An 'Alice in Wonderland' theme built on the 'Time to Quit' theme and helped to create a really eye-catching event.
Face painting is one of many activities that can be used to create a really unique No Smoking Day.
Derbyshire Stop Smoking Service celebrates a highly successful No Smoking Day.
Big Cig appears all over the country on No Smoking Day. Here he pops up as part of the Military campaign at HMS Torbay.
Big Cig pops up on HMS Dauntless as part of the Military No Smoking Day campaign.
Street art helps direct quitters to a stop smoking event for No Smoking Day 2011.
Each year lots of schools get involved. This school created calendars drawing on the 'Time to Quit' theme.
Phoenix Stop Smoking Service creates an imaginative 'Alice in Wonderland' themed No Smoking Day event.
City and Hackney Stop Smoking Service prepares a No Smoking Day stand in a local supermarket.
City and Hackney Stop Smoking Service used No Smoking Day as a hook to bring smokers into their service.
Big Cig gets a dental lesson. Creative photos like this often make it into local press.
Local mascots and celebrities make good photo opportunities and ensure that the campaign is relevant to local people. 
In Northern Ireland props are used to attract attention and communicate the message.
In Plymouth the Stop Smoking Service made the most of the 2011 theme by forming a human clock in a local shopping centre. 
Each year we produce a new image and slogan which help campaigners to promote the day to smokers across the UK.
Educational activities highlight the dangers of smoking and promote the benefits of a smoke free life.
This prison service worked with inmates to create a time capsule containing smokers' aspirations for a smokefree future.
Big Cig scales a climbing wall in one of many publicity stunts that happen on No Smoking Day each year. 
No Smoking Day is about creating positive messages and helping smokers who want a smoke free life.
This school made posters to encourage smokers to quit. Educational activities help children understand the dangers of tobacco.
No Smoking Day is a time to get creative. The most eye-catching and unusual events tend to have the most impact.
In Plymouth a singer re-interprets the lyrics of a popular classic making it relevant to No Smoking Day. 
Press and radio coverage is a vital part of the campaign. Each year local organisers gain coverage across the media. 
This striking display highlights the huge range of smoking related illnesses. It also created an unusual and intriguing display. 
Not everyone has access to an army helicopter! Nonetheless, we are astounded each year by the creative uses of Big Cig.
This impressive stunt involved abseiling down the side of the old Tobacco Factory building in Bristol.
Trick photography like this makes a great image to send to a local paper. This image was inspired by 'Time to Quit' in 2011.
The 'Time to Quit' theme is echoed in this human clock. Photo opportunities like this help to generate press coverage.
Big Cig is carted off to casualty. He is the mascot everyone loves to hate and helps to inject and element of fun into the day.
This 'Time to Quit' tardis used age progression software to take smokers into the 'future' showing them how they might look.
Big Cig struggles to keep up in this No Smoking Day sack race. Notice the slogans on the sacks which promote well being. 
Buying No Smoking Day merchandise from our online shop is a perfect way to brand a stall making it colourful and eye-catching.
These young people tell Big Cig that his time is up! No Smoking Day is a powerful opportunity to educate young people. 
Two Big Cigs duel with giant matches in a stunt to raise awareness on Military No Smoking Day 2011. The History of No Smoking Day
No Smoking Day was established as a national event on Ash Wednesday in 1984, and has grown in status and in impact over the past the 25 years.
No Smoking Day was originally organised by a committee of representatives from organisations with an interest in smoking and health. In 1988 No Smoking Day took on full time campaign staff and the Day continues to be organised by a small number of full time staff. No Smoking Day was registered as a charity in 1991 and in 2011 the charity was merged with the British Heart Foundation.
Since its inception, No Smoking Day has aimed to support those smokers who want to quit; research shows that around three in every four smokers would like to stop.
The success of the No Smoking Day is built on the commitment of local organisers throughout the UK. There are now over 8,000 registered campaigners for No Smoking Day and the charity circulates over 35,000 campaign packs each year.
The hard work of these dedicated organisers has helped ensure that No Smoking Day has remained the UK's foremost public health event, with over a million people making a quit attempt every year.
Each year the campaign is entirely redesigned and re-launched with a fresh campaign theme. New ideas for the campaign are tested with smokers and organisers from right across the UK, from different age ranges, ethnic groups and lifestyles, to make sure that our messages appeal to everyone. Materials are also produced in a wide range of different languages including Welsh, Urdu, Bengali and Arabic.
No Smoking Day operates a major PR plan to get as much exposure as possible in the media, raising awareness of the Day and triggering quit attempts. Coverage for the campaign remains very high across press, broadcast and online media, with around 2,000 stories per year in the newspapers alone. These range from national tabloids, such as The Sun to specialist publications such as Pink Paper and Eastern Eye. In 2007 No Smoking Day generated 24 hours of broadcast coverage in just one day.
Back in 1984 there were few services to help smokers stop. Today, national helplines, local stop smoking services, drop-in centres, pharmacists, GPs and others are all available to offer help and advice to smokers who want to give up.
The No Smoking Day charity works with all of these groups to ensure the Day achieves maximum success with as many smokers as possible.
Over the years the campaign has attracted high profile support, from politicians,
sportsmen and women, and celebrities.
Since the beginning, No Smoking Day has been rigorously evaluated every year, with research outcomes ensuring the campaign stays relevant and up-to-date. The No Smoking Day charity also carries out a number of pieces of independent research about smoking-related topics.
Over the years topics such as the cost of smoking, smokers' perceptions of their habit and sex and smoking have been covered. The full list of No Smoking Day publications can be found by clicking on the link on the left.
The No Smoking Day campaign has become one of the best-known awareness
days in the UK, with around 70 per cent of the population annually aware
of the Day.
Smokers are using the Day more than ever as their day to try to stop smoking;
although smoking prevalence has dropped, the proportion of smokers who use
the Day has actually risen since 1984.
No Smoking Day 2012 takes place on Wednesday 14 March.