Who we are

Who we are

Smokefree North West (SFNW) is funded by all 24 NHS Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in the region. We are working towards a tobacco-free future for everyone in the North West.

Smokefree North West's Chair is Dr Janet Atherton. The team, led by Director Andrea Crossfield, is based in Manchester.

The Smokefree North West team works closely with the four sub-regional Tobacco Alliances in Cheshire & Merseyside, Cumbria, Greater Manchester and Lancashire and the three sub-regional Public Health Networks.

Together, we support local tobacco control activities, and implement regional and national tobacco control plans at a local level. This includes working with each of the 24 PCTs as well as 46 local authorities across the region.

What we do

Smoking is the single biggest cause of preventable illness in the North West and claims around 12,000 lives annually - that's 230 per week, or 32 per day.

Over the last 50 years, there have been huge social, economic and health improvements - people are healthier and living longer than ever before. Unfortunately, this isn't true of everyone. Health inequalities, particularly in more deprived communities, start early in life and persist into old age, and even subsequent generations - which is particularly true of smoking.

Smokefree North West is committed to tackling tobacco-related health inequalities. Working alongside public sector organisations, voluntary groups and individuals across the region, we strive to:

• Make tobacco less acceptable in society and achieve a tobacco-free future, particularly for children and young people;


• Improve government policy and legislation around tobacco control;


• Encourage smokers to quit and make sure they have the support they need to stop smoking for good.

Who we are

• Protecting children and young people from tobacco, including exposure to second-hand smoke, restricting access to tobacco and reducing the take-up and prevalence of smoking amongst young people and young adults.


• Supporting local level delivery of comprehensive Tobacco Control programmes to reduce smoking-related health inequalities and smoking prevalence, in particular amongst the routine and manual populations, pregnant women and other priority groups, including through maximising impacts and health outcomes from Stop Smoking Services.


• Tackling illicit tobacco for better health by delivering the objectives of the North of England Action Plan.


• Regional, national and international advocacy activities for tobacco control.

"The North West is committed to leading the policy debate for a tobacco free future. In November 2007, Smokefree North West held a summit where North West leaders signed up to a bold vision to achieve a tobacco free region. We pledged to work together to eradicate tobacco related health inequalities as an urgent priority. We also pledged to work to break the cycle of children and young people's addiction and exposure to tobacco because every child and young person in the North West is entitled to a tobacco free future."
Andrea Crossfield, Director