Extra ‘Stop Smoking’ support for Derbyshire residents recovering from drug and alcohol abuse

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More than £100,000 of funding from Derbyshire County Council will be used to help community organisations provide stop smoking support, to people recovering from drug and alcohol dependencies.

The council has approved £58,021 funding for Chesterfield Football Club Community Trust (CFCCT) and £46,720 for Derbyshire Addictions Advice Service (DAAS), to continue providing tailored help to residents wanting to quit smoking tobacco over the next 12 months. This money has come from central government funding through the local stop smoking support grant.

Specialist tobacco dependency advisers within both organisations will deliver structured behavioural support programmes to give people advice on stopping tobacco use and supplying them with aids such as nicotine replacement therapy and vapes.

Individuals recovering from substance misuse are far more likely to smoke than the generation population. And local data shows that providing support through organisations these people already know and trust, helps remove the barriers to quit and improves engagement.

Between April and December 2025, almost 100 people engaged with stop smoking support offered through CFCCT and DAAS. More than a third went on to successfully quit using tobacco after four weeks, despite 50 percent never having previously accessed help.

Derbyshire County Council Cabinet Member for Community and Safety, Councillor Dan Price said: “Those in recovery already face significant challenges, and it’s important we provide them with tailored support that enables them to make positive, lasting changes to their health.

“Working with these two local Derbyshire services does exactly that, improving stop smoking advice through organisations they can trust, improving access to services and helping to reduce health inequalities across the county.”

The funding from the Public Health Grant, forms part of the authority’s wider strategy to reduce the number of residents smoking tobacco and aim for the county to become Smokefree by 2030.

Andrea Parkinson, Head of Healthy Communities, at Chesterfield Football Club Community Trust said: “We are delighted to receive this funding from Derbyshire County Council, which will enable us to continue providing dedicated stop smoking support to people recovering from drug and alcohol dependency.

“We know that tobacco addiction can often remain a significant challenge during recovery, and by offering tailored support through a trusted community organisation, we can help people take another important step towards improving their health and wellbeing.

“The results so far demonstrate the value of this approach, with many people engaging in stop smoking services for the first time and successfully quitting tobacco. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Derbyshire County Council and Derbyshire Addictions Advice Service to help more residents become smokefree, reduce health inequalities, and support long-term recovery across Derbyshire.”

Tracey Croasdale, CEO for Derbyshire Addictions Advice Service said: “We see every day the impact that smoking continues to have on people already working hard to rebuild their lives.

“Embedding stop smoking support within treatment and recovery services means we can support people at a point when they are ready for change, helping them take another positive step forward. This work is about improving not just physical health, but confidence, independence and hope for the future.”

The partnership working also strengthen links across the wider recovery network, enabling more vulnerable people to access better support with clear referral pathways between services.

Find out more about stop smoking support at: www.derbyshire.gov.uk.