Sun-guarding course starts for sport professionals

Stewart Walbridge said the sun-guarding course was useful and helped raise awareness

A UK charity has pioneered a sun protection course for the sports and outdoor sector, its bosses say.

The Melanoma Fund said the course was designed to "elevate standards in sun safety education and skin cancer prevention".

The sun safety course for sport and outdoor industry professionals was believed to be the first in the UK, the charity said, with initial participants including a Devon community group.

The fund said the course was free online and designed for those who worked with people outdoors, from aspiring to existing professionals.

The head of participation at Plymouth's Argyle Community Trust, Stewart Walbridge, said he found the course "really useful" and it helped raise awareness about sun-guarding.

"I previously took sun-guarding as sun cream, but there is so much more to it," said Mr Walbridge.

He said advice included how to use shade, sun hats and wearing protective clothing such as long sleeves.

"I'm trying to be a role model and also trying to raise awareness to the young people because they would not necessarily see the importance of it at a young age," said Mr Walbridge.

"I am trying to lead from the front so they can see the importance of it."

Michelle Baker said sun-guarding for outdoor activities was becoming "even more pressing"

Melanoma Fund CEO Michelle Baker said: "In light of the rising incidence of skin cancer in the UK, and the growing frequency of extreme heat during summer months, it is imperative for the sports and outdoor recreation sector to proactively sun-guard outdoor activities.

"This becomes even more pressing considering the heightened expectations from [sports agency] UK Sport to national governing bodies to demonstrate a robust commitment to health and safety protocols.

"With existing endorsements from these organisations, our materials are well positioned to provide an effective solution."

Dr Phil Brown said he hoped the work would be embedded in people's education

Dr Phil Brown, senior lecturer at Plymouth Marjon University, said: "Any sun exposure that can lead to blistering can be very damaging.

"We often promote the benefits of physical activity and being outside for our physical and mental health [and] we want to mitigate the risks of that while celebrating all the great things that come from being active.

"In coaching, we often use demonstrations and this is a very visual demonstration of safe practice.

"Coaches are often very important people in young people's lives, so they're likely to listen to them and role-model that, and we're hoping to role-model this in terms of how we're going to embed it into our education."