A Kent football club has joined a nationwide campaign which aims to stop all gambling adverts at matches.

Tonbridge Angels FC signed up to "The Big Step", run by ex-addict James Grimes, who believes betting sponsorship destroys hundreds of lives each year.

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James started the campaign after suffering from his own 12 year gambling addiction.

He said: "The Big Step came from my own experiences, with gambling destroying most areas of my life.

"I placed my first bet at 16 and I didn't know at that point placing a £5 bet on football would end up with an addition.

"I look back now and think how football failed me - I trusted the sport and the messages it told me."

The 32-year-old couldn't even bring himself to watch football in his recovery, as the messages that appeared during the match were too triggering.

James believes that the current gambling warning messages don't go far enough. He advocates for the end of gambling advertising, and wants it to be replaced with stronger information about the risks and health consequences.

He added: "It got to a point where gambling was the only thing I was thinking about.

"It was the first thing I thought about when I woke up, and sadly the last thing when I went to bed at night.

"It strips everything away from you. You don't just lose money, you lose who you are."

The campaign is partnered with "Gambling with Lives", a community of families bereaved by gambling-related suicide.

They also want to raise awareness of the devastating effects of having a gambling disorder.

"The name "The Big Step" came from how we would walk to football clubs and then talk to those which had gambling sponsors or partners, to try and get them to review their relationship with the companies," James explained.

"The bigger clubs continue to promote gambling in front of their younger fans, which is something that takes hundreds of lives each year."

Tonbridge Angels FC is one of the latest clubs to rally beside James in his campaign.

The Big Step will be working with them to help educate young people about gambling addictions.

James added: "We are really excited, they are a fantastic example, a real community club and have been great ever since we got in touch with them.

"We have an education programme that we are piloting at the moment - what we aim to do is give as much information as possible about the products, practices, the industry itself, the environment, and tell our own experiences."

Dave Netherstreet, chairman of the Tonbridge Angels, says that they want to make people aware that gambling is not "the be-all and end-all".

He said: "I think we are all aware of the many lives that have been ruined - not only the gamblers, but their families too - by this incessant advertising that you are going to get rich quick, which is a complete misconception.

"You watch any football match on television and a lot of the adverts are betting. It gets you into the mindset that football is intrinsically linked with gambling.

"I think it should be an across the board ban. Football clubs are followed by so many people, it's a passion.

"It is very difficult, because if you take the sponsorship away from these clubs, a lot of them will lose their money and their status. So they would have to find another source for that income.

"Responsible gambling, where you can only gamble what you can afford to lose, is fine.

"Irresponsible gambling is a killer, because you are always chasing the dream, and the dream often turns into a nightmare.

"We will not promote irresponsible gambling."