Cigarette money funds dream trip

Ken Bennett saved his cigarette money for a dream holiday

A smoker who kicked the habit after 42 years saved enough cash to take his wife on a dream round-the-world holiday.

Ken Bennett, 73, set up a direct debit to a savings account with the cash he would have spent on cigarettes.

Four years later managed to put away £5,000 - enough to pay for a trip.

Mr Bennett from Barry, south Wales took up smoking in 1954.

"When I came out of the Army I started smoking and I carried on quite extensively as a hard smoker until about 1997," he said.

But a variety of reasons gave Mr Bennett the encouragement to ditch the habit.

"It was mainly for health reasons first. The slightest cold would turn to bronchitis.

"And my wife was always nagging me about it because she has never been a smoker.

I didn't bother looking at the account, but when I did next look at it, it was approximately £5,000 Ken Bennett

"The other thing was the cost - it was rising all the time.

"So I set myself a plan to tell only myself that I was giving up smoking so no one could get at me and say 'I knew you couldn't keep it up'.

"The next thing I did was go down to my bank and make a direct debit and it worked out as about £100 a month.

It took him just four years to save the money for the foreign trip.

"I didn't bother looking at the account, but when I did next look at it, it was approximately £5,000."

Mr Bennett decided to treat his wife June to a dream holiday staying at Los Angeles, New Zealand and Dubai.

Finalist

"It was a fantastic holiday - absolutely smashing.

The pensioner who used "sheer will power" while fighting his addiction said that he is still saving the cash he would have spent on cigarettes.

"The beauty of it is that it is still mounting up and the money is still going in there.

"We have two good holidays a year and several weekends and breaks," he added.

Mr Bennett has been named as one of eight finalists in Britain's quitter of the year. The winner will be announced on 26 November.