The Foundation has teamed up with the Sunderland Specialist Stop Smoking Service and Sunderland City Council to support ‘Kick the Habit’ - a campaign to help local residents give up smoking for good.

Smoking is the biggest cause of preventable deaths in Sunderland and results in thousands of hospital admissions per year.

The partnership will help to raise awareness of the benefits of stopping smoking and the support available to those wanting to quit.

Stopping smoking is one of the best things you can do to improve your health. Your body starts to repair itself from the moment you stop smoking, and you will start to feel the benefits from the day you quit.

Stopping smoking not only protects the smoker, it also protects those around them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke.

Quitting can save you money too; if you smoke 20 a day (and a pack costs £12) you could save more than £350 a month if you stop buying cigarettes; try this cost calculator, to see how much you could save.

Getting help to quit

Sunderland Stop Smoking Service offers free, friendly, confidential support and advice to help people who want to stop smoking. As well as providing specialist advice and support to quit, including a free app, the service can signpost to other local community services as well as giving you tips and tools to help with giving up. See Sunderland Smoking Service or call 0800 169 9913.

The NHS Better Health website also has a lot of information on how to stop smoking, the benefits of quitting, a free app, on-line quit smoking support groups and email support.