Skcin - The Karen Clifford Skcin Cancer Charity Latest News

British Sun Awareness Week – what Skcin are doing in 2016.

Sun Awareness Week is the British Association of Dermatologists' annual campaign to raise awareness of skin cancer and to encourage people to check their skin regularly.

For Skcin this is forms part of our key objective, however we do this everyday of the year -providing a key source of information, free resources and support to the public and health care professionals across the UK.

Skcin's primary objectives are to:

• Raise awareness of skin cancer through education, promoting prevention and early detection.
• To engage higher risk target groups via bespoke educational initiatives.
• To ensure the continued development, longevity and participation in our national accreditation schemes.
• To campaign for change, make a difference and save lives.

Skcin are dedicated to developing our comprehensive resources and spreading the sun safety message, distributing literature and running campaigns with our partners and working closely with recognised “at risk” groups. Skcin have created and developed three successful national educational, accreditation schemes, as well as various campaigns, partnerships and initiatives to deliver our message as far and wide as we can throughout Sun Awareness Week and beyond.

Over 80% of skin cancers are caused by over exposure to UV, put simply this means over 80% of cases are preventable. Knowledge is power and with skin cancer statistics so compelling, it's time to make a change.

Skcin have always firmly believed that education is key and that a culture change is required to tackle the ever-growing number of skin cancer cases. We also believe the education of young children is where can evoke the greatest change that will impact our future generations and those to come.

To assist us with our objectives Skcin have successfully created and continue to develop three, free, national on-line accreditation schemes, with comprehensive free resources and policy guidance:-

• Sunsafeschools.co.uk – The first and only accreditation scheme of it’s kind which is dedicated to educating our future generations on the importance of sun safety whilst assisting schools with practical policy guidance.
• Sunsafenurseries.co.uk – our Sun Safe Schools sister scheme for nurseries and pre-school settings developed to introduce sun safety education to younger children and provide suitable policy guidance.
• Sunsafeworkplaces.co.uk - our national accreditation scheme for employers of outdoor workers – promoting sun safety and education in the workplace alongside in-depth policy guidance.

Over 2,200 schools and pre-schools have registered with The Sun Safe Schools scheme from all across the UK and overseas, with many British schools abroad also working toward their accreditation.

Skcin are proud to be working with partners in various parts of the UK to expand this work with committed ambassadors and fundraisers.

As such, Sun Awareness Week seems a fitting time to announce the timely recruitment of Skcin Ambassador Lisa Guthrie. The 33 year old mum, local celebrity, chat show host, beauty blogger and internet sensation from Tyne & Wear, has been thrust into the national media spotlight following her personal battle with melanoma. Lisa will be working and filming with Skcin in the North-East to promote our Sun Safe Schools initiative and to work with us in spreading the Sun Safe message across the region.

Skcin commented: “We are absolutely delighted to be working with Lisa as our Ambassador in the North East. Lisa is an incredible woman with an amazing story – this combined with her own success, evident likeability and passion to make a difference - Lisa possesses a huge platform from which she has the ability to make a real difference. We look forward to seeing how we can develop our combined efforts to raise awareness and save lives”.

 

Skcin have been especially busy for the last two months in the run up to Sun Awareness Week supplying hospitals, doctors, nurses, public health, council partnerships, community health, primary schools, pre-school settings and businesses with our resources and guidance across the UK - helping them spread the word and support us in our mission. Many major hospitals have worked in partnership with us to deliver our information and promotional material to raise awareness locally during Sun Awareness with public skin clinics and handing out our literature.

Our Sun Safety and Skin cancer pocket sized booklets are proving hugely successful. For a small and handy resource it is packed with essential information and facts about UV, Our Skin, Tanning, Sunbeds, Sun Safety Advice, How to Check your Skin and What to Look Out For. They are produced and distributed either for free or via donations across the UK with an estimated 1.5 million copies supplied annually and this figure growing year on year . Our children’s illustrated book, George the Sun Safe Superstar has seen over 2000 books published and given to schools.

Skcin will also be busy during Sun Awareness Week across Derbyshire following the massive success of the Colin Bloomfield Melanoma Appeal with BBC Radio Derby. The Appeal which continues to be facilitated by Skcin has seen 200 local primary schools 50,000 children educated about Sun Safety via Skcin’s Sun Safe Schools Accreditation Scheme in addition to receiving enhanced resources funded by the appeal such as sunscreen and dispensers for every CLASS, UV monitors for the playground and educational games for every school. The appeal has also funded a number of Mole Check Clinics - screening hundreds of people, sun shade structures for local parks and soon to be installed - the nations first solar powered Sun Meter! Our support further continues in Derbyshire during Sun Awareness Week with local Derbyshire hospitals running sun awareness events and includes a Graduate Recruitment event with Derbyshire MP, Pauline Latham at Derby University.

Our crusade continues long after Sun Awareness Week ends with lots of exciting plans with more targeted marketing campaigns with our Ambassadors to schools a new awareness initiative to beauty industry. To Skcin, Sun Awareness Week is not about one week, but everyday encouraging a cultural change and educating so we can prevent this terrible disease and help saves lives.

 

For further information about our work, sponsorship opportunities or general volunteering and fundraising activities please contact: Marie Tudor on: marie.tudor@skcin.org.

 

 

 

www.skcin.org  http://www.sunsafeschools.co.uk  http://www.sunsafenurseries.co.uk http://wwwsunsafeworkplaces.co.uk

 

Please follow us on Twitter and Facebook @skcin Registered charity number: 1150048