Stoptober – England’s mass 28 day stop smoking attempt - is back following its huge success last year which saw 160,000 people complete the challenge.

Smoking remains the nation’s biggest killer with half of long-term smokers dying prematurely from a smoking disease.

The Public Health England campaign comes as new research shows the extra years of life that can be gained by giving up smoking and staying smokefree.

Someone who quits smoking for Stoptober, and doesn’t smoke again, could gain an extra seven days of life, every 28 days, for the rest of their life.

A person stopping smoking for 28 days is five times more likely to stay smokefree and Stoptober’s ambition is to help smokers achieve this goal.

Along with the health benefits, quitting saves the average smoker more than £150 a month and almost £2,000 a year. During last year’s Stoptober campaign, a staggering £25 million was saved by the 160,000 people from not buying cigarettes.

Smokefree South West director Fiona Andrews said: “Stoptober provides a great opportunity for smokers in Wiltshire who are serious about stopping this Autumn, to quit together.

"Last year thousands of smokers got on board this new approach, getting involved along with their friends, family or work mates, to support each other in achieving their goal to become smokefree. We are confident 2013 will prove even more of a success than Stoptober did last year.

“Stoptober provides a raft of support for a whole month. As well as signing up to this year’s Stoptober, smokers looking to quit can also find excellent free support and advice from their local stop smoking service who are there to help.”

Stoptober provides smokers with a range of free support including a new stop smoking pack, a 28-day mobile phone app and text support with daily updates and quitting advice, detailed tools and tips for coping, as well as the encouragement and support from thousands of people quitting together through Stoptober social media.

To encourage people to sign up and order their packs, ultra-marathon runner and ex forty-a-day smoker, Rory Coleman will be running 28 miles a day for 28 days in a row across England and Wales.

As part of his challenge he will be pushing the giant red Stoptober wheel with the help of local armed forces representatives and members of the public across the South West on September 19, 20 and 21.

Stoptober 2013 starts on Tuesday October 1 and runs for 28 days. For more information and to join the biggest stop smoking challenge of its kind, search Stoptober online.