12/03/2026
“𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗱 – 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽”
A Cheshire grandmother who found herself hospitalised and with very low oxygen levels shared her story on No Smoking Day (11 March), as landmark legislation to create the first smokefree generation reaches its final stage in Parliament.
Cathy Wareing, 63, from Middlewich, started smoking at just 12 years old after moving to a new school, far from the small village where she had grown up. Surrounded by unfamiliar faces, she found comfort and a sense of belonging in smoking.
For more than 50 years, Cathy rolled her own ci******es, getting through a 50g pouch each week. The habit soon took a serious toll on her health and she was admitted to hospital twice with breathing difficulties, with doctors growing concerned about her condition. Her mobility was also affected.
Married with two sons aged 35 and 37, and grandchildren aged five and seven, Cathy had tried to stop smoking many times before.
She said: “One of the things that made me hesitant about quitting was the fear of gaining weight. I’d worked hard to lose five stone and didn’t want to undo that progress. In the end though, my health had to come first and as it turned out, I didn’t put any weight on at all.”
With the support and perseverance of her stop smoking coach, she eventually decided to try again and agreed to try va**ng, which proved to be the turning point.
She said: “I didn’t want to try va**ng at all, but I gave it a chance, and I haven’t looked back. I’m three months smokefree now and I feel so much better. It’s been life changing.”
Cathy is now one of 8,200 people from across Cheshire & Merseyside who have used local stop smoking services to successfully give up in the past 12 months.
Cathy says the difference in her health has been remarkable – she no longer needs supplemental oxygen, and her breathing and mobility have both improved significantly.
Public health leaders in Cheshire and Merseyside say Cathy’s experience shows why support must go hand-in-hand with legislation and urge smokers to use No Smoking Day as a fresh opportunity to quit and to access the free support available in their area. 🚭
