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GASP is a local charity that aims to reduce the level of smoking among the young people of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Since 1997, we have carried out various successful campaigns which have led to a drop in the level of smokers. 81 % of Guernsey people are NON-smokers. One of our greatest success stories is contributing to the implementation of the ban of smoking in public places on the 2 July 2006.

Our role involves an active presence in the Islands’ schools and youth services, organising our own events and maintaining a high profile with all sections of society.

Our vision for the future is that of a society where children can get relevant information about the harm done by cigarettes and they can choose to breathe clean air.

Message from the Chairperson

I am very pleased to welcome you to the new GASP website. At GASP we take communicating our message very seriously, not least because we have to respond to the aggressive, flawed marketing campaigns of the tobacco industry. So we have invested in a new website that is packed with information about the truth about tobacco and how GASP goes about its job of reducing the numbers of young people who smoke in Guernsey.

I have been chairperson of GASP for the past ten years and for that decade it has been a privilege to see our charity flourish and prosper. I believe that we have in place all the ingredients to continue to be successful and to help even more young people turn away from smoking:

•    We have an excellent new team in Vidya and Sarah who are becoming increasingly effective in getting the smokefree message across to the island’s youth

•    We work with a range of partners whose advice and support is so invaluable. For example, Ann Battye, PSHE and Citizenship adviser, Yve Le Page and her team at the Health Promotion Unit, Dave Le Feuvre, Head of the Youth Service and Andrea Nightingale, Manager of the island’s Drug and Alcohol strategy have all been instrumental in shaping our approach to tobacco education.

•    All sectors of the community have also worked with us to promote our message. Commercial organisations, charities and voluntary organisations, sports clubs, the island’s schools and health establishments have all worked with us in our initiatives and activities

•    The island is fortunate to have a generation of positive, confident generation of young people, supported by responsible parents, who have worked with us to resist the urge to smoke.

You will see in this website that we have many ideas about how to build on our smokefree strategies. Recently we were described as global leaders in the reduction of smoking amongst young people. We were very proud of that accolade but quickly realised that becoming smokefree has been an island-wide initiative so thank you to everyone who has supported our cause.


We welcome your comments on our work at GASP so please contact us.

Alun Williams, Chairperson of GASP