Free 12-week coaching to stop smoking, lose weight, get active or drink less, for anyone 16+ who lives, works or has a GP in Reading. How to join.
A new free service to help Reading people stop smoking, lose weight, get more active or cut down on drinking started on Thursday 1 October. It is called Live Well Reading and West Berkshire, and it gives each person a coach for a 12-week programme.
Reading Borough Council and West Berkshire Council pay for it jointly. A company called ICE Creates runs it. The councils announced the launch on 1 October. They say it replaces several separate healthy lifestyle services with one route in.
Who can use it
You can join if you are 16 or over and you:
- live in Reading or West Berkshire, or
- work or study there, or
- are registered with a GP there
It is free. You can sign up yourself on the Live Well website. A GP or other health professional can also refer you.
What it offers
From launch, the councils say the service covers:
- stopping smoking and vaping
- weight management for adults
- getting more physically active
- emotional wellbeing
- health and wellbeing coaching
Three more strands are due within six months:
- weight management adapted for people with learning disabilities
- a strength and balance programme for people aged 60 and over
- stop vaping support for children and young people
Sessions can be face to face in the community, or by phone, video, text or app. The service’s FAQ says coaching can be one-to-one or in a group.
Stopping smoking: what you can get
The stop smoking page lists three aids alongside the coaching:
- nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)
- vapes, for adults aged 18 and over only
- varenicline, a prescription tablet that reduces cravings
The service says the coaching is free and that NRT comes in “free or low-cost” options. You can also start by texting QUITNOW RWB to 66777.
How many people in Reading smoke
The latest official estimate puts adult smoking in Reading at 9.3% in 2024. That is a little below England’s 10.4%. West Berkshire’s figure was 8.0%.
These come from a national survey of a sample of residents, so local figures are rough. The government’s Fingertips data gives a likely range for Reading of 6.3% to 12.3%.
On weight, the same data source estimates that 62.8% of Reading adults were overweight or obese in 2024/25. England’s figure was 64.6% and West Berkshire’s 58.7%.
The contract
The contract award notice on Find a Tender values the contract at up to £5,846,425. It names ICE Creates Limited as the supplier.
The notice gives a start date of 1 October 2026 and a first term to 30 September 2029. Two extensions of two years each could take it to 30 September 2033. The tender had been judged 60% on quality, 30% on price and 10% on social value.
Councillor Rachel Eden, Reading’s Lead Councillor for Education and Public Health, said: “Good health support should start with the person, not the service.” She said Live Well gives residents “one clear route to personalised help.”
What it means for you
If you have been meaning to quit smoking or lose weight, this is free and you can refer yourself.
- Join online: the “get started” form on livewellrwb.org
- Smokers: text QUITNOW RWB to 66777
- Through your GP: ask for a referral at your next appointment
- Age: 16 and over (vapes as a quit aid are for over-18s only)
The service says the stop smoking programme makes you “up to three times more likely to succeed” than going it alone.
The strength and balance classes, the learning disability weight programme and the young people’s vaping support are due “within the first six months of opening”, the councils say. We will report when they start.
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