IFA and HSE encourage farmers to be SunSmart to reduce risks of skin cancer
THIS WEEK 21 YEARS AGO
The IFA and HSE’s National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) have teamed up to encourage farmers to be SunSmart and to protect their skin from the sun to reduce their risk of skin cancer.
IFA Farm Family & Social Affairs Chair Alice Doyle said that farmers are exposed to 2-3 times more UV radiation from the sun compared with people who work indoors, putting them at a higher risk of skin cancer.
“To reduce the risk of skin damage, farmers should organise their day so that you are in the shade when UV rays are strongest from 11am to 3pm,” she said.
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in Ireland, with over 13,000 new cases diagnosed every year. Nine out of every 10 cases are caused by UV rays from the sun or sunbeds.
Dr Triona McCarthy, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, HSE’s NCCP said that working outdoors is an everyday part of farming life but it is important to take simple steps to protect skin from the sun to reduce the risk of skin cancer.
“Don’t just wait for hot and sunny days to use sun protection – UV from the sun is damaging, even on cool, cloudy days. It is important to protect skin from April to September as you cannot see or feel the UV rays which cause damage to the skin.”
The SunSmart 5 S’s campaign encourages people to protect their skin from the sun by: - Slip on clothing that covers your skin such as long sleeves, collared t-shirts;
- Slop on sunscreen on exposed areas, using factor 30+ for adults and apply 20 minutes before going outside. Reapply regularly – more often if sweating;
- Slap on a wide-brimmed hat, hard hats and helmets can have attachable brims and neck flaps;
- Seek shade especially if outdoors between 11am and 3pm. Farmers can check the sun’s UV forecast for your area on Met Eireann’s website or app at www. met.ie/uv-index;
- Slide on sunglasses to protect your eyes. More information on the SunSmart campaign is available on www.hse.ie/sunsmart.
The front page of TheAvondhu at the end of May 2001 heralded the upcoming Festival of the Galtees, the 26th staging of the event in Mitchelstown. Breda Roche and Tom O’Flynn were battling it out for the title of the Queen or King of the Galtees, at just £1 to vote. The official opening would have the honour of special guest Aldine Skinner, former Irish Ambassador to Luxembourg, and the festival would close with the ‘Culchie of the Galtees’.
Coláiste an Chraoibhín students were amongst those to get a taste of Army life at Lynch Camp, Kilworth. Students from 10 secondary schools were given the chance to visit the Army camp for a ‘team and character building’ exercise, and got a taste of what soldiering is all about.
A new sculpture was being erected in New Market Square in Mitchelstown. The £32,000 sundial was commissioned by the town’s Heritage Society, and for £5 people could buy a page in a Millennium Book which was placed in a time capsule under the 13-foot long limestone seat.
In Anglesborough, the news reported was that cable car plans for Temple Hill were progressing with a visit from a Scottish engineer who gave the plans the thumbs up. He had been contacted by Cllr John Gallahue, and the next step in the ambitious plan was to seek funding for a feasibility study.
Meanwhile, the Leisure Centre complex in Mitchelstown got a boost with a cheque for £22,000 from Ballyhoura Development for a feasibility study and to draw up plans.
In 2001, AROMA were awarded £40,000 for work on the approach roads to Mitchelstown, as organisations sponsored trees throughout the town taking on the responsibility of keeping the area around their tree ‘clean, weed and grass-free’. The funding was part of a larger package of £750,000 which was distributed across North Cork under the Urban and Village Renewal Scheme.
The weekly Garda Report carried the loss of four library books at Mill Island in Fermoy, and a Pekenese bitch which strayed from its home. Gardaí were also seeking information on damage to a Bus Éireann bus in the town.
An N8 Action Group was getting legal advice on how to progress. The group were opposed to the proposed motorway between Cashel and Mitchelstown, and had handed 1,000 signed objections to Tipperary County Council on a stretcher carried by four people in blue and gold. Also in Tipperary, a local group were relieved as a quarry was refused planning permission in Knockane, Ballylooby.
Ryan’s Centra Fermoy had legs of lamb for £12.99 for the June bank holiday weekend in 2001, while Co-op Superstores in Mitchelstown, which was open until 9pm Friday night for shoppers to take advantage of deals, offered men’s short-sleeved shirts at 2 for £10. In entertainment, Brendan Shine was in The Village Arts Centre in Kilworth, while Billa was in the same venue in June that year.
In Letters to the Editor, one writer deplored the ‘intimidation’ suffered in Chapel Square where no less than ten Fianna Fáil supporters, including Ned O’Keeffe, collected for the party.
Roadworks in Kilworth may not have delighted motorists, but for two families it was a welcome heralding of works to alleviate repeat flooding near Molly Barry’s Cross.
In Fermoy, builders unearthed a seven foot deep underground chamber, measuring eight foot in diameter, which experts claimed dated to the time of St Patrick. They were excavating a foundation for a wall at Pike Road.
A double-page spread within TheAvondhu 21 years ago advertised the Government’s new Special Savings Incentive Account (SSIA) scheme. However, smaller post offices were ‘once again stifled by bureaucracy’ as they were excluded from the scheme.
Rumours that lay-offs of 150 workers at SCI Fermoy were confirmed; however, HR at the company said that these layoffs were contract workers who were aware their contracts were temporary. In more positive news however, Pat Phelan was reunited with his terriers Cindy and Rex after they went missing at Corrin.
CBS in Mitchelstown had the official opening of their new carpark and one-way system. The official opening and blessing was carried out by Rev Fr Anthony Wickham.
The members of Fermoy Karate Club celebrated after taking second place at the European International Japan Karate Association Championships, while Charlie Mac’s was the place to be for Fermoy’s Celtic Supporters Club, some pictured in kilts, who celebrated the Scottish side’s historic treble.
Finally, deals were to be had as two Bon Jovi tickets at £55 were for sale in TheAvondhu Classifieds, as was a room available to rent in Mitchelscourt for the sum of just £36 a week - how times have changed!