A WINCHESTER vape shop has teamed up with the NHS in an anti-smoking inititative.

Vapourium, in Andover Road, is the only such shop in Winchester to take part in Smoke-Free Hampshire's vaping voucher scheme.

The scheme sees smokers who switch to vapes receive a £25 voucher to buy a starter-kit of vaping products.

Health experts believe it will be an effective way of reducing people's dependency on potentially lethal nicotine.

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Sam Meatcher, 29, store manager of Vapourium is preparing for Stoptober, the annual stop smoking campaign run throughout October, by releasing big deals on vapes, equipment and starter packs inside the store.

Opinions around vaping (also called e-cigarettes or e-cigs) are mixed. Nicotine vaping is not risk-free, but it is substantially less harmful than smoking.

 Sam and his staff have had NHS training to become Stop Smoking Advisers, run by Smoke Free Hampshire.

Sam said: "I have worked here for four years and worked in a vape shop in Fareham for several years before. It's brilliant to work in a vape shop, the customers are always different and most of them are people that genuinely want to stop smoking so they come for advice as well as to buy our products."

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"The great thing about all our staff undergoing training provided by the NHS is that we can give informed and educated advice on the subject of vapes and it really makes us all experts on the subject. Vapes are a healthier alternative to smoking so although the overall goal would be to stop smoking altogether, switching to vapes is better."

The training involves spending the day with NHS staff and other vape shop employees, learning about cognitive behaviours, habits around why people smoke and the science and facts behind vaping and smoking.

Sam said about the scheme "it is really great for us that people get sent to us with a voucher by the scheme or even by their GP, that really gives us some credibility when we say vaping is safer than cigarettes. The biggest criticism of vaping is when people say 'but you don't know what is in it' but we can confidently say that we do!"

The Stoptober deals that Vapourium have included a main deal of two bottles of liquid free with any kit and their best deal is a kit, a pack of pods and two free liquids all for £25, which originally would be £50. Meaning that anyone with their NHS Scheme Voucher can essentially get it for free.

Across Hampshire 27 vape shops are taking part in the scheme.

For more advice on stopping smoking, please see Smoke Free Hampshire's website at; www.smokefreehampshire.co.uk