PUPILS from a primary school have been raising awareness of the dangers of second-hand smoke by creating their own handmade signs for shops to display, requesting people not to smoke directly outside the premises.

Grangetown Primary School, near Middlesbrough, is taking part in the Smokefree Communities Project, a council scheme which is being developed in three wards within the Redcar and Cleveland – Grangetown, Loftus and Kirkleatham.

In this ward, more than 250 adults and school children took part in a consultation, which included interviews, school questionnaires and focus groups.

Year 6 teacher, Mr Stephen Jackson, said: “The children have been really enthused by the engaging SmokeFree sessions and want to make a difference. It is hoped that these children can start to revolutionise the thinking in the local vicinity and are the catalyst for change.

"They have passed what they have been learning onto parents and family members, with the ultimate hope we can lessen the harm second-hand smoke causes around Grangetown.”