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FREE SUN CREAM FOR KIDS

With thanks to fundraising from Peter Roberts, Saints in the Community are supporting National Sun Awareness Week by making free sun cream available for children who are attending their football programmes!

National Sun Awareness Week is a campaign led by the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) which takes place in May from Monday 2nd to Sunday 8th. A cause close to Peter’s heart, the Trust’s Mental Health & Wellbeing player raised funds in his Kiltwalk challenge last year to support local families to participate in outdoor football activities safely. 

With the arrival of Spring and longer, sunnier days, many of us will likely be looking to maximise our time in the sunshine. It is at this time of year being equipped with the knowledge to enjoy the sun safely becomes particularly important. This is where National Sun Awareness Week comes in, a week of action aimed at giving advice on the prevention of sunburn and skin cancer risks. 

In 2017, BAD published a study which showed more than one in three (35%) people were burning every year in the UK, with a further 46% burning while abroad. With the NHS telling us sunburn increases the risk of skin cancer, it’s in everyone’s best interests to learn about the benefits of safe sun cream application.  

As a general rule, adults should be: 

• Applying around two teaspoons of sun cream to their face, neck, and arms or two tablespoons if covering the whole body while wearing swimming outfits. 
• If you plan to be out long enough where burning is a risk, sun cream should be applied 30 minutes before heading out and again just before you head out the door. 
• As the sun can dry sun cream off your skin, it should be reapplied every two hours or after you have been in water - even if it says it is water resistant. 

The sun is strongest in the UK between 11am and 3pm throughout March to October – a time when the Trust usually hosts outdoor Holiday Camps. Sun cream and shade is important as children’s skin is much more sensitive and repeated burning can lead to health problems in later life. 

Peter knows first-hand the effects of the sun’s harmful rays, having lived with skin cancer for some twenty years. Peter approached the Saints in the Community team ahead of his Kiltwalk challenge to ask that a portion of the money he raised go towards providing protection for children attending the summer sessions. A loyal supporter of the Trust and our work, we were proud to pledge 50% of the money he raised to providing free sun care – although initially kept a secret. 

In a recent interview following his Kiltwalk, Peter stated, “the better the challenge, the better people will support you” – and what a challenge he set. Deciding on both a ten mile walk and a 1,500-metre stair hike, he had his work cut out for him. Being 65, having no stomach, no spleen, half a diaphragm, and still recovering from skin cancer removal just shortly before was no deterrent for Peter – “It was hard going by the way … but I had my faithful friend, my dog, to assist me and be my backup”. 

Thanks to his hard work and the people who sponsored his efforts, Saints in the Community were able to purchase a variety of children’s sun care. Peter was invited to McDiarmid Park to be surprised with multiple crates of sun cream and be witness to families using the provided protection so that children could focus on having fun in the sun. Speaking on his personal response to the money he raised, Peter said, “[I’m] proud, that I’m possibly saving one kids life from getting skin cancer because the sun is deadly, very deadly, and people don’t realise that”.