DUNCAN BANNATYNE LAUNCHES £500,000 APPEAL FOR QUIT BECAUSE
Duncan Bannatyne (BBC’s Dragons Den) is to become QUIT’s UK Children’s Champion and will launch an appeal to raise £500,000 for the charity's youth programme, QUIT Because.
"450 kids start smoking every day in the UK so when QUIT asked for my support I knew it was important to help. QUIT Because makes a real difference to the lives of the children it reaches,” explains Duncan.
QUIT Because helps children and young people to make an informed choice about smoking using a multi-media approach. QUIT are looking to secure £500,000 from a range of funders to provide national coverage with our Youth Presenters who give age specific presentations and run youth stop smoking groups. QUIT Because uses fun and innovative techniques to inform 8 to 18 year olds about the reality of smoking and include hard to reach groups such as young offenders units and those excluded from school.
The Youth to Youth Quitline is what kids have told us what they want. A training programme for 16 – 18 year olds will give them life skills and a peer mentoring certificate that will increase their chances of getting a job or continuing in education.
QUIT's Head of Youth, Anne Schulthess said ‘We are always looking for more cutting-edge ways to engage with young people on smoking. Original projects like our new Street Dance programme would not be possible without the help of outside funders. If we had a larger team of youth presenters we could do more fun projects like these and reach even more young people.’
QUIT Because provides ongoing support to young people via www.quitbecause.org.uk Quitline 0800 00 22 00 and email stopsmoking@quit,org.uk
QUIT Because is supported by leading experts in the field including Cancer Tsar Mike Richards and the Children’s Commissioner Professor Al Ainsley-Green.
Duncan started his new role on Wednesday, January 21st when an official announcement was made at a launch event at The House of Lords. The event is being supported by Pfizer.
For photos, case studies and interviews please contact
Glyn Mcintosh - Tel: 0207 469 0409 or 07958795199 Email: g.mcintosh@quit.org.uk
Nicola Orchard - Tel: 0207 469 0414 or 07508318069 Email: n.orchard@quit.org.uk |
