Club's campaign to tackle vaping among youngsters

A football club has launched a campaign to tackle vaping among children and teenagers.

Bradford City FC Community Foundation has teamed up with Bradford Council for what is known as the Catch Your Breath initiative.

Research from the authority and the foundation found evidence that the rate of young people vaping in Bradford was 9% higher than the national average.

Lizzie Saunderson-Trowell, Bradford City FC Community Foundation's chief operation officer, said: "We are proud to be doing our bit in tackling the issue in our community."

The campaign has produced videos filmed at locations across Bradford highlighting the negative effects of vaping.

Sue Duffy, who chairs Bradford's Tobacco Control Alliance - a local partnership working to reduce smoking rates and tackle health inequalities - said: "We are confident that, using the combined power of humour and its ties to the Bantams, it will connect with audiences across the city and encourage them to take a breath, pause and think before reaching for a vape."

Ms Duffy explained that in the lead-up to the campaign, the group's public health team "consulted with over 700 young people across the district to get their views on vaping".

"We're confident this campaign, which has been co-produced with our youth service, will resonate with its target audience," she added.

The films will be played on the big screen at Bradford City's Valley Parade stadium on match days, with the campaign running until the end of the current season.

According to the World Health Organisation, at least 15 million children aged 13 to 15 years used e-cigarettes in 2024, with children nine times more likely than adults to vape.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.