Barnsley Council are urging people to take part in this year’s Stoptober and join nearly 15 million people who have already quit smoking.

Stoptober is a mass quitting challenge from Public Health England (PHE) starting on 1 October. Last year, out of the 2.5 million smokers who made a quit attempt, 500,00 people (20%) were successful; the highest recorded success rate and up from just 13.6% 6 years ago.

Yorkshire has seen a 15% fall in the sale of cigarette sales within the past 12 months alone and with the introduction of standardised packaging there’s never been a better time to quit.  

Cllr Jim Andrews, Cabinet Spokesperson for Public Health said: ‘‘Stoptober is the perfect opportunity for people to take action to protect their health and join thousands of others who are also making a quit attempt this coming month.

“Even if you have attempted quitting before and failed, just give it another go and keep trying. The more you try to quit the more likely you are to get there.

“There is more help and support available now than ever before. The introduction of standardised packs removes the glamorous branding and brings health warnings to the fore. As well as a wide availability of e-cigarettes which many smokers find helpful for quitting.”

Stoptober is back for a fifth year, having driven almost a million quit attempts to date. It starts on the 1 October and is based on research that by the time you have quit for 28 days you are 5 times more likely to stop for good.

For more information, search ‘Stoptober’ online and choose the package of support that will help you quit for good.