Messages encouraging smokers to quit could be added to cigarette packs. A draft proposal with the suggestion is being considered by the Government. According to the Department of Health, these inserts will highlight the financial and health benefits of giving up smoking and the support available to those trying to quit. The Department of Health hopes the inserts – which have already been used in other countries including Canada and Israel, with Australia also planning to introduce them – could lead to an additional 30,000 smokers giving up, saving up to £1.6 billion in health costs. Smoking is still one of the most preventable causes of illness and death in the UK, with around 76,000 people dying from it every year, according to NHS figures. The consultation launched on Monday and will be running until October. In the meantime, it’s always a good time to try and stop smoking, and focusing on the positive outcomes can help you stay on track too. Here are some of the financial and health benefits of quitting smoking… More disposable income Smoking costs around £17.3 billion a year across England overall, according to the latest 2023 economic data analysis commissioned by public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). This includes a significant cost to the NHS and social care, with smoking-related admissions and primary treatments reportedly costing £1.9 billion yearly. However, quitting smoking could make a significant difference to people’s individual pockets too – a major incentive to beat the habit. Especially right now, with the cost of living so high. According to Everyone Health, if you get through 20 cigarettes a day, with a packet of cigarettes costing £13.30, that’s a spend of £93.10 per week, or £4,841.20 per year. The average smoker may smoke a bit less than that per day, but this could still add up to serious money. “The average smoker can save around £38 a week by quitting smoking, that’s £2,000 a year, according to the NHS,” said Abbas Kanani, a pharmacist at Chemist Click. What could you do for yourself and your family with that extra money? Better mental and physical healthThe good news is, evidence suggests quitting at any point in life leads to big improvements in your health, including increased life expectancy and lower disease risk. “Stopping smoking is one of the best things you will ever do for your health,” said Kanani. “Quitting smoking improves your physical health, and boosts your mental health and wellbeing after as little as six weeks of being smoke-free. Every time you smoke a cigarette, your body is flooded with thousands of chemicals, many of which are poisonous. “The day you stop, your body starts clearing itself of all those nasty toxins and the repair process begins. People who have quit also have increased positive mood compared with people who continue to smoke,” Kanani added: “Longer-term risks of cancer, lung disease, heart disease and stroke will be significantly reduced too. You will also be less likely to develop type 2 diabetes, bone disease including osteoporosis, eye disease and dementia.” Improved blood circulation “The blood circulation to your heart and muscles can improve, which will make physical activity easier and improve lung function, which leads to reductions in any cough, wheezing or other breathing problems,” continued Kanani. All of this will have a knock-on effect on how energised you feel day-to-day, as well as contributing to better general health in the short and long term. Improved sense of taste and smell Being able to taste and smell food better is another huge bonus to quitting smoking. George Sandhu, deputy superintendent pharmacist at Well Pharmacy, said: “There are a number of almost immediate benefits to stopping smoking, including healthier teeth and gums, fresher breath, and improved sense of taste and smell. In the longer term, you’ll probably find your breathing will improve, and ultimately you’ll probably end up living a longer, healthier life.” Protecting your loved ones from second-hand smoke Second-hand smoking or ‘passive smoking’ is dangerous too. According to the NHS, most of the smoke from a cigarette goes into the air around you and not your lungs – therefore it’s those around you or nearby that will breath it in. And as the World Health Organisation (WHO) highlights, tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year, including 1.3 million non-smokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke. “Quitting means you’ll protect your loved ones from the potential health harms of second-hand smoke too,” said Kanani. If you would like support to help you quit smoking, talk to your GP or local pharmacist. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Is it ever safe to sunbathe? A beginner’s guide to pickling your homegrown fruit and veg Mother tried to cure son of disease by putting him in a hole as a child

Back-to-school shopping can create a hole in parents’ budgets at the best of times, but with a cost-of-living squeeze in full swing, money is particularly tight this year. At a time when every cutback counts, here are some ways to save some money on the costs that will earn you top marks for effort. 1. Check what you have This can be particularly useful if you have more than one child and need to pass items down. When sorting clothing, create piles of those that are in good condition, those that need repairs, and items that are beyond salvaging. Alice Haine, a personal finance analyst at investment platform Bestinvest, says: “Carry out a full audit to see what uniform, stationery items, lunchboxes and water bottles you already have. “You may find unused items still in pristine condition at the back of a cupboard, or used items that are good to go for a second or third academic year – after all, you only want to buy new if you have to.” 2. Create a ‘sell’ pile Haine suggests: “If your child has outgrown some of their uniform, sell them on Facebook Marketplace or WhatsApp groups, and use the cash to buy new items.” Vinted is worth a try, too. 3. List everything you need Once you’ve sorted through everything, make a list of the items you need to acquire. If you have a clear idea, you’re less likely to waste money doubling up, plus, you can buy what’s needed as and when you spot special offers. Depending on your circumstances, it may also be worth checking your government website for grants which could help with school uniform costs. 4. Be clear on school rules You could end up wasting your money if you buy items which don’t match school policies. Haine says: “If you are heading to a new school, check the uniform policy before you buy. Some schools may demand a certain style or colour.” 5. Team up with parents for ‘bulk buys’ “Some multipack prices may seem like great deals, but you might not need four items, so team up with a fellow parent to share the cost,” says Haine. 6. Remember that the cheapest price isn’t always the best value “When it comes to shoes, it can pay to go for a slightly better brand,” suggests Haine. “Cheap shoes can have a short shelf-life when you consider how much they get battered at school. Keep the receipt, because if shoes do fall apart over a short period of time, some stores may replace them with a new pair.” 7. Make sure there’s ‘growing room’ “Always go a size up if your child is still growing, especially on the pricier items, such as blazers, to ensure you get the most out of the investment,” says Haine. “Some brands even sell trousers with a grow-proof hem that can be let down and pressed with an iron, to ensure clothes last longer.” 8. Go refurbished Abigail Yearley, a spokesperson for website TopCashback.co.uk, says: “There are plenty of trustworthy and reliable sites that sell second-hand or refurbished tech, which works as good as new. Just make sure it comes with good warranty before buying.” You may also be able to buy refurbished devices directly from the manufacturer, she says. 9. Look out for second-hand items Check the school’s website for information on buying second-hand uniforms. “Many schools offer a pre-loved uniform service, so checking if that’s available to you should be the first point of action,” suggests Yearley. “If that’s not an option, check on the parents’ group chat if anyone is looking to give away or swap items they no longer need. It’s also worth scouting out Facebook Marketplace and popping into your local charity shops.” 10. Compare prices online Browsing online is a fast way to research and compare prices. Websites such as TopCashback can also help people to get some cashback on purchases from brands such as Clarks, Wilko and Dell, for example. 11. Look out for supermarket staples Tesco, for example, is running a discount deal on selected stationery and lunchtime essentials for its Clubcard members, until September 7, subject to availability. Yearley says: “All the big supermarkets tend to run back-to-school events during the summer months, so make sure you keep an eye out for them. “It’s especially worth checking out discount supermarkets like Aldi, as their back-to-school events are known for bargain prices. “Even if you’ve missed the special event, it’s worth checking their middle aisle, as often you’ll find things like stationery and lunchboxes, which are still cheaper than buying elsewhere.” 12. Get something back for donating M&S has expanded its ‘shwopping’ scheme, with dedicated school uniform shwopping boxes in over 200 stores, to encourage families to donate pre-loved school uniform, to be resold in Oxfam and through a pilot shop with eBay. As a thank you for shwopping school uniform, M&S Sparks customers can receive 20% off selected kids clothing from the retailer. Similarly, if last year’s school shoes are now a battered pair of Kickers, you can recycle them through their Reskinned initiative, which will also get you £15 towards a pair for the new school year. And Schuh offer a £5 voucher for every pair of unwanted shoes you donate, as part of their Sell Your Soles scheme. All these savings really do add up. 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Claire Richards, one of the five-member girl group Steps, has opened up about experiencing an eating disorder in the Nineties, before she joined the band. The singer, 45, said she went on a restrictive diet that only allowed her to eat 900 calories a day, with her meals comprising of just “fish fingers, peas and baked beans”. Appearing on Vicky Pattison’s The Secret To podcast on Thursday’s (20 July) episode, Richards claimed she was told she had to lose weight even though she was a UK size 10 to 12 at the start of her career in the music industry. She added that Kate Moss’s “heroin-chic” thin look was what people aspired to at the time when it came to body image, which in turn encouraged her dieting. “It happened when I was in TSD,” Richards said, referring to her first band, The Scan-Dolls. “They did it to all of us because we were all quite curvy girls. I was probably a [size] 10 or a 12 and wasn’t big at all. “But in the music world, and at that time, that whole Kate Moss, heroin-chic, was a thing and they wanted everyone to be really, really skinny. “So, we were all put on a diet. That diet was interesting because we were encouraged to eat fish fingers, peas and baked beans and have like a 900-calorie diet.” After she auditioned for Steps, Richards claimed she was still under pressure to lose weight. “The audition for Steps was [in] 1997 and by that time I had cut my hair really short, stupidly, and I was wearing this stripey catsuit which I wore in the video for ‘Last Thing on My Mind’,” she explained. “And I always used to tie a hoodie around my waist because I was really conscious of my bum because I thought I had a massive bum… They sat me down, did my audition and they said, ‘Oh, we really like you. We want you to be in the band, but you’re going to have to lose weight’. “It set me on a pathway of not really eating for four-and-a-half years.” Richards said that the years spent worrying about her body image damaged her confidence so much that she has never managed to fully regain it. “I think I’m much better than I was,” she reassured listeners, but added: “But I don’t think I ever will get rid of it completely because it’s played such a massive part of my life for such a long time. “I think I probably was anorexic. You know, I manged to kind of stop what I was doing to myself, but that went from not eating at all, to overeating.” The “It’s The Way You Make Me Feel” singer said she went from being “dangerously thin” to weighing 16.5 stone (104kg) at her heaviest. Richards has previously spoken out about her struggle with disordered eating and expressed how anxious she was about image filters that are popular on the internet today. Last May, she appeared as a guest on Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Spinning Plates podcast and said: “I’ve gone from being dangerously thin to obese and I honestly do believe it’s all part of the same… if it’s an eating disorder, it’s one extreme to the other. “There is a massive lack of understanding, generally, and I think especially on the overweight side of it. I think people just look at anybody who’s overweight [and think] that they’re lazy and have got no discipline. “I’m not lazy and I definitely have discipline but I found myself in that position,” she continued. “I struggle everyday and I’ve managed to maintain a good size now for a long time but it’s a battle everyday and people just don’t understand that psychological side of it generally.” For anyone struggling with the issues raised in this piece, eating disorder charity Beat’s helpline is available 365 days a year on 0808 801 0677. NCFED offers information, resources and counselling for those suffering from eating disorders, as well as their support networks. Visit eating-disorders.org.uk or call 0845 838 2040. Read More Bye bye swimwear round, hello body positivity: How beauty pageants became less ugly Prince Harry and Meghan weren’t allowed to fly Air Force One with Biden after Queen’s funeral, report says ‘Just awful’: Man accused of ‘selfish’ behaviour after proposing to girlfriend at their graduation Should I keep my windows closed or open during a heatwave? Why am I so lethargic in the heat? 6 hacks for handling the heatwave at a festival

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