What we do
Our Work
Peer cessation groups, relapse support, ongoing check-ins, and community outreach — all designed for life as it actually is in Linlithgow.
The work of Vibrant Health Advocates – Marenne is grounded in one core insight: smoking cessation is more likely to succeed when it happens in community. We run structured, twelve-week peer cessation groups at multiple venues in Linlithgow, each one facilitated by a trained volunteer who has quit smoking themselves.
Sessions blend evidence-based guidance — covering pharmacological options, craving science, trigger mapping and relapse prevention — with open, honest conversation between participants who are at different stages of the same journey. The format is deliberately informal and non-clinical, because we know that the moment a room feels like a waiting room, people stop coming.
Beyond the groups themselves, we provide individual check-in support throughout the critical early weeks post-quit, run a specialist group for those recovering from relapse, and conduct outreach through GP practices, employers, and community organisations across West Lothian.
We maintain close working relationships with NHS Lothian's stop-smoking services so that participants who need clinical support — prescription medications, specialist input — can access it quickly and without having to re-tell their story from scratch. Everything we do is designed to reduce the friction between wanting to quit and actually quitting.
A session in progress
Each programme is designed around a specific part of the quitting journey — because the needs of someone on day two are different from the needs of someone who lapsed after six months.
Small, facilitated group sessions where Linlithgow residents quit smoking together with peer support and expert guidance.
Our core programme runs multiple weekly sessions at accessible venues across Linlithgow, each facilitated by a trained peer who has quit smoking themselves. Sessions follow a structured twelve-week pathway covering craving management, trigger identification, nicotine replacement options, and relapse prevention — but the format is conversational, not didactic. Participants set their own quit dates, share their own strategies, and hold one another gently accountable in a space free from shame or competition.
A dedicated group for those who have previously quit and started smoking again, removing the barrier of embarrassment and rebuilding momentum.
Relapse is a normal part of the quitting process, but the stigma attached to it stops many people from seeking help a second or third time. Our Fresh Start group is specifically designed to welcome anyone who has been through a quit attempt — with us or elsewhere — and found themselves smoking again. Facilitators in this group are chosen in part because they have experienced relapse themselves, giving the session an authenticity that more conventional settings struggle to replicate. The focus is practical and forward-looking: what did we learn, what do we do differently, and how do we begin again with greater self-knowledge.
Regular one-to-one phone or in-person check-ins keeping participants connected between sessions and through the difficult weeks after their quit date.
The fortnight after a quit date is statistically the highest-risk period for relapse, and it rarely falls neatly between scheduled group sessions. Our check-in system pairs every active participant with a named peer facilitator who makes contact — by phone, message, or a brief in-person conversation — at agreed intervals during the first three months. This is not counselling; it is neighbourly accountability: a five-minute conversation to ask how the week has gone, acknowledge the difficulty honestly, and remind the person they are not navigating this alone.
Partnerships with local employers, community groups and health settings to bring stop-smoking information and referral pathways to people before they seek formal help.
Many people in Linlithgow who want to quit smoking never take the first step of contacting a service. Our outreach work meets them where they already are — at workplace well-being events, at community centre noticeboards, through GP practice waiting rooms, and via trusted local organisations. We provide straightforward information about what quitting involves, what support is available, and what our peer groups offer, with a low-threshold referral pathway that requires nothing more than a name and a willingness to come along once. We also work with schools and youth organisations to support smoke-free norms among younger West Lothian residents.
We work closely with NHS Lothian stop-smoking services and welcome referrals from GPs, practice nurses, pharmacists, and other health professionals. Participants referred to us can access our groups with a low-threshold pathway — no paperwork, no waiting list. Get in touch to discuss a referral arrangement.
Join one of our groups, refer a patient, or reach out to explore a partnership. There is no commitment in getting in touch.
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