A free stop-smoking roadshow will visit Hartlepool, Billingham and Stockton on four dates this October, beginning at Waldon Street Car Park in Hartlepool on Thursday 8 October.
The University Hospitals Tees specialist team will use a health-promotion bus to offer advice, information and practical support to people considering a quit attempt. The remaining stops are Billingham Market on Monday 12 October, a return to Waldon Street Car Park on Thursday 22 October, and Stockton town centre on Wednesday 28 October.
Four chances to speak to the team
- Thursday 8 October: Waldon Street Car Park, Hartlepool
- Monday 12 October: Billingham Market
- Thursday 22 October: Waldon Street Car Park, Hartlepool
- Wednesday 28 October: Stockton town centre
The roadshow is part of Stoptober, the annual October campaign encouraging smokers to make a sustained quit attempt. It is being delivered locally by University Hospitals Tees with Hartlepool Borough Council, putting advisers in familiar public places rather than requiring people to begin with a formal clinic appointment.
Support that continues after the bus leaves
People who want further help can enter a 12-week programme. The service offers face-to-face appointments in community settings, telephone consultations, home visits for housebound patients and workplace clinics. Support can include nicotine replacement or e-cigarettes, alongside help with cravings, withdrawal symptoms, triggers and relapse .
Hartlepool Borough Council also lists the specialist programme as a free local service. People do not need to wait for a roadshow date to ask for help, and the range of appointment formats means support can continue if travel, health or work makes regular clinic visits difficult.
University Hospitals Tees says it has supported more than 500 quit plans during the two years it has delivered Hartlepool Borough Council’s commissioned specialist service. Adviser Steve Gaffney describes the approach as “friendly, informal and non-judgemental”, with each person helped to choose suitable quitting aids and coping strategies.
That tailored element is important because stopping smoking is rarely a single decision followed by a straight line. NHS Better Health advises that speaking with a professional can help people identify an appropriate and improve their chance of quitting. Its national support includes a personal quit plan, the NHS Quit Smoking app and information for different stages of the process.
Why even a first conversation counts
Quitting begins to bring health benefits quickly. NHS guidance says circulation improves after stopping, while coughs, wheezing and breathing problems can ease as lung function recovers. The local service also points to reduced long-term risks from heart disease, stroke, cancers and lung disease, as well as the financial benefit of no longer buying tobacco.
The roadshow is intended for people who are ready to stop and those who are only beginning to think about it. Visitors can ask questions without committing to the full programme on the spot. That gives people a low-pressure first contact and a clearer idea of what help is available.
Anyone unable to visit the bus can contact the University Hospitals Tees smoking cessation service on 01642 383819, Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm. Details of the national Stoptober resources are available through NHS Better Health.