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Cricket star hits smoking for six

10:48pm Monday 12th May 2008

Bradford-born cricket star Adil Rashid is urging taxi drivers to knock smoking for six and get fit for the future.

The 20-year-old Yorkshire County Cricket Club all-rounder and England squad member is lending his support to the Over and Out Knock Smoking for Six campaign, which was launched yesterday by Bradford and Airedale Teaching Primary Care Trust's stop smoking service.

Adil and the stop smoking team were at City Taxis in Bradford Interchange to bowl over as many smokers as possible with the message that there has never been more ways to get rid of cigarettes.

Keighley taxi drivers were the focus of their attentions today and over the summer months there will be a series of cricket road shows with Adil across the district to keep batting home the stop smoking message.

Mohammed Idrees, stop smoking specialist/South Asian development worker for the tPCT, is the man behind this latest campaign. He said: "We want to recruit at least 500 men to sign up to this campaign and make an attempt to stop smoking. We are going to be out and about over the summer at cricket matches and Bradford Mela spreading the message and sign posting people to our service. We have chosen a cricket theme because we have a high Asian population in Bradford and they have many heroes in cricket."

Stop smoking specialist Dilnawaz Choudhury, who helped devise the campaign, added: "People may not know about all the services available to them and we are hoping that this hard hitting campaign will spread the message and encourage people to access the stop smoking services."

Adil, a former pupil of Belle Vue Boys School, said: "I have never smoked and I have to keep myself fit. I hope to persuade others to stop smoking and lead a healthier lifestyle."

Taxi driver Rauf Iqbal, 48, said that although he had never smoked in his life he supported the campaign.

"A lot of my friends smoke and most of them are trying to give up," he said. "So any support and help they can get is good."

People are more likely to succeed in quitting if they get help from the local NHS stop smoking service. Help includes free group and one-to-one support in a range of community venues. To help deal with cravings nicotine replacement, such as gum and patches, are available, as well as new products such as Champix.

For more information contact your local GP surgery or call the stop smoking service on 01274 363559.

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