Skin cancer remains the most common cancer in Wales, yet many people still fail to respond to the risks of UV radiation.
So when the coastal community of Trearddur Bay, in North Wales, came across a possible solution created by the nine Otago Polytechnic nursing students on Facebook, the local council recognised its potential and pounced on it.
Isle of Anglesey county councillor Keith Roberts first spotted the students’ idea on Facebook and liked the way it aimed to educate children about being sunsmart, who would then educate their parents.
He took their research back to his fellow councillors and, soon after, the students were invited to undertake a community engagement project in the popular beach area.
They gathered and analysed data on the coastal community, identified key issues and consulted with local stakeholders.
They found a significant gap in public understanding about ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure, despite decades of public messaging.
They highlighted the need for visible, community-led interventions that shifted sun safety from passive awareness to everyday behaviour.
In partnership with the council and the Melanoma Fund, they designed a sun safety pilot initiative, titled ‘‘Sunguarding’’, with campaign signs and posters.
The council welcomed the findings with ‘‘open arms’’.
‘‘I believe this project will benefit not only the people of Anglesey, but everyone who visits our beaches, including seasonal tourists,’’ Mr Roberts said.
‘‘If we educate the children, the parents will become educated as well. It’s a movement in the right direction.’’
Now the Sunguarding campaign is about to be launched in Trearddur Bay.
At its heart is a colourful UV Safety Station overlooking the beach, featuring a free SPF30 sunscreen dispenser and clear UV guidance, alongside other options such as colour-changing UV-reactive wristbands.
Melanoma Fund chief executive officer Michelle Baker said the initiative would make UV risk more visible within the coastal community and encourage immediate behaviour change among beachgoers.
One of the nurses who worked on the project, Maria Mckeen, has since graduated and now works at Mercy Hospital.
The 21-year-old said the project taught her that being part of meaningful change did not have to be limited to her own physical spheres.
‘‘For me, it really emphasised the impact nurses can have beyond a clinical setting.
‘‘I can contribute to prevention and health promotion on a broader scale, and impact the lives of others whom I will most likely never meet.’’
The pilot will be evaluated over the northern summer, and if found to be successful, it could be scaled up and rolled out across the United Kingdom.
Otago Polytechnic nursing lecturer Prof Jean Ross said she was proud of her students’ extensive research and resources, and believed the solutions could also prove useful in New Zealand.
‘‘What makes this project different is that the response is visible, practical and led at community level.
‘‘That’s where real change happens,’’ she said.
