Nigel Knapton and Andrea Duffield, of Crab Mill Lane, Easingwold, decided to give up after getting married last year.

Nigel, 36, who has smoked since he was about 18, said their joint decision was at least partly because of concerns about the dangers of second-hand smoke for Andrea's three children, aged from 12 to 18.

But, as a 30-a-day smoker, he was also aware of the implications for both his health and his pocket.

Now he says he has recently completed a ten-mile hike across hilly country without ill effect - something he wouldn't have managed before. And he reckons that he and Andrea, 44, could be saving as much as a couple ofhundred pounds a month between them.

He said they gave up about 12 weeks ago, and had received tremendous help from an NHS Stop Smoking Group which they had attended at Easingwold Health Centre.

And even though they had since stopped attending the meetings, members still met up informally at a local pub on a regular basis to chat about how they were getting on.

He said they had been helped greatly in giving up through Zyban, a prescribed drug, developed from an antidepressant, which blocked the cravings for nicotine.

The Stop Smoking Groups used by Nigel, Andrea and Patricia are available free across York and North Yorkshire.

The seven-week courses, which run for an hour a week at the same time, give smokers the encouragement and support to become quitters.

They help people prepare and plan to quit, give information and expert advice and guide quitters through the first few weeks of being smoke-free.

To find out more and book a place, contact the North Yorkshire NHS Stop Smoking Service on 01904 663310.

Updated: 10:08 Monday, May 09, 2005