The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Wreaking Revenge on Raleigh! Sir Walter Raleigh, introduced tobacco to England. Four hundred years later, an activist from South West England, Raleigh's birthplace and home of Imperial Tobacco, has spent 25 years challenging Raleigh's lethal legacy. Using media advocacy, she has campaigned for policies to control tobacco promotions, secondhand smoke, taxation and smuggling, to expose tobacco industry tactics and to help smokers stop. The activist has worn many hats - pressure group (GASP, ASH, AGHAST, COUGHIN), health worker, NGO, concerned parent and Imperial Tobacco shareholder. With little budget, but with help from family, friends and colleagues, she uses opportunism, creativity, humour and dogged determination to wage war on the weed. Examples: • Lobbying MPs with a ‘Write Off Tobacco Advertising' letter writing competition for schools • Picketing Imperial Tobacco AGM to nominate the CEO for the Flat Earth Society for giving evidence under oath, that smoking does not cause cancer. • Wooing the Secretary of State for Health (local MP) with a giant Valentine card with our heartfelt tobacco control demands in romantic verse. • Sabotaging a tobacco industry press conference to stop tax increases by appearing uninvited with our public opinion survey showing support for tax increases • Organising public signings of a ‘Children's Charter on Tobacco' and ‘Taxes Up, Deaths Down' petition attended by Dave Prowse (Darth Vader) • Ejecting Count Tobacula to launch a smokefree policy on Halloween

The presentation aims to inspire individuals that they have they power to make a difference.