'I lost 16 years with grandchildren by smoking'

Former smokers of 50 years have shared their stories of quitting for a film that will be used to inspire current smokers to stop.

The film, called Quitters, will be shared by Hull City Council and SmokeFree Hull, the city's stop smoking service, on social media.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in November last year show that Hull has one of the highest rates of smoking in England.

Grandfather of five Andy, who features in the video, said he would go outside to smoke when his grandchildren visited him. "I lost out on 16 years," he said.

Andy said he started when he was 14 and smoked every day for almost 50 years. He said he eventually got to the point where he "could not do anything" or even "get up the stairs" because he was out of breath.

He said: "My oldest grandson is 16. I don't think I knew him because, if I was smoking, I'd go outside.

"If they were all round, I wouldn't smoke in the house because that's not fair on them, they haven't got a choice, so I'd always go outside and I lost out - 16 years.

"But now, he was around my house yesterday morning at half past seven helping me paint the fence at the front of the house. He said he loves coming round now."

Retiree Rosemary Berry, 71, said she was given her first cigarette at a party when she was 18 and spent her life surrounded by them.

In the film, she said: "Everybody smoked. You could smoke on buses, you could smoke in cinemas. It's crazy to think about it now."

She was almost 70 when she quit, using a stop smoking app that monitored the money she was spending on cigarettes, as well as her health.

Her granddaughter, Annabelle, said: "I have seen a change in my grandma. She is able to come out with us a lot more.

"I think it is important that people quit smoking, because they can actually spend time with their family instead of being excluded all the time."

The film also features Maria Coward and Alison Collison, who are both Liberal Democrat councillors in the city's Boothferry ward.

Coward, who has been sharing her quitting journey on social media, said she smoked for 28 years and realised she needed to quit because of her health.

She said she was on beta blockers, had high cholesterol and had a family history of heart disease.

"I need to live a long life for my youngest, he is autistic. That is what pushed me," she added.

Collison said she started smoking earlier than Coward, at 12 years old.

"I developed type 2 diabetes, I am asthmatic. Something has got to give and I would rather it was the cigarettes than me," she said.

On average, 18.5% of people in Hull were smoking between 2020 and 2024, according to ONS data.

It also showed that more 25 to 34-year-olds smoke than any other age group.

Councillor Linda Chambers, portfolio holder for adult services and public health, said: "Services around here struggle to cope.

"This [campaign] will work, because it shows it from a lived experience point of view."

Berry added: "It is doable. Lots of people think when they have smoked for 50 years like I did, that is their way of life.

"It is going to be a happier and healthier life, and they can achieve that as well."

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