Jewson has joined forces with Melanoma UK, to help protect builders and its own colleagues from the dangers of skin cancer.

Its ‘Hard Hat Your Skin’ campaign see Jewson stocking Nivea sun cream nationwide while educating and supporting trades working outdoors with a wide range of activity.

The campaign was triggered by an increased awareness of the disease following the death of comedian Sean Lock. Shortly after he died last year, videos re-emerged of him talking about his belief that he contracted skin cancer while working topless on-site in the ‘90s.

Jewson hopes that this increased awareness will spark conversations and action that could ultimately save lives.

As well as stocking Nivea sun cream at all of branches, Jewson will be donating 50p for every bottle sold to Melanoma UK. The funding will go towards vital screening equipment which will help identify possible problems for people before they become life-threatening.

Jewson will also be carrying out a range of activities to raise awareness of the risks of skin cancer both in branch and across social media to get customers and colleagues talking.

Today, we are also delighted to welcome Shane McCormick to the Melanoma UK family as our new Ambassador for Outdoor Workers. 

Shane’s main goal is to help heighten awareness of sun/UV safety targeting outdoor workers. Shane has had an extensive career working outdoors and as a melanoma patient he knows first-hand that most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to UV radiation.  He has taken up a role as our Ambassador because he knows first-hand about the temptation for outdoor workers to peel off the layers when the weather gets hot and the sun appears.

Outdoor workers can have up to 5 to 10 times more sun exposure than indoor workers and are at an increased risk of developing skin cancer.  

Shane was recently interviewed for the new Jewson Hard Hat Your Skin campaign so announcing Shane as our new Ambassador couldn’t come at a better time.

Our skin is not designed for prolonged exposure to the sun, so we are urging outdoors workers to keep their shirt on and treat sun cream as a form of PPE, in the same way as a hard hat or safety boots. The fact that Jewson has started this campaign because Sean Lock talked about the masculine environment of outdoor building and not wanting to be seen as weak will make a real difference to the trade and is likely to save lives.

Melanoma UK wants to help tackle the issue of protecting outdoor workers and with partners such as Jewson and having Shane take up the lead for our charity, we will be able to start making a difference.

Thank you Jewson and welcome to the team Shane #hardhatyourskin

Gill & Di