When a 33-year-old father found he could no longer play football in the park with his son without getting out of breath, it gave him the motivation to stop smoking.

Elvis Fred has now not smoked for an entire year and credits this to the support he received at Hainault Health Centre, Manford Way, Hainault.

Mr Fred, of Clayhall, said: “I was not feeling well so I stopped for my boy. I decided that I could not carry on so I just stopped.”

His wife was passing the clinic and registered her husband for the stop smoking service which involved weekly group meetings and the use of nicotine replacements such as patches or chewing gum.

He said: “I think it’s a brilliant idea. I was in a group and went there every week. I have never smoked again.”

Mr Fred started smoking at 17 and at his peak was getting through 30 cigarettes a day. “My advice is to set your mind and your heart to it and you have to be strong,” he added.

As part of the national Stoptober campaign, Redbridge smokers are being encouraged to kick the habit throughout this month with the support of the North East London NHS Foundation Trust’s (NELFT) stop smoking team.

For more information visit www.smokefree.nhs.uk/Stoptober and call the team on 0800 032 0102.