On July 1st 2007 a smoking ban came into effect in every pub, club and restaurant across England. It made enclosed spaces cleaner and healthier for everyone. Our brief was to raise awareness of the efforts to create healthier environments and make the ban more positive for everyone in England whilst encouraging further donations to cancer research.

We knew that ashtrays in pubs, clubs and restaurants would become redundant and thrown away. So we decided to take them and transform them into something that would benefit everyone’s environment. This initiative would turn the negative associations of an ashtray into a more environmentally-friendly positive. Glass ashtrays were collected in specially-designed door-drop bags and transformed into unique handmade flower vases by a master craftsman. We then auctioned the vases on eBay, with all proceeds going straight to Cancer Research UK. PR then built on the story of this unique endeavour.

The first vase sold for £86.00 in a 5-day auction. We are continuing to sell the vases on eBay, for an average £77 a piece. Subsequent auctions will be ongoing throughout 2008, so full results of all activity will not be known until all the auctions and activities are complete.