Skin Cancer Research Fund (SCARF)

Skin is now the most common site in the body for cancers to arise. It is estimated that there are 100,000 cases of skin cancer diagnosed in the UK each year.

Fortunately most can be treated successfully but one form – malignant melanoma - is different. It is all too often life threatening. There are over 10,000 cases of malignant melanoma diagnosed in the UK each year. There are over 2,600 deaths from all forms of skin cancer in the UK each year.

While the incidence of many cancers is steadily declining the opposite is true of skin cancer – the number of new cases of skin cancer and the number of deaths from the disease continue to increase year on year. Research indicates that sun damage to the skin especially before the age of 16, greatly increases the risk of getting skin cancer in later life. For the past 10 years the Trustees of SCaRF have encouraged local primary schools to provide shaded areas in school grounds to enable children to play safely without getting sun burnt.