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Sun Smart Kids

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Thanks to generous funding by the Port of Newcastle,
local primary school students are participating in an
innovative new sun safety program.
Sun Smart programs in schools have been around since 1998, but the Cancer
Council is always looking for new ways to keep students safe and to keep sun
safety forefront in their minds.
Glen Parsons, Community Programs Coordinator for the Cancer Council
NSW Singleton office has come up with an innovative way to do just that.
Glen’s idea was to create large SunSmart stands specifically for schools
where students can access sunscreen at all times. These large interactive
visual displays are easily erected and provide a constant reminder to practice
sun safety.
Glen approached the Port of Newcastle who immediately saw the
benefits and got on board. The first stage of the pilot program saw the
construction of 15 stands which were offered to public schools in the
Newcastle area.
Port of Newcastle CEO, Geoff Crowe, said he was pleased to support the
Cancer Council’s SunSmart stands through its Community Partnerships
Program.
“The SunSmart stands are a great initiative to get into our local schools,
ensuring the ‘slip, slop, slap’ message will always be top of mind for students.
A large number of the Port’s employees work outdoors around the Port, so
sun safety is something we take very seriously – both at work and at home
with our families,” said Geoff.
Merewether Public School was one of the schools that jumped at the
opportunity to participate in the program. Principal, Greg Cullane said the
program complimented what they were already doing at the school. “This
program is a fantastic way to help keep our kids sun safe. What we also
particularly like is that we can easily take the stand to swimming carnivals or
outdoor events when sun protection is of paramount importance.”
This rollout to Newcastle schools is only the first step and planning is already
underway to bring it to primary schools in the Upper Hunter. With the positive
results it has already received we have no doubt that it will become a
successful nationwide program and we encourage everyone to support it.

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