“PLEASE take care of your skin”

That is the message from Hannah Osborne whose aunt, Dawn Best, died from skin cancer last year aged 50.

In a bid to raise awareness of melanoma, Hannah, 34, from Crewkerne, hosted a yoga charity event at the George Reynolds Centre in Crewkerne on Saturday (July 28).

“When my aunt was alive there was no awareness of the dangers of sunlight on the skin and after spending years in the sun my aunt was diagnosed with melanoma,” Hannah said.

“My aunt and I were really close and after she died I knew I wanted to do something to raise funds for Melanoma UK and awareness of the condition itself.

“My stepmum decided we should try and raise awareness and we came up with the idea of hosting a charity event.

“We held a yoga class and then had cream tea afterwards and had a really positive response from people.

“The staff at the George Reynolds Centre have been fantastic to us, my aunt used to work there so they gave us the use of the hall for free.

“You don’t often see people walking around with buckets to raise money for Melanoma UK but they are a great charity with a brilliant message.

“Eighteen people came to the event and we raised £55.50 which is only a small amount but it’s a start.”

Hannah said she plans to host the event each month at the George Reynolds Centre so she can present Melanoma UK with a cheque at the end of year.

She urged people to take care of their skin as the consequences can be costly.

Hannah added: “We now know that sunlight can damage our skin and it is something that we need to pay attention to.

“In the hot weather it’s so easy to forget your sun protection and it can lead to problems later on down the line so please take care of your skin.”