Greater Manchester has won an award for its whole-system approach to reducing smoking rates and creating a smoke-free city-region.
The 2025 Partnership for Healthy Cities Award was presented to Greater Manchester for its Making Smoking History programme, which has helped 126,000 people quit smoking, and its work on creating smoke-free areas.
Greater Manchester reduced smoking rates from 18.4% in 2018 to 12.5% of the population – a record low.
Hospitals and voluntary outdoor community areas are working towards becoming smoke-free zones with efforts underway to ensure clear communication, staff training, and effective implementation.
This is ahead of the proposed national legislation that will ban smoking outside hospitals and schools expected to pass later this year.
The Partnership for Healthy Cities is a global network of 74 cities dedicated to improving health, which is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies in partnership with the World Health Organization and global health organization Vital Strategies.
The award was presented at The Partnership for Healthy Cities Summit in Paris.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester and co-chair of the Manchester Integrated Care Partnership Board hailed the recognition as a milestone moment.
‘Our work on Smokefree Spaces and Smokefree Hospitals is a sector-first, creating an environment where smoking is no longer the norm. It’s fantastic to see our efforts recognised on the global stage,’ he said.
Mr Burnham added that the award reflected the dedication of stakeholders and communities to make ‘a real, lasting difference’.
Making Smoking History is a whole-system approach delivered through a partnership of city-region, local authority borough and community-based programmes.
It began in 2017 and aims to create a smoke-free city region by 2030, including smoking rates of less than 5% of the population.
Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies, WHO global ambassador for noncommunicable diseases and injuries, and 108th mayor of New York City, said that the work proved that ‘progress is possible with strong leadership and political will’.
