Two members of Nottingham City Council’s Tobacco Control team have been crowned winners of the European Smokefree Supporter Award 2008, which recognises the work of health professionals who help people stop smoking.

Libby Lomas and Rachel Lewis saw off competition from 10 other countries. Judges on the independent European Selection Panel assessed applications using the criteria; Innovation, Dedication and Inspiration.

QUIT’s European Smokefree Awards Project Manager Kate Spicer said: "We were particularly impressed by the hard work of the team and the innovative approach to getting smoke free messages to the public via their place of work."

On hearing the news Libby Lomas said: "I am delighted to have won this award. The smoking rate in Nottingham is higher than the national average which makes it a serious and challenging health issue to address and one that demands innovative thinking. I believe our ground breaking activities with workplaces in the Nottingham City area have proved an excellent way of reaching our adult target audience."

Rachel Lewis added: "The stop smoking support benefited both employers and employees. The team worked flexibly to offer support at times and places that suited the needs of businesses."

Councillor Eunice Campbell, Executive Member for Human Resources, Customer Services and Consultation has praised the efforts of the team and said: "This is a testament to the hard work of the team and their achievements."

The European Smokefree Awards 2008 is run by countries from the European Network of Quitlines, which was set up in 2000 to maximise collaboration between countries providing Quitline services and to help develop new Quitlines.

Other prizes include the European Smokefree Progress Award and European Smokefree Quitter of the Year.

Libby and Rachel were unable to attend the award ceremony in Amsterdam in September but are to be presented with their trophy on 29th October at 3.30pm at a special event in the Council House.

For more information visit:www.quit.org.uk