Help offered to give up smoking

Telford & Wrekin Council's Healthy Lifestyles team says it has specialist stop-smoking advisors who can offer personalised one-to-one support to residents for free, either over the phone or in person.

Councillor Kelly Middleton, Telford & Wrekin Council's Cabinet Member for Leisure, Public Health and Wellbeing, Equalities and Partnerships, quit smoking a year ago with the help of a Stop Smoking Advisor.

She chose to have regular one-to-one sessions over the phone with her Stop Smoking Advisor because of the flexibility.

She said: "Being smoke-free has made a massive difference to how I feel physically and mentally.

"My concentration has improved, I am visiting the gym occasionally, and I have rediscovered my love of orange juice now my taste buds have returned!

"I've also saved thousands of pounds since I stopped smoking, which has been helpful during this cost of living crisis.

"I tried to quit smoking once before, but I did it on my own without support and was unsuccessful.

"This time, I had support from Lindsey, my stop smoking advisor.

"She was lovely and did a fantastic job keeping me on track and reminding me of my motivation to want to stop smoking.

"It just shows that it's never too late to quit or to try again; every time you try to stop smoking, you're a step closer to success.

"I recommend that anyone who wants help to quit should contact our Healthy Lifestyles Team and speak to a stop smoking advisor."

Catherine Sixsmith, a stop smoking advisor at Telford & Wrekin Council, said: "Getting support boosts your chances of quitting - you're up to three times as likely to succeed.

"To help people set a quit date, we can look at what nicotine replacement therapies are available and suitable for each person.

"Everybody's quit is different, and everybody's expectations are different, so we tailor our support to people's needs to find the right way to achieve their goals.

"We have helped hundreds of people to quit smoking in Telford and Wrekin and stay quit, so please get in touch."

People who live or work in Telford and Wrekin can get free and confidential support from the Healthy Lifestyles team.

They can book an appointment online at https://www.telford.gov.uk/healthylifestyles, e-mail healthylifestyles@telford.gov.uk, or telephone: 01952 382582.