We travel all over the UK in the trusty Vapouround bus, meeting countless vapers and converting smokers along the way. But there’s nothing quite like playing on home turf, particularly when it means weaving through the picturesque streets of Derbyshire to get to Derbyshire Vape in South Normanton.

The shop first opened its doors in 2015 and soon became the go-to resource for a growing community of vapers and speculative smokers considering making the life-changing switch to e-cigarettes. The shop stocks everything from juices and mods to replacement glass and coils.

With owner Michaela looking after us, we set up shop and waited for the first customers of the day to arrive.

It’s very hard for pedestrians to pass the bus without having a good look at it, so it wasn’t long before the broad spectrum of the community began to drop by to see what we were all about. Some tried the juices and asked questions, others took that important first step of swapping their cigarettes for a starter kit.

One of the most rewarding aspects of travelling on the bus is listening to the stories from people whose lives have been changed by vaping. Derbyshire Vape was no exception.

Among the stories, the team chatted with 58-year-old, Anne Cooper.

Anne jumped on the vape train six-and-a-half years ago, which, in the relatively short history of vaping, makes her an earlier convert to the technology.

Anne had smoked for more than 30 years, practically half her life. She finally found an alternative that would see her ditch cigarettes for good. She now counts herself as one of the shop’s many regulars, popping by every week to stock up on supplies.

Another hectic leg of the Vapouround bus tour drew to a close, giving us pause to reflect on how vaping continues to change the lives of countless former-smokers in our local community.