Smokers in Dudley Borough are urged to take the first step in giving up cigarettes for good with online support sessions being offered for No Smoking Day on Wednesday 10th March.

While studies show that two-thirds of smokers want to stop, nearly one in five UK adults continue to smoke. Stop smoking advisors will be online to offer free advice, support and arrange for free of charge medications for those signing up to quit.

Sessions form part of the Let’s Get Healthy Dudley, which is run by Solutions 4 Health and provides stop smoking services in Dudley. It will complement the range of virtual support currently being provided. This year’s campaign, although without face to face promotions, will encourage smokers to re-evaluate their relationship with smoking and quit smoking to reduce their risk from Covid-19. Councillor Nicolas Barlow, cabinet member for health and social care, said:

"Smoking remains one of the leading causes of premature death in Dudley and the pandemic has further highlighted the importance of quitting for good.

"We all know that quitting can be very hard, especially during stressful times, but the good news is that it’s never too late to quit and we know people are more likely to succeed with the right help.

"Let’s Get Healthy Dudley provides a free, local, tailor made service to Dudley residents using telephone support and online information and I would urge anyone who smokes to use No Smoking Day as their time to make those first steps in stubbing out for good."

Let’s Get Healthy Dudley offer a tailor-made programme of support from specialist stop smoking advisors to help smokers to quit. People can find out more by calling 01384 732402 or by visiting lets-get.com. Additionally, the Quit with Bella app is free to download for those living in Dudley borough, providing 24/7 AI powered support, when it is most needed.