A two-year partnership has been announced to raise awareness of skin cancer and pilots affected by the disease.
The British Airlines Pilot Association (BALPA) has announced the partnership with Melanoma UK and Melanoma Focus in an effort to raise funds and awareness.
Researchers from the University of California have found that airline pilots and flight crews could be at twice the risk of developing melanoma, with flying for an hour at 30,000ft the equivalent UV exposure to 20 minutes on a sun bed. As part of its Pilots Giving Campaign – the first charitable giving campaign launched by the professional association – airline pilots, crew and staff are being invited to take part in a series of fundraising events for the charities.
Tim Pottage, BALPA’s chair of communications and external relations, said: “Pilots are at increased risk of developing melanoma, so a melanoma charity is an obvious choice for the first BALPA Pilots Giving partnership. Melanoma Focus and Melanoma UK offer different but equally vital services, and pilots are keen to fundraise for both.”
Gillian Nuttall, founder of Melanoma UK, said: “We were delighted to be given the opportunity to work with BALPA. Their support will help to provide extra funding for vital research and nurses who play a vital role in the treatment of patients.”
The CEO of Melanoma Focus, Simon Rodwell, said: “We are very much looking forward to the partnership with BALPA. This will allow us to commission and fund further scientific studies that have a direct benefit for the treatment of melanoma patients.”
Melanoma cases have risen five-fold since the 1970s and it is one of the fastest growing cancers.
BALPA Pilots Giving will be fundraising for both charities through sports events and other activities including a pilot skydive.
In this episode of the Safety & Health Podcast, ‘Burnout, stress and being human’, Heather Beach is joined by Stacy Thomson to discuss burnout, perfectionism and how to deal with burnout as an individual, as management and as an organisation.
We provide an insight on how to tackle burnout and why mental health is such a taboo subject, particularly in the workplace.
