IF you go to the seafront on a sunny day, it is clear why Dorset has one of the highest incidences of skin cancer in the country.

Despite the fact that skin cancer rates have doubled every decade since the 1950s, people still flock to the beach at the first glimmer of sunshine. And as the reddened flesh on display shows, many - including children - do not wear adequate protection.

There are now an estimated 100,000 new cases of skin cancer a year in the UK, most of which are caused by ultraviolet radiation from the sun. The most dangerous kind, malignant melanoma, is the third most common cancer among the 15 to 24 age group.

To raise awareness of sun safety, Bournemouth health promotion co-ordinator Hilary Moody talked to each class at Townsend Primary School. She invited pupils to enter a competition to come up with a poem or a rap to convey the messages:

stay in the shade between 11am and 3pm

make sure you never burn

always cover up

remember to take extra care with children

use factor 15+ sunscreen with four or five star UV protection

check your moles.

The overall winner was 10-year-old Natasha Harding, who said of the campaign: "It's made me be a lot more aware."

She and runners-up Chelsie Roslyn, 11; Pearl Edwards, 10; Hannah Barney, 10; and Charles and Jordan, also 10, were presented with their prizes at an end of term assembly.

Hilary said: "I hope that by doing things like we are doing in schools we are educating youngsters that tanned is not necessarily the way to be. You can actually be fit without being brown."

During her chats with schoolchildren, Hilary mentions that suntans were considered working class until the 1920s, when fashion designer Coco Chanel returned to Paris from a holiday on the French Riviera and sparked a new craze.

The belief that brown skin is more attractive persists to this day, despite a wealth of evidence that there is no such thing as a safe tan - unless it comes out of a bottle.

"A tan is the body's way of protecting the skin, with the pigment melanin creating a block to screen out ultra violet rays," explained Hilary.

"Children are outdoors more, their skin is thinner and it's also changing. All children, no matter whether they tan easily or not, should be protected from the sun. UVA affects the general genetic structure of the skin, and that's where cancer starts."

In fact, getting sunburnt in childhood can double your risk of developing skin cancer in later life. For women, the biggest danger area is the legs and for men, the torso.

Babies should be kept in complete shade all the time. Older children should be kept covered up in dry, close woven clothing and a hat on the beach and have sunscreen applied frequently to any exposed areas.

"In 1996 when I went into health promotion, there were 40,000 cases of skin cancer a year," said Hilary. "Now there are 70,000 a year reported."

Although Australia has more cases of skin cancer than the UK, more people die of the disease in this country - 2,000 a year. We may not have Oz-style temperatures, but it is perfectly possible to burn in the UK, even on a cloudy day.

NATASHA'S WINNING ENTRY:

We all have fun,

Playing in the sun,

But if you get burnt,

It's a lesson to be learnt.

So put on your sun cream,

Make sure it's factor 15,

Wear a sunhat and shades,

To keep out the ultra violet rays.

Keep little ones out of the sun,

As their skin is very delicate when they are young,

So be Sun Smart and tell everyone what to say,

Or you can visit the website at www.sunsmart.org.uk

So if you want a tan,

Do the best you can,

To put on your sun cream.

It'll save the skin and the scream!