SMOKERS who want to quit can get expert advice and support at the first summertime 'Quit and Get Fit' course.

It takes place over six weeks at the Thompson Centre, Burnley, and is run by fitness development expert Linda Searle.

Sessions start on Monday, August 4, and include an advice clinic with Burnley and Pendle NHS Trust health education specialist Janet Walton, plus an hour in the centre's fitness suite.

Linda said the idea behind the course is to help people to quit smoking more easily and develop a healthier lifestyle.

She said: "Surveys show that people are put off quitting because they are frightened of putting on weight. These sessions prevent that problem by introducing people gradually to exercise.

"Smoking is a major risk factor in many illnesses, including heart disease and cancer.

"Ninety per cent of lung cancers are caused by smoking, and the risk increases the younger people start.

"Women who smoke and take the Pill are at ten times the risk of suffering heart disease, stroke or other cardio-vascular diseases, and someone of 50 who smokes is four times more likely to suffer from heart disease than a non-smoker of the same age."

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