Making an impact in the community

Over the past few months, our team has been out and about across Leeds, connecting with local communities, strengthening partnerships, and helping more people take steps towards a smokefree future. From hospital events to community festivals, it’s been a busy and rewarding time. Here are some of our recent highlights:

Supporting Families at Leeds Children’s Hospital

On 3 June, we were delighted to attend the very first Health and Wellbeing Hub event at Leeds Children’s Hospital and what a fantastic event it was.

The event brought together a wide range of services and organisations, creating a vibrant and welcoming space for patients, families, and staff to learn more about the support available to them. With stalls from partners including Money Buddies, Social Care, Leeds Dental Institute, and passionate nutrition students offering health promotion activities (and even fresh fruit for families), there was a real buzz throughout the morning.

Our team had the opportunity to engage with a wide range of attendees, including parents, carers, hospital staff, and healthcare professionals. These conversations were invaluable in helping us:

• Encourage individuals to take their first steps towards becoming smokefree
• Support people in signing up for our services
• Provide information for those considering making a change in the future

We also saw strong interest in our new offer to support people to become nicotine-free, including help with quitting vaping and other nicotine products. Concerns around rising vape use, particularly among young people, was a key theme throughout the day, and it was encouraging to be able to offer reassurance and practical support.

We’re excited to build on this momentum and look forward to attending more events at the hospital in the future.

Connecting with the community at Burmantofts Festival

Our outreach continued on 13 June, when Health and Wellbeing Coaches Emma and Jolanta hosted a pop-up stall at the Burmantofts Community Festival.

With strong footfall throughout the day, the team spoke to over 40 people, sparking important conversations about smoking and vaping while raising awareness of the support we offer. The event proved highly successful, resulting in:

• 10 referrals to our service
• Over 20 people signposted for further support
• Numerous meaningful conversations with members of the public and partner organisations

Beyond these immediate outcomes, the festival also opened doors to valuable new partnerships and follow-up opportunities. These included connections with Feel Good Factor, Live Well Leeds, and a potential volunteering collaboration with Countryside Rangers.

Building healthier communities together

Both events highlight the importance of taking our services into the heart of the community, meeting people where they are, listening to their concerns, and offering support in a friendly and accessible way.

Whether it’s helping someone take their first step towards quitting smoking, providing reassurance about vaping, or building partnerships that extend our reach, every conversation makes a difference.

We’re proud of the impact we’ve made so far and look forward to continuing our work across Leeds, supporting healthier lifestyles and helping more people become smokefree for good.