IF Geoff Cumbley was 15 years old again with his first cigarette in his hand he knows one thing for certain already – he would never light it, let alone smoke it.

But one fateful day more than 50 years ago, Mr Cumbley, still little more than a schoolboy starting his first job on the production lines of Worcester’s Metal Box, smoked his first cigarette.

Now he is living with the consequences of a lifetime of lighting up – he struggles to climb stairs or walk up hills because of a condition called fibrosing alveolitis which is a direct result of years of smoking.

People of Mr Cumbley’s generation were not aware of the risks – everyone from factory workers to film stars seemed to be smoking.

It seemed stylish and elegant and no one talked about lung cancer or emphysema.

Smokers today have less excuse as they are bombarded with health warnings on cigarette packets from pictures of diseased lungs to a corpse on a mortuary table.

But like so many smokers, now and then, Mr Cumbley suffered no immediate or obvious damage to his health – he played tennis, cricket and football.

He did not consider that years later this single choice would mean he could not even climb the stairs without resting halfway up.

But there is hope for people like Mr Cumbley, thanks to his hard work and that of his friends. He is the chairman of Malvern and Worcester Breathe Easy, a local support network which is part of the British Lung Foundation, offering support, advice and a friendly social environment for members, many of whom have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Some are so ill they are wheelchairbound while others need portable cylinders to help them breathe.

“I would never smoke knowing what I know now,” he said.

“Every Thursday I can see the results around me, the terrible states people are in. The thing is not to start smoking in the first place.

Youngsters who start smoking now, it will come back to haunt them.”

If young smokers doubt the dire warnings, Mr Cumbley is more than happy to enlighten them by bringing them face-to-face with his friends who are living proof of this bad habit’s ruinous results.

The latest figures supplied by Worcestershire Primary Care Trust show that smoking levels are falling but between 20 and 25 per cent of the population still smoke, leading to about 800 county deaths every year.

For Mr Cumbley the consequences came on quite suddenly when he developed a pain in his back.

His doctor swiftly realised that the problem was his lungs and Mr Cumbley was sent to hospital for four weeks for a series of tests and scans which led to his diagnosis a decade ago. Since then Mr Cumbley, aged 68, of James Close, Worcester, has made it his mission to reach as many people as possible with COPD and other lung complaints so they do not suffer alone.

The motto of Breathe Easy is one Mr Cumbley has taken to heart – live with your lung condition, do not suffer from it.

He said: “I want to reach as many people as possible – people should know about us. People have these illnesses and they think it’s part of getting older but do not realise these conditions can be controlled. We believe there are a lot of people suffering in silence.”

Mr Cumbley takes steroids and drugs to clear water from his lungs but knows there is growing hope for people with COPD and other lung complaints – his quality of life has improved hugely since he was introduced to exercise to music at Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester, which he has continued at Warndon Community Centre for the last three years.

The exercises stretch the lungs and make everyday activities far easier by improving sufferers’ general fitness.

“I could walk a reasonable distance but the course improved this, there’s no doubt about it,” he said.

The organisation, which has 34 members, is open to all from the area referred there by medical staff.

Through fund-raising events such as collections, raffles and sales the organisation raised £2,200 for the British Lung Foundation this year to help it conduct more research.

Members also lobby MPs and the Government to keep their cause in the public eye and improve the quality of life of sufferers.

The group is much more than just a social fund-raising group. For Mr Cumbley, it is a family.

BREATHE EASY

Breathe Easy was formed in 1991 by Trevor Clay, the first male general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing and a British Lung Foundation trustee. Mr Clay suffered from emphysema and saw the need for people with lung disease to support each other.

● There are 200 Breathe Easys across the country, including the one in Worcester which was formed in 1999 and is based at Warndon Community Centre in Shap Drive.

● Membership is free to all people who are referred to Breathe Easy.

● For more information, call Geoff Cumbley on 01905 22734 or e-mail him at geoff.cumbley@tesco.net.

THE DISEASES

CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD) An umbrella term for people with chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both, that restrict the airflow to the lungs, usually as a result of smoking. Symptoms include coughs and breathlessness. The most important treatment is to stop smoking. Inhalers are often used to ease symptoms. Steroids, antibiotics, oxygen and mucusthinning medicines are sometimes prescribed in more severe cases, or during a flare-up of symptoms.

FIBROSING ALVEOLITIS (FA) A thickening of the walls of the lung tissues which impairs the ability of the lungs to expand, resulting in less absorption of oxygen into the bloodstream and breathlessness. The thickening is due to scarring (fibrosis), plus the presence of large cells and inflammation. The main symptom is increasing breathlessness.

Coughing may sometimes occur.