LOUGHTON: Woman plans honeymoon with cash saved from quitting smoking (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

LOUGHTON: Woman plans honeymoon with cash saved from quitting smoking

5:08pm Tuesday 16th February 2010 in News By Natasha Roberts

A STUDENT nurse has saved so much cash by quitting smoking that she's using the extra funds to pay for her honeymoon.

Una McCormack, 27, of Marlescroft Way in Loughton, used to puff between 40 and 60 cigarettes a week after starting at the age of 16 due to peer pressure.

Ms McCormack, who studies at City University in London, is expecting to save at least £500 by the time she marries her fiancé Mark in August.

She said that after giving up in December she is already feeling the beauty benefits of stopping smoking. She said: “Last year it occurred to me that I had been smoking for ten years, which really worried me as I knew all the harm it was doing.

“My complexion is so much better. I used to get a lot of spots, but they’ve really started to clear up.”

Ms McCormack added that she and her partner had not yet decided on a honeymoon destination.

The NHS is promoting Ms McCormack's experience as one of the success stories to have come from its new free 'Quit Kits'.

More than 35,000 of the packs have been sent out in the east of England since its launch in December.

Each person who orders a pack receives a range of tools designed to help reduce cravings, included a free MP3 download of quitting tips, a stress reliever, a wall chart and a toothbrush, along with other goodies and a voucher for discounted nicotine replacement therapy products.

To order a Quit Kit  or for further information contact the NHS Smoking Helpline on 0800 0 665 826  or go to www.nhs.uk/smokefree