A Devon stop smoking service says it is expanding its work with homeless and vulnerable people after completing its second year in operation.

Stop for Life Devon said it had met its targets and increased the size of its team, allowing it to offer more support to people trying to quit smoking across the county.

It’s their third year of operation and they say they have increased staffing levels and have introduced drop-in clinics.

The service have been working alongside Co Lab in Exeter and the Freedom Centre based in North Devon. They carry out Carbon Monoxide (CO) testing, often called a "smokerlyzer" test, which is a quick, non-invasive breath test that measures the concentration of carbon monoxide in a person's lungs and bloodstream.

This happens four weeks in to their 12-week programme.

They claim that with their help people are three times more likely to quit smoking.

It’s a free service and involves coaching to help people to create a sustainable quit plan.

The support offered by the team of experienced coaches can be face-to-face, over the phone or via a video call.

By the end of the 12-week course people should be seeing considerable benefits with blood pumping through the heart and muscles much more efficiently because circulation will have improved.

For those able to keep going after a year the risk of having a heart attack will have halved compared to that of a smoker and after 10 years the risk of death from lung cancer will have halved.

The service is provided in conjunction with Devon County Council.

Stop for Life Devon said it plans to build on this work in its third year, with a focus on reaching more underserved communities across Devon.

To find out more visit: https://stopforlifedevon.org/