'I hope sun cream pilot can be rolled out to events like Tramlines Fringe' - Reader's letter

I was struck while at the Tramlines Fringe event at Devonshire Green that we were all baking in the sun and there was no sunscreen to be found within the security cordon.

Sheffield City Council and Sheffield BID host this free event which is great but the council had assured a resident in July 2024 that ‘there were steps the City Council could be taking’ to address the risks of sun exposure and offered to arrange a meeting with the resident and public health officials, to discuss them further.

Baking in the sun made me wonder just how far these discussions had got. The resident had urged the council to adopt a series of measures including making it compulsory for organisers of outdoor events provide free sun cream with a minimum factor of 30 as part of its event licensing.

Public awareness of the dangers of exposure to the sun is increasing. The resident pointed out that as we brand ourselves ‘The Outdoor City’ we could lead the way on sun safety as being part of this. It’s easy to forget to pack sunscreen or stay out longer than anticipated even when you’re normally reasonably careful, as I realised at Devonshire Green.

Some councillors do listen though. South West Local Area Committee were asked to consider the provision of free sun cream in parks and green spaces and it’s happening! There will be a public launch of ‘Sun Safe Sheffield’ in Endcliffe Park on Saturday 15 August 2026. Free sun cream will also be available at Forge Dam Park Café – two parks very popular with people across Sheffield.

I hope this is welcome news to anybody with personal or family experience of skin cancer. It is only a pilot, but one, I hope, which can be extended to major council supported events like Tramlines Fringe.