. The course includes ‘stop smoking champions’ who follow patients through 12 weeks, seeing them weekly and providing advice and support. Their recruitment scheme for quitters is something that particularly impressed the judges, as well as the high quit rate and great patient feedback.

Mr Satyan Kotecha, Superintendent Pharmacist, said: “The role of the pharmacist is about changing people’s health. It is very difficult for pregnant women to stop smoking. We try and help mums and other members of the community.

We are also working with schools by running classes to try and get children to understand the dangers of smoking and vaping. Our clinic is very successful; helping someone to stop smoking is very rewarding.”

The success of No Smoking Day is built on the commitment of thousands of local organisers across the UK and every year the BHF celebrates them with the Organiser of the Year competition.

One in five UK adults smoke, doubling their risk of heart attack and stroke. Stopping smoking is the single best thing you can do for your heart health, and the risk to heart health decreases significantly soon after stopping.

Simon Gillespie, BHF Chief Executive, said: “Two-thirds of smokers want to quit, but many find the task daunting.

“The work of No Smoking Day organisers is vital in helping smokers get the support and advice they need to quit for good. Nuneaton Kasli Pharmacy impressed us with their enthusiasm, originality, and ultimately, their success in helping smokers quit.”

New statistics from the Health and Social Care Information Centre reveal that half of all people who successfully quit smoking, set the date they planned to stop. No Smoking Day 2016 will be held on March 9 and will have a ‘Proud to be a Quitter’ theme, which is set to inspire hundreds of thousands of smokers to believe in their ability to quit.

No Smoking Day is one of the UK's biggest annual health awareness campaigns. In 2015, the BHF helped hundreds of thousands of smokers take the first step on their quitting journey by highlighting the resources and help available to them.