SMOKERS in Penarth are being urged to put plans in place this December to boost their chances of a successful quit next year.

Historical data from Stop Smoking Wales, the free local NHS support service to help people quit smoking, suggests a large proportion of smokers planning a New Year’s resolution quit, wait until January before contacting the service.

Around 1332 smokers signed-up to the Stop Smoking Wales service in January 2014, almost three times as many as the 534 that signed-up in December 2013.

Stop Smoking Wales is urging smokers who are planning on quitting next year to sign up now for free support to ensure they keep to their New Year’s resolution.

Carol Owen, service lead at Stop Smoking Wales, said: “Giving up smoking will feature on many a New Year’s resolution list for 2015 but many of these people will wait until January to start the process. The reality is that putting a quit plan in place in December ready for January can be a hugely effective way of making sure the 2015 quit attempt starts the year on the right foot.

“Evidence shows smokers are four times more likely to quit with support from a service like Stop Smoking Wales so we are urging smokers in Barry to sign-up to our free service today to let us support them to achieve their 2015 resolutions.”

There are around 690,000 smokers in Wales, around 21 per cent of the population, and smoking kills nearly 6,000 people in Wales every year.

Stop Smoking Wales is a free NHS service to help those ready to quit. The six week programme is designed to help smokers learn how to manage their cravings and change their habits to help them stop.

Anyone wanting to quit should call Stop Smoking Wales on 0800 085 2219 or visit www.stopsmokingwales.com.