Skin cancer warning

Skin cancer warning after 150% rise in UK

deaths since 1970s The aim of the UV index is to urge people to change their behaviour to protect themselves Britons have been urged to take care in the against the risks of skin cancer and skin sun after a dramatic rise in skin cancer deaths damage. Cancer Research UK has now in the UK. issued advice on how to protect against skin cancer: Statistics from Cancer Research UK show that in the early 1970s, 1.5 people out of • Seek shade when the sun is at its hottest every 100,000 died of skin cancer. - between 11am and 3pm in the UK By 2017 this was 3.8 per 100,000 - a rise of 153% - with 2,357 deaths in the UK attributed • Cover up with T-shirts, hats and sunto skin cancer. glasses Cancer Research UK said the increase in skin • Regular use of an SPF15 sun cream cancer deaths was greatest among men, with which has four or more stars to indicate their rates now three times higher than in the the level of UVA protection 1970s. Michelle Mitchell, the charity’s chief execuSkin cancer is the fifth most common cancer tive, said: “There are many benefits to going in the UK, with more than 16,000 people outside, felt now more than ever because of diagnosed each year, but nine in 10 cases are sustained periods of lockdown. But something caught early, the charity added. we should all be aware of is sun safety and how to reduce our risk of melanoma. It has warned the vast majority of cases are linked to too much sun or using sunbeds. “Even though many summer holidays on beaches abroad have come to a halt, you can This year the UK has seen UV levels which still get burnt in the UK sun. have been among its highest ever recorded. According to the Met Office’s website, the UV “With rates rising, it’s never been more index “does not exceed eight in the UK” - but important to stay safe in the sun and contact level nine was predicted in parts of the South your GP if you notice any unusual change to West in June. your skin.”

The Walk

Start on Portishead’s Esplanade and head south, going up Beach Road West. When the road bends left, turn right towards the picnic benches. Follow the gravel path in to the field and continue straight ahead, keeping to the right side. Mariners’ Pathbegins at the end of the field. Go over the wooden bridge and continue past the golf course. You will pass Sugar Loaf beach, named after a sugar loaf-shaped rock which stood on the eastern end but collapsed during a severe storm in 1990. Go past the slipway for Portishead Yacht and Sailing Club and just past the club house, bear right to continue on the coastal path. Pass Nore Park Cottage and Black Nore Lighthouse, which was built in 1894. At the crossroads in the path continue along the coastal route. At the top of the hill you will see the former National Nautical School. It opened in 1906 as a school to train boys going into the navy, carpentry or engineering but it now houses luxury apartments. Continuing on the coastal path,you enter the Redcliff Bay area owned by the National Trust. At a fork in the path take the left-hand route leading up to Hillside Road. Head right, past the unusual turreted house, and follow the road as it wind suphill. Keep right where it meets Pembroke Road, go past The Ship pub, and turn left onto Down Road.Turn right into Valley Road and continue onto Blackberry Lane. A sign states this is a private road but it is also a public footpath. Pass Brockley Cottage and a sign for Middle Hill Common, an area of limes to negrass land. Continue on the foot path and when it forks, take the right-hand path. This opens into a grassy area with wide-ranging views across Seven Acre Wood and beyond, with a bench to rest your feet. Veer down the hill, towards the houses. You will come out onto a gravel track, so turn left onto Hill Lane, then left onto the B3124, opposite the White Hart pub.The pavement runs out just after the car garage and the speed limit increases to 50mph, so take care walking on the grass verges. You will eventually come to a short row of houses on the right-hand side. The public footpath starts on the left, opposite the lay-by. Go through the wooden kissing gate and up the narrow path.Turn right at the t-junction in the path.This is the start of Old Black Rock Quarry, part of Weston Big Wood nature reserve. Take the right-hand footpath, part of the Gordano Round. The path comes to a junction but continue ahead, on the level, which leads into a field. Continue ahead and veer towards the top far corner, where trees have been cleared and a new metal kissing gate installed. Go through here and continue across the next field, towards another kissing gate. You will come out at a playing field sogo around the equipment, through the gate and left onto Underwood Road. At the end, cross the road into Wetlands Lane, right onto St. Mary’s Road, and up a narrow alley on the left next to a stone house called The Cot

Continue to the end, veer right out of The Garstons, and left onto St Peter’s Road. Go past the church and continue a head, going across to Slade Road,over the Cabstand into Battery Road,and then into Rodmoor Road. This leads back to the Lake Ground. 9

Halogen light bulb sales will be banned in the United Kingdom under new climate change plans

The sale of halogen light bulbs are going to banned in the UK from September 2021, with fluorescent lights following, under the government climate change plans.

This bright move will cut 1.26 million tonnes of carbon emissions a year and deliver consumers savings, officials say.

The UK began phasing out the sale of higher-energy halogen light bulbs back in 2018 under EU-wide rules.

Now retailers will no longer be able to sell most remaining halogen bulbs, this includes kitchen spotlights that are of the halogen type.

The legislation for the plans will be brought forward this month by the government to reduce our carbon emissions.

The plan will help continue the shift to low-energy LED light bulbs, which account for about two-thirds of lights now sold by British retailers. It is expected to mean LEDs will account for 85% of all bulbs sold by 2030, officials said.

Didi you know LED lights last five times longer than traditional halogen bulbs and produce the same amount of light, but use up to 80% less power.

• LED lights making dent in UK energy demand

• Government to speed up UK climate change target

To help us choose the most efficient light bulbs, changes to the energy labels that consumers see on bulb packaging are being brought in, with the A+, A++ and A+++ ratings abandoned and efficiency graded between A-G, with only the most efficient bulbs given an A rating. LED bulbs could be incorporated into the fluorescent light fittings as a more energyefficient alternative, officials in an online statement said.

Legislation will also include moves to phase out high-energy fluorescent light bulbs - such as strip lights commonly found in offices - with a view to bringing the end to their sale from September 2023.

Cutting carbon emissions as a result of the new rules is the equivalent of removing approximately half a million cars from the UK's roads, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial strategy said in an online statement.

It is part of a string of measures which it says will save consumers money and includes the right to get goods repaired, new energy labels and higher efficiency standards for white goods, TVs and other appliances.

The Energy minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said online: "We're phasing out old inefficient halogen bulbs for good, so we can move more quickly to longer-lasting LED bulbs, meaning less waste and a brighter and cleaner future for the UK.

"By helping ensure electrical appliances use less energy but perform just as well, we're saving households money on their bills and helping tackle climate change."

The chief executive of Signify UK, which owns Philips lighting, said online: "Using energy-efficient LED equivalents for halogen and fluorescent lighting on an even broader scale will significantly help the UK on its journey to decarbonisation, as well as lowering the annual electricity bills for consumers."

For higher wattage bulbs, consumers should be able to perform a straight switch to LEDs. But for lower wattage fittings, which use transformers, LED bulbs may not work and might require a new transformer to be fitted.