This summer a team of celebrity gardeners, horticultural organisations and major garden retail groups are uniting to help raise awareness of melanoma, now the fifth most common cancer in the UK.

Charlie Dimmock, Alan Titchmarsh, Andy Sturgeon, David Stevens, Toby Buckland, Anne Swithinbank and Joe Swift are all supporting ‘Watch Your Back!’ a sun protection campaign for gardeners devised by the Myfanwy Townsend Melanoma Research Fund and partnered by the Garden Centre Association (GCA), the Professional Gardeners Guild and The National Allotment Society.

The campaign, now in its second year, targets everyone but specifically men over the age of 50 who are at the highest risk of developing this most dangerous form of skin cancer. Men are 70% more likely to develop the disease, typically on their backs and in areas that are hard to spot, making the warning signs easier to miss, and longer to diagnose. 

In early May the charity is launching a new campaign website and national media campaign, featuring the celebrity gardeners, with in-store promotions appearing in UK garden centres from May to July with selected venues hosting free skin check clinics.

Nearly 160 garden centres across the UK are supporting the campaign, including Dobbies, Hillier, Hillview, Longacres, Squires, Blue Diamond, Scotsdales, Bents, Barton Grange, Garsons and Haskins, to name but a few.

These garden centres will be running targeted in-store campaigns using eye-catching branding featuring advisory slogans on WC mirrors, under sun parasols, around BBQ’s, on sun beds, in cafes and at till points.  Sun-loving plants will be tagged with messages such as; “I may thrive in full sun, but your skin doesn’t!”  The campaign aims to encourage gardeners to get busy outside, but to avoid sunburn and get to know their skin. 

There’s still time for retailers to get involved and to support the cause by rolling out Watch Your Back! promotional material in store this summer.  The charity will provide all promotional materials and support your marketing team to ensure that involvement is promoted on a local/regional level and that information is provided to promote this on your website, gardening clubs, social media, etc.  

If you are interested in supporting the campaign instore, contact Michelle Baker on 01892 319845 or michelle@melanoma-fund.co.uk