Millionaire retired banker Geoff Spice is relying on a very special patch to help him stub out his last cigarette and break his 40-year tobacco habit.
Rather than the usual nicotine patches, he is depending on the quiet and solitude of a 40-acre uninhabited Scottish island to help him give up.
Geoff, 56, who lives in Ashtead, has tried every method known to science to break his 30-a-day habit.
Now he is trying a month’s total isolation well away from the nearest cigarette supply.
He is to become a castaway on Sgarabhaigh – meaning Cormorant Island in Gaelic – in the Sound of Harris.
He will have to camp, rely on driftwood to build a fire and will depend on the food and water he is taking with him.
His period of solitude was due to begin on Monday, but the strong winds mean his journey has been delayed.
Mr Spice, formerly a senior banker at NM Rothschild in London, will have just a flock of sheep for company when he eventually gets to his island – after being searched to make sure he does not smuggle any cigarettes with him.
To stop him getting bored he will take a guitar – which he hopes to learn to play – an iPod with 120 books on it, a mobile phone and a computer, both powered by a photo voltaic solar cell.
It will also have a wind-up handle as a back-up to generate electricity.
He told the Epsom Guardian: “I’m a bit apprehensive about spending the month on the island by myself now the time is almost here, but I’m determined to see it through.
“I’m going to have one last cigarette and give the rest of the packet to my wife and get on the boat to the island.
“This is my last chance.
I’ve been smoking 30-a-day as usual but I think I can crack the habit.
“I also hope living on the island and surviving by myself will mean I will not pile on the pounds, as other people do when they give-up.
“I am taking plenty of midge repellent though ironically they say smoking helps keep the insects away.”
A statement on the Sgarabhaigh website said: “If you are passing the island in August then sound your klaxon and give Geoff a wave, but keep your distance.
“It can be a serious business giving up smoking”
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