Stoptober is back for 2024 and Westmorland and Furness Council is offering support to help people quit smoking this October and into the future.
Following a successful local pilot, a number of free places are available on Allen Carr’s Easyway. This nicotine-free way of stopping smoking involves online seminars (5-6 hours in total), easily accessed via smartphones, tablets, or laptops. The recent pilot in Westmorland and Furness helped over 50% of people to quit smoking at 4 weeks. It is never too late to stop, and the support is there for people no matter how many times they have tried to quit in the past.
There is a national ambition for all areas to become Smoke-Free by 2030, which means less than 5% of residents are smoking. This requires more than halving the percentage of smokers in our population (from the current 11% down to 5%). Achieving this ambitious goal will require approximately 10,000 successful quitters, as well as measures to prevent people from taking up the habit.
Katrina Stephens, Director of Public Health at Westmorland and Furness Council said:
“Our goal to achieve Smoke-Free status by 2030 is ambitious, but by providing the right support and interventions we can work towards achieving this. Stoptober is a great way of starting the journey to becoming smoke free for good, and by offering choices like the Allen Carr Easyway we are confident that we can help more people quit smoking and enjoy better health.”
Cllr Patricia Bell, Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Care, said:
“We were really pleased to see the success of the pilot scheme that ran last year. There were some brilliant results for residents which is why are delighted to support this scheme again to help people stop smoking for good.”
