do people use it regularly?
Yes
is it an easy service to use?
Yes
is it like the US Flight Following, where you get handed off from ATC to ATC?
No - you don't get handed over unless it's very quiet. Most likely you will be told to freecall, and then you will need to re-negotiate the service.
I have to admit that I'm quite astonished that you never used this facility during your training. During PPL training, it seems sensible to introduce it, although it's certainly possible to get by as a PPL without ever using LARS. But for your IMC??? I know that Kent isn't the best-covered area as far as LARS is concerned, but flying around in clouds without a radar service, if/when one is available, seems ludicrous - and to allow someone to get through an IMC course without introducing them to LARS, ensuring that they can handle the workload of working the radio whilst flying on instruments, and discussing how/where/when to use the facility - unbelievable.
My advice to you would be to go out there and try it, on a VFR flight. Find out first hand what they can do, what they can't do. And then, make sure that researching the LARS facilities en-route is part of your pre-flight planning for any IFR trip you make. It's not difficult to use at all - the biggest problem, I'm sure, is simply the fear of the unknown.
FFF
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