Bradford Launches Youth Anti-Vaping Campaign

New initiative aims to address vaping among young people in Bradford

Bradford City FC Community Foundation and Bradford Metropolitan District Council have jointly launched a youth anti-vaping campaign titled ‘Catch Your Breath’. The campaign is set to run until the end of the 2025/26 football season and focuses on raising awareness about the negative effects of vaping on young people in Bradford and the surrounding district.

Campaign structure and focus

The ‘Catch Your Breath’ campaign is divided into three phases, each addressing different aspects of vaping. The initial phase concentrates on the implications of nicotine addiction, particularly in social settings. This phase was introduced with two specially produced films highlighting the impact of vaping during social interactions.

Campaign materials and engagement

• The films feature local actor Mia Drew and Youth Ambassadors from the Bradford Youth Service.
• One film was directed by local filmmaker Michael James.
• In the films, vaping devices are symbolically replaced with a loud party horn to illustrate the intrusive nature of vaping in social situations.
• The films are shown at Bradford City AFC home matches and shared across social and print media platforms linked to the Foundation and Council.

The campaign also utilises social and print media assets featuring Mia Drew and the party horn imagery, which are distributed to educational institutions, social action groups, outreach organisations, and other stakeholders throughout the district.

Background research and local context

Research conducted by Bradford Council, its Living Well programme, and the Foundation informed the campaign’s development. Focus groups involving children and young people explored their experiences with vaping, including access, perceptions of risks, and preferred messaging to discourage vaping initiation or encourage cessation.

Findings indicate that vaping rates in Bradford are approximately 9% higher than national averages. Input from vaping education providers in schools also contributed to the campaign’s content and approach.

Related community activities

Prior to the campaign launch, the Foundation and Council organised a Smoke and Vape-Free Sidelines tournament. Around 150 players, coaches, and family members participated in a football event promoting smoke- and vape-free environments on junior club sidelines. Participating teams signed pledges to maintain smoke- and vape-free areas and displayed banners designed by a local primary school pupil.

Next steps

The second phase of the ‘Catch Your Breath’ campaign is scheduled to begin in the new year. This phase will focus on the mental health impacts associated with nicotine addiction.