Thanks to funding from Rochdale Borough Council’s Public Health team, Action Together offered grants of up to £1,000 for VCFSE organisations to help Rochdale stop smoking by providing support to community members to stop tobacco use. In addition, all applicants were encouraged to identify Smoke Free Champions within their organisation.
Projects funded via the Stop Smoking Fund:
| Member Organisation | Amount Awarded | Investment Projects |
| Brimrod Methodist Church | £961.28 | To provide a community creative writing project about stopping smoking, how smoking affects children and pregnant women and what children and adults in the Brimrod area think about smoking. |
| Deeplish Community Centre Association | £960 | What we will do with this Grant: • Train Smoke Free Champions and volunteers • We will organise drop-in sessions where local people can receive information, guidance, and referrals to Living Well stop-smoking service. • Awareness workshops that educate participants on the risks of smoking (including niche tobacco, vapes, Pan and other traditional smoking sources use) and the benefits of quitting. • Develop culturally appropriate approaches and support to engage diverse community members, particularly those from South Asian backgrounds who use smokeless tobacco products like paan or naswar. • Stop Smoking Health Event - bringing together healthcare professionals, ex-smokers, and support networks to encourage individuals to quit smoking. |
| Future Directions CIC | £995.41 | We will use the grant to hold a community event to support people to stop smoking. The event will be aimed at people we support, most of whom are unemployed and live in social housing. |
| HMR Circle | £885 | We plan to get at least one member of staff trained in Very Brief Advice (VBA) on smoking cessation. This training will equip them with the necessary skills to initiate smoking-related conversations with participants in a way that is supportive, non-judgmental, and empowering. This member of staff will act as a smoke free champion, attending various Circle events – of which we run around 60 per month. |
| Kashmir Youth Project | £1000 | The KYP Stop Smoking Support Programme is designed to help local residents in Rochdale who want to quit smoking, aligning with community health priorities. We will conduct outreach and information sessions to further engage the community and raise awareness about the resources available for those looking to quit smoking. |
| NORTH WEST COMMUNITY CONNECTION CIC | £680 | This event will be a unique celebration of local creativity and will aim to raise awareness of the importance of living a smoke-free life. The idea is simple: use the power of art to inspire people to quit smoking and promote a healthier future for our community. |
| Rochdale AFC Community Trust | £915 | With this grant, we will ensure all of our delivery staff undertake the online VBA smoking training, and our new Smoke Free Champions will deliver a series of seven community workshops focused on raising awareness of the harms of smoking and providing young people with the tools they need to make healthier choices. |
| Rochdale Hornets Sporting Foundation | £650 | Our primary aim is to host a match day activation at Rochdale Hornets’ stadium the Crown Oil Arena, where we’ll invite fans and participants to learn about the harms of smoking and the resources available to help them quit. This activation will feature on-site informational booths, staffed by trained volunteers who will engage with fans, answer questions, and provide them with resources about smoking cessation. |
| The Recovery Republic CIC | £939.1 | With this grant we will deliver 2 stop smoking open day promotion days at our site We would also like to build on a recent project ‘through my eyes’ which in collaboration with a local artist is aiming to create a community message. We will provide the artist a brief to deliver 4 sessions to create a piece of art that depicts freedom from smoking. The output may be either drawn art or photography. |