When Damian Fish was just seven-years-old he wrote to Prime Minister Ted Heath asking for smoking to be banned.
Damian, who lives in Up Holland, was brought up in a household with both parents smoking.
His much loved mum, Domini Fish, died of lung cancer aged 67 less than a year after being diagnosed with the disease. She had smoked since the aged of 14.
Damian and his family are now celebrating a landmark win in the fight to help protect generations of children from ever starting.
As the Tobacco and Vapes Act has passed into law, the dad-of-two, who has campaigned with Cancer Research UK, is highlighting the life-saving difference it could make – if fully implemented.
New figures from Cancer Research UK estimate nearly 1.5 million children growing up in the North West today – and around 13 million nationwide – will never be legally sold tobacco in the UK.
Around 2,600 young people in the UK start smoking every week.
Damian, aged 59, is originally from Poulton-le-Fylde near Blackpool and has previously taken part in Race for Life to raise money for Cancer Research UK as his family have been so impacted by the disease.
His mum Domini was diagnosed with stage three lung cancer in 2011. She had stopped smoking in 2004.
The mum-of-three, who was married to Peter and had five grandchildren, faced chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment, but sadly died, just 11 months after the shock diagnosis.
Damian, who served in the Army for 22 years with his younger brother Stefan, said: “When my sister phoned me on holiday saying I needed to speak to my parents urgently, I thought maybe they had won the lottery, but my mum had been diagnosed with stage three lung cancer.
“My mum was a loving and caring woman who was very family-orientated and doted on her grandchildren. She gave up smoking when she was shocked into it by her grandson and then just a week later she suffered a heart attack. While she recovered from the heart attack, the damage from so many years of heavy smoking had taken its toll.
“I hated smoking so much growing up that I wrote to the Prime Minister asking for it to be banned and actually received a very nice response!
“Tobacco robbed my children of their Grandma and her absence clouds every birthday, celebration or special occasion – not to mention all the ordinary, everyday moments we’ve missed out on enjoying together.
“It’s incredible to think that generations to come could be spared from a lifelong struggle with cigarettes and avoid similar heartache. The Tobacco and Vapes Act could help stop millions of children from ever starting to smoke.”
If the new law has the impact the UK Government hopes, by 2040, up to 10 million fewer cigarettes will be smoked each day in the UK.
This world-leading legislation to phase out the legal sale of tobacco will apply to children born on or after 1 January 2009. Not only will it help to stop people developing a deadly addiction, it could also alleviate pressure on the NHS, prevent tens of thousands of cancers and help create the UK’s first ever smokefree generation.
Damian hails it as “major milestone in the mission to beat cancer.” In the past decade alone, smoking has been responsible for nearly 70,000 cancer cases in the North West**** and around 54,000 people in the region have lost their lives to cancer caused by tobacco.
After helping to uncover the link between tobacco and cancer in the 1950s, Cancer Research UK has spent decades researching and campaigning for action to tackle its harms, including new laws to prevent smoking indoors in public places, introducing plain packaging and graphic warnings on cigarette packs, and stopping the marketing of tobacco products.
The charity welcomes the Tobacco and Vapes Act while also highlighting the need for it to be fully implemented across the UK.
Around 10.8% of people in the North West still smoke and need help to quit.
With the harms of tobacco concentrated in more deprived communities, smoking is the biggest driver of health inequalities. The charity is calling for the UK Government to ensure there is continued funding for stop smoking support, so everyone has access to the tools they need to quit for good.
Michelle Mitchell, chief executive officer at Cancer Research UK said:
“This is a truly historic achievement that will help to save and improve lives. With the new law in place, we are moving towards a future where children will grow up shielded from the lifelong harms of tobacco. It will mean more people living a life free from the grip of deadly addiction, fewer people facing a cancer diagnosis and less pressure on an already over stretched health service.
“Today’s milestone is the result of decades of research, overwhelming support in Parliament, tireless campaigning and backing from people whose lives have been devastated by smoking. Governments across the UK must now ensure the Act is implemented fully in every nation, alongside support to help people quit smoking. A future free from the lethal harms of tobacco is firmly within reach.”
