FREE cancer information and support is coming to Northwich.

Macmillan Cancer Support's mobile information and support service will be parking up at Tesco Northwich, with cancer information specialists on hand to answer any questions.

The team encourages anyone with worries relating to cancer to stop by between 10am and 3pm on Thursday, June 20.

With summer holidays fast approaching, the team will also be providing specialist information about sun safety and skin cancer.

Skin cancers are most likely to appear on skin that is exposed to the sun. If caught early, they are very treatable and most people with non-melanoma skin cancers are cured with treatment.

Alison Rogers, from the mobile information team, said: “The sunnier weather gives us all a boost but it’s important to be aware of how to stay safe in the sun and to know which changes to your skin could give reason for concern.

“It’s important for everyone to take extra care in the sun. But some cancer treatments can make you especially sensitive to the sun. If you’re having treatment for cancer, ask your healthcare team for advice about protecting your skin during and after treatment.”

Skin cancers can look very different, so visit your doctor if you notice anything unusual on your skin that does not go away after 4 weeks, including:

  • any spot or sore that doesn’t heal
  • a spot or sore that hurts, is itching, crusty, scabs over or bleeds
  • areas where the skin has broken down (an ulcer) and doesn’t heal
  • a lump on the skin - this might be a firm, red lump or may look sunken in the middle

Melanoma is a rarer type of skin cancer. It can develop from a new mole or one you already have.

The ABCDE list can help tell the difference between a melanoma and a normal mole.

See you GP if you are worried about any changes in your skin or a mole.

A – Asymmetrical moles – irregular in shape

B – Border of a mole – blurred or has jagged edges

C – Colour of a mole – if a mole has more than one colour

D – Diameter (width) – irregular moles are usually larger than 7mm

E – Evolving – melanoma moles often change (evolve)