Dermatology team support education and prevention after successful final summer Sun Safe event
Hundreds of people across Derbyshire and Staffordshire have gained valuable lessons on skin education from University Hospitals of Derby and Burton's (UHDB) Dermatology team as part of BBC Radio Derby's summer-long Sun Safe campaign.
UHDB have been supporting Radio Derby's drive to educate the community about the importance of sun safety and awareness of your own skin, with the campaign marking 10 years since Radio Derby presenter and Derby County commentator Colin Bloomfield died, aged 33, from melanoma skin cancer.
More than 200 people attended the final public event of the summer at Derby Arena last week, with around 500 seen across the run of summer sessions. These sessions have seen UHDB Dermatology colleagues volunteer their time to meet with people, demonstrate ways to examine their own skin for any signs or symptoms of skin cancer or sun damage, pass on key information about prevention and the best methods for staying safe in the sun - and advise anyone to speak to their GP if there were concerns over a mole or lesion seen in a demonstration.
With levels of skin cancer on the rise, Dr Tanya Bleiker, Consultant Dermatologist, has spoken about using the campaign to empower people in the community to understand the best ways to protect themselves in the sun - particularly important during the hottest months of the year - and how they can check themselves to see if anything is changing and may need looking at by a medical professional. Around 90 people were advised to see their GP after attending the Sun Safe campaign events.
Events were also held at Rolls-Royce, Derbyshire Cricket Club, Meadowside Leisure Centre in Burton, the Whitworth Centre in Darley Dale, Matlock and the Age UK Community Centre in Chaddesden, ensuring that these important public health messages were spread as widely as possible, ultimately supporting the drive for positive population health.
"The main message throughout has been about looking after yourself in the sun, and also about knowing your own skin. The first thing is prevention, and making sure that people know when they're out in the sun, enjoy it but be aware of the damage it can do, as well as the goodness - so put on a hat, cover any visible skin, apply sunscreen and try to seek shade, particularly during the hottest hours of the day," she said.
"This campaign has been so great because we were able to educate a lot of people, reassure a lot of people and teach everyone that if you see anything that is changing, or there is something new, then get it checked out, because if we can detect skin cancer early then we can treat it at an early stage.
"Thank you to Radio Derby and the Skcin charity for promoting the campaign across the summer, it really has been fantastic. If we can get people looking after their skin better, then hopefully we can stop the increasing levels of skin cancer in the future."
Speaking to Dr Bleiker on Friday's Radio Derby Breakfast Show, which reflected on the impact of the Colin Bloomfield Sun Safe campaign across the summer, presenter Becky Measures said: "I just want to say a big thank to you and the team for giving up your time."
At last week's event at the Derby Arena, Jill Matthews, Chief Officer for Derby & Burton Hospitals Charity, attended to present some of the dermatology team with flowers as a 'thank you' to the UHDB colleagues who have gone above and beyond to support this important campaign. The charity receives a donation of surplus flowers from M&S Kingsway every week > , which are shared across our end-of-life wards for patients, staff and visitors to enjoy. If any flowers are remaining, Jill then presents them to colleagues to take home.