BUSINESSES in Alderley Edge and Wilmslow appear in a new video for a campaign highlighting the vital early detection of skin cancer and melanoma.

The video was filmed at the weekend for a campaign being spearheaded by Claire Dale, from Alderley Edge, whose mum Irene died in 2014, aged 63, from melanoma.

The campaign is being launched by Skcin, the Karen Clifford Skin Cancer Charity, and is promoting MASCED – Melanoma and Skin Cancer Education - the UK’s first online training aimed at beauty, health and hair industries.

It is free to register for and to receive the training, which is due to launch on Monday, January 29.

“A really great weekend was had by the whole Skcin team and Evoke Media Group, who filmed Skcin’s latest skin cancer awareness campaign MASCED in Alderley Edge and Wilmslow,” said Claire, who appears in the film.

“Local businesses Beauty Boutique, Cheshire Beauty, Loaf Hair, Harris and Ross Physiotherapists gave up their time to help raise vital awareness of how the beauty, hair and health industries could help the early detection of skin cancer and help save lives.

“It was so great to see our campaign come to life on camera.

“This is the first time these industries have had anything like this. We are all touched by cancer in some way and this is something we can do to help it happening to others.”

Joanne Morgan, celebrity make-up artist from Makeup4tv, came for the shoot and talked about her experience of ocular melanoma, a rare type of skin cancer that affects the eye, and how her industry could make a big difference by taking the free online training.

She said: “As make-up artists we see skin up close regularly, and by taking this training we are better placed to offer advice on any suspicious lesions we spot on the skin of our clients. It will save lives through early detection.”

Claire is calling for health, beauty and hair professionals to register at masced.uk for the free training.

She added: “If my mum’s physiotherapist and beautician had had this training the outcome could have been so different.

“Early detection of melanoma saves lives, as 86 per cent of deaths are preventable.

“Two thousand five hundred people died of melanoma last year, and 100,000 cases of skin cancer were diagnosed, making it the most common of all cancers.

“The aim of the online training is to reduce the alarming rise in skin cancer cases and deaths from melanoma by harnessing the power of these professionals, who see their client’s skin on a regular basis.

“With more than 250,000 people employed across these industries, training them in skin cancer awareness will have a huge impact and save lives.

“If skin cancer is the only cancer we can see, shouldn’t we all know what to look for?”