Campaign to be sun care aware at school

It is hoped the sun protection routine will become part of daily life at school.

Preston company Key Engineering & Hygiene Supplies Ltd is launching a new product to help schools take action against sun damage and raise awareness of skin cancer risks.

The leading hygiene product provider is pushing for sun protection to become part of the school routine, by introducing a new product for children to use at school.

With students spending an average of 1.5 hours outside per school day, their revolutionary sun care pack is an all-in-one kit to help protect children from harmful UV rays during school time and make them aware of the risks.

The plan is to educate the children to protect themselves.

Sophie Petrie from Key Engineering & Hygiene Supplies Ltd said: "There's a lesson plan that comes with the product so it's about educating the children to put the cream on themselves.”

The pack contains a sun cream cartridge, dispenser, mirror, supporting educational literature and a UV index display, which highlights the dangers of sunburn even on overcast days.

“There's a UV dial that shows when the risks of being burnt are high. Teachers can place this near the door or window so that children know when they need to apply the product,” said Sophie.

The product is available with SPF 30 or SPF 50 sun cream that can be applied from a dispenser mounted on the wall, in much the same way as hand sanitiser.

Sophie hopes the sun protection routine will become part of daily life at school.

“We are currently supplying the product at a school in Morecambe free of charge as a trial,” she said. “It also goes towards the Ofsted report, showing the school is being proactive and protecting the children while they are at school.”

The business, which supplies hygiene products to schools, is also supporting the national skin cancer charity Skcin in a bid to raise awareness of skin cancer risks and care for the young population in nurseries, primary schools and higher education.

According to Skcin, we experience approximately one quarter of our total lifetime exposure to sun before we are 18 and studies have shown that suffering blistering sunburn in childhood can as much as double the risk of developing melanoma in later life, meaning it’s never too early to make children aware of sun protection.

Skcin also reports that more than 80 per cent of all skin cancers are caused by overexposure to the sun and/or sunbeds. They hope to reduce this statistic through raising awareness and lowering the risk of preventable cancers.

In addition to supplying sun care products to schools, Key Engineering & Hygiene Supplies Ltd also provides industrial kits for construction workers who are at an increased risk of skin cancer due to their frequent exposure to the sun.

For more information about Key Engineering and Hygiene Supplies Ltd sun cream and other products, call 01772 768505 or email [email protected]