As national rates hit their lowest levels ever, Corby leads the table of those who are struggling to make the change. Knocking Dover and Hull into second and third place, 32.3% of the town’s residents remain resolutely stuck on the fags.
The local paper reports that Anne Kirkton has been smoking for 26 years and is far from considering quitting. “It’s one of those things that I tried when I was younger and I’m never going to stop doing,” she said. “It costs a lot and obviously isn’t very good for you but you crave it. I’ve got friends who have tried nicotine patches and other things to kick the habit but it hasn’t worked.”
Two packs a day man Tony Morrison agrees that his habit is something he’ll stick with. He told the press: “Some people drink a lot, some people gamble. Everyone’s got a guilty pleasure and mine happens to be smoking. It costs a lot and I’ve tried to give up but I still do it and it’s normally the first thing I get when I go shopping.”
The rest of the country appears to have benefitted from the boom in vaping, but the new technology struggled in the old steel town. Ecigwizard opened up a store in 2014, but it closed down due to lack of business (although the neighbouring one in Kettering remains open).
Residents looking to make the switch can benefit from the two bricks and mortar establishments still proud to call Corby their home. Staff will explain how to make the switch from smoking and what equipment will work best for you:
Vape Central
6 Odeon Buildings
Rockingham Rd
Corby
NN17 1AD
Tel: 01536 261433
Vapers Place
38 Elizabeth Street
Corby
NN17 1PN
Tel: 01536 269622
Corby tops some other charts too; the county has reduced the number of pregnant smokers down to 3-4%, but this figure leaps up to 15.6% once Corby is factored in. Corby CCG NHS has also identified other areas in need of work, in addition to the smoking rates:
Alcohol harm related hospital admissions- Coronary heart disease, stroke and cancer rates.
- Low level of physically active children
- Increased level of teenage pregnancies
- Increased level of tooth decay, particularly in children
- 18.1% of Year 6 children classified as obese.
The CCG say: “NHS Corby CCG is determined to address these priority issues as well as the broader health needs of the local population by commissioning the highest quality of healthcare for all of our 70,000 patients with delivery as close to home as possible.”
If someone is looking for a location to hold a new annual vape exposition they might want to consider Corby? There is a huge potential to be tapped and a large smoking population in need of assistance.
