Cancer survivor campaigns to raise awareness

A SURVIVOR of skin cancer is campaigning to raise awareness of the dangers of sun exposure.

Kerri Willmott, 36, from Royston, has started spreading her message through social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook to tell people about her experience.

Working alongside cancer charity Sckin, she has also filmed a spoof news weather segment, detailing the dangers of UV rays, which she hopes a national TV station will broadcast.

The mother-of-three said: “This is a major issue in our society and I don’t think it receives nearly as much attention as it should. In the same way that smoking was once socially acceptable or even considered cool, tanning and laying in the sun for as long as possible seems to be a priority for a lot of young people.

“I have learned so much from my experience but other people need to know about this. I believe we should have a skin care policy in schools, actively educating our children on the risks of being exposed to the sun for too long.”

The campaign Let’s Get Kerri on Telly appears to be making progress. Her video has reached more than 1,500 views on YouTube in one week and she has been re-tweeted on Twitter by actress and singer Coleen Nolan and Girls Aloud singer Nicola Roberts.

In 2010 there were 12,818 people in the UK diagnosed with malignant melanoma skin cancer. In the same year there were 2,203 as a result of the disease.

You can find her YouTube video at this address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPEW2tNozuM

For more information visit www.facebook.com/getkerrionthetelly or follow her on Twitter @Kerriw77