Safe Sun: The Essex beach that provides free sun cream
The SPF 50 sun cream is free for everyone
Last updated 24th Aug 2022
Have you ever gone to the beach for the day and realised you’ve forgotten your sun cream?
You’re not alone, but now there’s a solution - created by Leigh local Sam Batstone.
Back in May, the 32 year old underwriter teamed up with the local council to install a free SPF 50 sun cream dispenser in Old Leigh, to prevent skin cancer, unnecessary plastic pollution and to help those who may struggle with the high price of the cream amidst the cost of living crisis.
Now, a few months on, the scheme has been a roaring success, with over 40 installed across the country.
Here's the story of Safe Sun so far.
Where it all began
Sam says the idea came from a trip to the beach: "I was on the beach in Leigh with my partner and it was one of those typical British days where it starts off cloudy and then gets sunny.
"We were getting a bit burnt, people around us were getting a bit burnt and as I looked around I saw all of the hand sanitiser dispensers because of the pandemic and thought ‘wouldn’t it be great if one of them dispensed sun cream?’
“I had a look around and couldn’t find anyone who was doing it and that’s when I approached the local council who gave me a grant, and now it’s here!”
What are the dispensers for?
Sam is hoping the dispensers will help prevent skin cancers: "Skin cancers are one of the main killers in the UK and they're so preventable – sun cream is one of the main ways to do that, so if this dispenser can save one life, it’s worth it’s weight in gold.”
At a time when many are people's budgets are stretched, due to the rising cost of living, he hopes the dispenser will help families who can't afford to buy sun cream themselves: "At the moment with the cost of living crisis, sun cream is expensive and families are choosing between taking their kids to the beach without sun cream or not going to the beach at all.
"This way they can utilise the free sun cream, protect their children and still have a great day out.”
Sam also hopes the invention will prevent littering: “It reduces plastic and the amount of bottles that get left behind on the beach. This is one facility for the whole beach so it’s much more environmentally friendly.”
Roaring Success
When we first spoke with Sam back in May, he told us he hoped to roll the invention out across the county, and was liaising with local businesses and sports clubs.
Now, just a few months later, there are more than 40 across the country: "A lot of sports clubs and private businesses have embraced them.
"Bolton Wanderers have some in their stands, Seven Oaks football club have also put some up- these ones get lots of use as they've got over one thousand players across 65 teams at their grounds.
"There are also some in schools, which is so needed, because kids are outside all day in playgrounds constantly being exposed to UV rays.
"We've even got local businesses along Southend Seafront, for example, The Roslin Beach Hotel have just implemented their own dispenser for their terrace. It's brilliant."
Sam says he's amazed how far things have come: "It's been fantastic, the pick-up from everyone has been amazing. We now have over forty dispensers nationwide, some in Scotland, Wales, Jersey and across the UK.
"The idea was picked up by social media and the interview we did on Greatest Hits Radio and loads of people have got in touch. It's been really well received...
"I'm absolutely blown away. I can't believe the growth of it and I'm so excited that people are investing in the idea.
"All it takes is one dispenser and that could save a life. It's so cost-efficient, cheap and straight forward to do but it makes such a big impact to a community and to the businesses supporting the idea."
Melanoma UK support
A national skin cancer charity tells us it wants to see Safe Sun Dispensers rolled out across the country - as it could save lives.
We told CEO of Melanoma UK, Gillian Nuttall, all about the Safe Sun Dispensers: “I think it's an absolutely fantastic idea. The model is already there - we've just gone through two and a half years of Covid, with hand sanitisers everywhere you look.
“Let's take it just that bit further and do it with sunscreen! It must be the easiest thing in the world…
“I hate the expression ‘no brainer’, but this really is. You can get somebody to fill these dispensers for you relatively cheaply and it’s just a great way of keeping people safe – we should all be supporting this.”
As well as preventing skin cancer, Gillian notes it would help save money too: “If I were to tell you the cost of treating skin cancer to our NHS, it's absolutely eye watering.
“So what's better? To stop it before it starts with these dispensers or to end up with a patient with Melanoma needing half a million pounds worth of treatment and facing possible death?
“Realistically, it's a great way of saving money for the NHS and it will help teach people that we need to protect our skin.
“It’s a fabulous idea, a massive big yes from us at Melanoma UK.”
The importance of sun cream
We spoke to local Dermatology nurse and medical advisor for Melanoma UK, Natalie Fisher, to find out why it's so important to wear sun cream.
She says sun cream is vital to prevent skin cancers: "We know that the vast majority of skin cancers are caused by UV radiation...
"In the summer months UV-B is prevalent and these UV-B rays cause sun burn, which is why most of us reach for sun cream in the summer months - it's a great tool in protecting you against UV radiation."
She says the news that some families can't afford to buy sun cream due to the cost of living crisis is upsetting but that it's a necessity: "I find it heart-breaking. Obviously the cost of living is going up and some cream isn't always that accessible, although there are some brands out there on the market who are trying to make it accessible for everyone. "
"Unfortunately, it is something that we do need to try and budget for. It's vital, especially our children.
"We need to be protecting their young skin all year round."
Natalie welcomes the idea of Sam's free sun cream dispensers as a solution: "It's brilliant that they're rolling that out.
"I think we need to get it into schools as well - that way we're making it available for families that perhaps otherwise can't budget for it."
What we're doing
We at Greatest Hits Radio Essex wanted to help spread Sam’s message further and see these dispensers rolled out everywhere, so here’s what we’re doing:
- We've written to lots of local MPs sharing information about the Safe Sun dispensers and campaign to get their thoughts and ask them to commit to meeting us to discuss installing dispensers in their constituencies.
- We’ve similarly written to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Skin, made up of MPs from a variety of different parties, which according to its website: “acts as a forum for partners in skin care to engage with politicians with an interest in the issue”, to request a meeting to discuss Safe Sun dispensers.
- We'll be writing to local councils to request meetings to discuss the dispensers and the Safe Sun campaign.
We’ll be keeping you up to date with our progress on Greatest Hits Radio Essex and right here.
Sam's message
Sam has this message for councils and MPs who might be interested in Safe Sun dispensers: “The bigger this gets, the better. The more dispensers we have, the more people we can save from skin cancer…
“It’s really not an expensive thing to do. Dispensers are about £6, and a litre of SPF 50 sun cream costs around £35 and will last weeks, or months…
“Think of the cost versus the reward. If you asked anyone if they would pay £40 to save a life, they definitely would. If one of these dispensers saves just one life, it’s worth a million pounds…
“I hope the dispensers and Safe Sun campaign will just keep getting bigger and better.”