Nearly 350 people in Havering have signed up to stop smoking in the past year as part of a pilot project.
Residents wishing to quit were given the option to sign up to a free stop-smoking app which provides 24/7 access to a stop smoking advisor for 12 weeks, free nicotine replacement therapy/and or vapes, and tips to help them stay motivated to stop.
In Havering, 347 people have signed up to the app since November 2024, with 292 people setting a date to stop.
They were also able to access the support they needed from local pharmacies.
The pilot project was funded by the government from November 2024 to March 2025 and has continued to be run by the local authority and partners to encourage smokers wishing to stop.
Across London, more than 2,500 registered to use the app.
People taking part were from all backgrounds and ages; 50 percent were aged 18 to 34, and 64 percent of the registered smokers smoked within 30 minutes of waking and smoked an average of 13 cigarettes a day.
Feedback showed that within four weeks of using the app, 43 percent had quit smoking; 19 percent had relapsed to smoking again and there was no follow-up on 38 percent.
Most people started smoking as teenagers to fit in, then became addicted, while many used smoking as a coping mechanism.
Many were looking for support to quit and did not want to do it alone.
Graeme was one of them. Now 10 months on from stopping smoking, he said:
“I smoked for over 25 years and tried on and off to stop, but when I was socialising, I would easily slip back into.
"As I’ve got older, I’ve been thinking more about my health, and I found that the app would give me a bit of a nudge, by checking how I was doing and keeping me on track.
“I feel much better for stopping, and so does my pocket, as I was spending around £25 a day on cigarettes and a cuppa every time I went to the shop.”
Councillor Gillian Ford, Cabinet Member for Adults and Wellbeing, said:
“The number of people who signed up to the smoke free app and remained committed shows the level of commitment there is for smokers to quit.
“We’ll continue to fund the Smoke Free app over the coming months as we know how important it is to health and wellbeing and that by stopping smoking it will improve residents’ life chances and of living much healthier lives.”