Highbridge’s Apex Park has this week become one of the region’s first no smoking children’s play areas.
New signs have been installed at the play park, as pictured, as the ‘Smokefree Play Parks’ voluntary code came into force to protect children from the effects of smoking.
The pilot scheme has launched this week at Apex Park in Highbridge and Victoria Park in Bridgwater – the first parks in the region to benefit the ban.
By reducing children’s exposure to smoking, it is hoped that the uptake of smoking among young people will be reduced and their health helped.
Smokefree South West Director Fiona Andrews told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “The Smokefree Play Parks scheme has been designed to ensure our children’s play spaces are clean and free from tobacco smoke.”
“We are delighted to be launching this scheme in Sedgemoor in partnership with the district council. We hope that other parks and local authorities will follow suit across the region as we continue to work to reduce the number of children starting smoking in the South West.”
Sedgemoor District Council chief executive Kerry Rickards added: “Sedgemoor’s health profiles show that smoking is one of the killer diseases in the area. I am delighted that two for the first parks to be designated as smokefree for children are in our district.”
Pictured: The new signs being put into place in Highbridge’s Apex Park
