BY EMMA CONNOLLY AND KIERAN O'MAHONEY
FOUNTAINSTOWN and Garrettstown beaches both have sunscreen dispensers available for public use this summer as part of an innovative HSE campaign to protect people from skin cancer.
Earlier this year, HSE’s National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) put a call out to communities, offering them the chance to take part in its SunSmart Sunscreen Dispenser Pilot in 2024.
‘The project involves provision of a sunscreen dispenser with a UV index display to community/voluntary groups who are involved in outdoor leisure activities to trial the unit to August,’ said a spokesperson.
‘The dispensers were delivered in early July, along with posters and SunSmart merchandise for the lifeguards,’ she added.
The SunSmart brand is at the forefront of a National SunSmart Awareness Campaign, run by the HSE National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) and Healthy Ireland, to raise awareness of the steps people can take to protect their skin from the sun and reduce the risk of skin cancer and not using sunbeds. Skin cancer affects over 13,000 people in Ireland each year and the campaign is run on an annual basis from April to
September.
As part of the SunSmart campaign, the senior health promotion and improvement officer and cancer prevention officer in Cork Kerry Community Healthcare offered training to lifeguards through the water safety officer.
The project has been welcomed by the County Council.
‘The dispenser is a very important reminder to everyone using our beaches to wear sun protection and it highlights the effects of exposure to the sun for everyone,’ the spokesperson said, adding that on occasion, and during spells of good weather, lifeguards have had to assist people suffering the effects of too much sun.
The plan is to follow up at the end of the season and gather some feedback on the use of the dispensers.
At this week’s meeting of Carrigaline Municipal District, Cllr Ben Dalton O’Sullivan (Ind) raised a motion calling on the HSE to roll out the sunscreen dispenser at ‘pilot scheme’ the other beaches in the municipal district.
‘I welcome that Fountainstown has been chosen for this pilot project given that it’s such an effective idea, especially with skin cancer being such a big issue.’
He added that he had asked the District to write to the HSE requesting that they consider rolling it out to the other beaches in the Carrigaline area.
