People in Leek and Staffordshire who smoke but want help to quit are being reminded that help is at hand.

Stoptober, now in its tenth year, is the national campaign that aims to encourage smokers to make a quit attempt during the month of October.

Since launching in 2011, the campaign has helped two million smokers make an attempt to quit.

A new nationwide survey of 2,000 current smokers released as part of this year's campaign, has found that nearly half (45%) have been smoking more since the first lockdown began.

Key reasons reported are due to being bored in the lockdowns (43%) or the pandemic making them more anxious (42%).

In Staffordshire it is estimated that 12% of adults still smoke, with many wishing they could give up.

Staffordshire County Council's Public Health team is now reminding smokers that help is available with support from partner 'Everyone Health Staffordshire'.

Free telephone support sessions, face-to-face and virtual appointments, advice on managing cravings and access to medication are being made available to anyone aged 40 or over living in Staffordshire.

Last year, the service helped over 420 people to quit.

Cllr Julia Jessel, Staffordshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Health and Care said: "Stoptober is the annual stop smoking campaign that we support each year.

"It's when we encourage smokers to make a quit attempt and try and sustain it for 28 days.

"We know from research that people who give up for the four week period are five times more likely to quit for good.

Julia added: "We know that quitting isn't easy but with the right support it can be done.

"That's why we have teamed up with Everyone Health Staffordshire to provide that extra advice.

"I'd like to remind people that they're not on their own and urge them to get in touch with the service."

Kimberley Yeung, Community Engagement Programme Manager from Everyone Health Staffordshire said: "Our service is designed to help people quit smoking for good, not just in the short term.

"If you are a smoker, quitting is the best thing you can do for your health and the health of those around you.

"We offer free, one-to-one telephone support, face-to-face clinics and virtual appointments which are tailored for each individual aged 40 and over.

"We can advise on choosing a suitable stop smoking medication and how to manage cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

"All stop smoking medication that we provide is free of charge too."

Emma Costello has managed to quit smoking thanks to the support from Everyone Health Staffordshire.

Emma said: "I'd been smoking for 25 years but since I've quit, I've noticed real improvements in my health.

"I'm no longer coughing and I went back to the gym and was able to do things a lot easier.

"I've also realised that I have managed to save over £1000 since quitting, which I'm going to use to treat myself to a holiday in the future or a new car.

"I found the Everyone Health service really useful in terms of keeping myself on track and giving me any appropriate advice when it was needed.

"I used the nicotine medication which alongside the support given, enabled me to quit.

"I would definitely recommend this service to others thinking about quitting smoking."

People interested in quitting can find out more about the support available from the Everyone Health Staffordshire website.

People can also access support via the free NHS App being launched as part of the campaign.

This is a 28 day programme that puts practical support and clinical support in the palm of people's hands.

Search 'NHS Quit Smoking' in your app store.