Gardeners told to watch their backs! - Kitchen Garden Magazine

A new campaign urging men to review their sun protection habits and get their backs checked regularly for the warning signs of skin cancer.

Charlie Dimmock and Alan Titchmarsh have joined a host of horticultural organisations in supporting Watch Your Back!, a new campaign urging men to review their sun protection habits and get their backs checked regularly for the warning signs of skin cancer.

Men over 50 are at the highest risk of developing melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer. In men, it typically appears on the back, head or neck. Because these areas are harder to spot, diagnosis tends to happen later than for women. The campaign features The Gardeners’ Sun Safety Code, a set of guidelines on sun protection and how to check skin for signs of change.

Article continues below...
Advert

Enjoy more Kitchen Garden reading in the monthly magazine.
Click here to subscribe & save.

Charlie Dimmock says, “Getting active outdoors is a positively healthy thing to do at any age, however we ALL need to be more aware of the dangers of the sun. Men especially can be reluctant when it comes to applying sunscreen, visiting their doctor or checking their skin for signs of change. With this attitude not only do we all risk melanoma, but all other sun-related cancers.”

Gardeners are being challenged to enter The Great 60 Second Gardening Quiz, with questions against the clock and prizes from Spear & Jackson, Thompson & Morgan, Ladival sunscreen and the RHS for the top 50 scores. Each entry costs £1, with proceeds helping to raise awareness of melanoma and funding research.

Find out more and enter the quiz at http://www.watchyourback.melanoma-fund.co.uk/

Article continues below...
Advert

Enjoy more Kitchen Garden reading in the monthly magazine. Click here to subscribe.

Sign-up to the Kitchen Garden Magazine Newsletter

Enter your e-mail address below to see a free digital back issue of Kitchen Garden Magazine and get regular updates straight to your inbox…

You can unsubscribe at any time.

Steve Ott

Steve Ott is editor of Kitchen Garden magazine and started his career as a professional grower, producing everything from cut flowers to vegetables. He has been growing fruit and veg all his life and spends most of his spare time in his garden in the East Midlands. He loves to experiment with crops and varieties he has never grown before and when he isn’t gardening is to be found out in the countryside bird watching and walking his dog Ted.