The Minister of State for Health Promotion, Catherine Byrne, today launched ‘Tobacco Free Fingal’, a toolkit that will assist communities in the Fingal area to implement and maintain a tobacco-free facility policy.

The development of the toolkit was led by Empower, a local development company in Fingal, with support from the HSE’s Health Promotion and Improvement Unit and the Irish Cancer Society.

The project will initially be rolled out in community centres in Balbriggan, Blakestown, Corduff, Donabate and Portrane, and Swords, all of whom were engaged in the development process.

The toolkit builds on the success of the Irish Cancer Society’s “We Can Quit” smoking cessation programme in centres across Fingal and provides organisations with the guidance necessary to develop and maintain tobacco-free spaces through engagement with stakeholders in their community.

Speaking at the launch, Minister Byrne said:
“I am delighted to launch this fantastic initiative on National No Smoking Day. The development of this Tobacco Free toolkit and its roll-out in community centres across Fingal will contribute enormously to denormalising smoking in our communities, working towards our goal of a Tobacco Free Ireland by 2025.

“Empower, the HSE’s Health Promotion and Improvement Unit, the Irish Cancer Society and the community centres involved are to be commended for their work on the toolkit which could serve as a template for the development of tobacco-free communities across the country.”