Help is at hand for anyone trying to quit smoking in Cheshire West and Chester during Stoptober and beyond.

Businesses can play an important role in helping their employees to quit smoking this Stoptober. A smoke-free workforce is a healthier workforce, and a supportive workplace can make all the difference to a quit attempt.

The 13th annual quitting campaign takes place across the UK throughout the month of October, with thousands of smokers taking part nationwide.

Quitting remains one of the best things a smoker can do for their health. If a smoker makes it to 28 days smoke-free, they are five times more likely to quit for good.

Cheshire West and Chester Council and Brio Leisure, which provides free stop smoking services, are supporting the campaign and joining the call for smokers to try to quit this year.  Businesses can help by sharing Stoptober information with their workforce and encouraging people to join the 2.5 million others who will give quitting a go during Stoptober.

Nearly 6 million adults in England smoke and it remains the leading cause of preventable ill-health and death, with 64,000 deaths a year.

The average price of a packet of cigarettes is £15.84, by quitting smokers could save around £3,000 per year and use it for other things.

Locally, Brio’s services to help people quit are friendly and non-judgmental, and available all year round if this Stoptober is not the right time for you.

Stoptober offers a range of free quitting tools including the NHS Quit Smoking app, Facebook messenger bot, Stoptober Facebook online communities, daily emails and text messages, and an online Personal Quit Plan tool.  Search ‘Stoptober’ online for more information.

For more information about the Cheshire West and Chester stop smoking service and how to access support visit: cheshirechangehub.org or call 0300 777 0033.