Cardiff figure skater encourages the public to get their skates on to talk about smoking

As the Welsh Government continues to develop plans to create a smoke-free Wales by 2030, the public are being called on to join the consultation that will help shape Wales’ approach to creating a smoke-free society.

The aim of a smoke-free Wales within the decade requires meeting a target where less than 5% of the population are smokers. Currently, around 14% of people in Wales smoke and there are strong links between smoking and deprivation, with those in more deprived areas more likely to smoke.

The consultation to shape Wales’ long-term tobacco strategy is also seeking people’s views on the Welsh Government’s first two-year delivery plan.

One person to answer that call and get involved is semi-professional track athlete turned figure skater from Cardiff, Daniel James, whose own journey to becoming smoke-free started with a desire to compete on the ice.

Despite successfully competing as a sprinter at the country level since he was a teenager, which included securing three consecutive championships, Daniel’s 15-year battle with cigarettes started at age 12 and persisted throughout his sporting career.

This year the 27-year-old from Cardiff decided his transition from track athlete to competitive figure skater. It was with the start of this new chapter that Daniel resolved to end his dependency on cigarettes, a goal finally made possible thanks to support from the free Help Me Quit service provided by NHS Wales.

Daniel recognizes that his story highlights many of the reasons why people can find themselves hooked on tobacco products and struggling to stub out the habit.  Today, he’s encouraging others to share their own experiences and have a say on how to create a smoke-free future for Wales.

Discussing this, Daniel, said: “Looking back it seems like I started so young, and I admit it was, but at the time it didn’t seem unnatural. All my friends in school were smoking, because we all had the mindset that it was seen as cool. My parents lived separately, so growing up living between two smoking households meant it was the norm for us. It wasn’t just at home, school, spending time with friends, wherever I went I was surrounded by people who smoked.”

An overriding priority for the Welsh Government is to make living smoke-free the norm in Wales. Last year we became the first UK nation to introduce smoke-free playgrounds, school grounds and hospital grounds and more recently (from 1 March 2022) smoking bedrooms in hotels and guest houses have been banned, as well as smoke-free requirements introduced in self-contained holiday accommodation such as cottages and caravans.

Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Lynne Neagle, said: “Our ambition is to make Wales smoke-free and to support people to make choices to improve their health and wellbeing. While we are already leading the way, we know more can be done to strengthen our smoke-free message. We must be bold if we are to reach the next generation and change how they, and wider society, view smoking.

“Smoking remains the leading cause of premature death here in Wales and a major contributor to health inequalities. Progress has been made in recent years to reduce the number of people smoking, but more can be done. We must go further, and it is vital that we encourage people in Wales to share our ambitions and help shape decisions that can create a Wales where smoking is far from the norm.”

The new plans will also look at how additional support can be given to help more people quit through Help Me Quit, which helped Daniel meet his own goal to leave cigarettes behind for good.

Discussing his reasons for quitting, Daniel said: “I’d not liked smoking for a long time, but I was in the habit and routine of it. I now hate smoking and everything that comes with it, the smell, the way it makes me feel and the way I think it makes me appear. For many years I’d plan how I could adapt my habit around my sporting career. It sounds ridiculous, but I wasn’t the only one.

“People in my life who were smoking when I was growing up have now all quit themselves, and I’ve found myself being the last in my family to give it up. My mum decided to quit 9 years ago now, my brother and sister have both stopped so those influences and factors that might once have played some part in my decision to start smoking, have now also played a major role in me deciding to quit. I just needed help to meet that goal.”