Smokers offered free app to help them quit

Smokers across Yorkshire are being encouraged to help quit with the support of a free app.

The Turn the Corner TV and social media campaign urges the region's 562,000 smokers to seek help in giving up, including downloading the Smoke Free app.

The app allows users to access features to help control cravings, monitor health improvements and see how much money they have saved.

Former smoker Carlos Wake, from Rotherham, said the "biggest benefit" of the app "was that it was always there".

"It's portable, and the help and assistance are available whenever you need them," he said.

"Other types of support, like going through a pharmacy or attending groups, aren't always guaranteed to be available when you need them.

"I also live with anxiety, and that played a big part in why the app worked for me. Having everything in one place made things much easier."

Stop smoking aids are also available as part of the campaign, including nicotine replacement therapy, medication and vapes worth up to £300.

Users can also chat to a stop smoking expert 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Sarah Hepworth, Associate Director of the South Yorkshire Tobacco Alliance, said: "Smoking is an addiction that is uniquely harmful in that it kills two in three long term users.

"In Yorkshire and Humber, around 7,500 people die from smoking each year, and it remains the leading cause of preventable illness and death in England.

"We know that quitting smoking is difficult, so that's why we want to make it as easy as possible for anyone who smokes to access free stop smoking support that works for them as the right support can make all the difference."

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North