Sports days in the heat being cancelled

[LovelyBath77]

Kind of wish ours was. It's meant to be really hot this week and it will be at 1.30pm. Poor kids.

Thing is this type of weather IS becoming more common in the UK, Last July was very humid.

Also had heatwaves in August and September 2016.

The rise in popularity of package holidays is one of the reasons for the increase in melanoma, along with the use of sunbeds, and the status attached to having a tan. And of course the ozone layer is thinner than it used to be, plus the fact that Brits are utterly appalling at using suncream properly.

My dad had melanoma, believed to have originated from a sunburn which he caught on the beach at Littlehampton as a child.

Given the fact that many adults cannot apply suncream properly, where does that leave Primary aged kids sitting in a school field for a few hours with no shade? I still have to remind my 10 year-old to apply cream.

I’m constantly surprised at how utterly blasé so many Brits are about sun exposure.

laughs in spanish

Well if the school could conjure up about 20 v large gazebos on the field half a mile away that would be fine. Children, parents and teachers could keep cool and safe.

But that's just not always realistic. I think we'd all rather no one had heat stroke from sitting in full sun for 4 hours.

My school had sports day back in early may. Others could consider this.

our sports day was yesterday. school put up ine gazebo per class and full water bottles and hats were compulsory. there was sone shade for parents, and we just rotated tgrough so everybody who wanted could be in the shade for a bit ( and people who really needed it obviously could stay in the shade).
no problem

That sounds good Yura. I have never attended a Sports Day where gazebos were available, nor trees.

Very happy to be laughed at in Spanish, or indeed any language of your choice. Rather be an object of ridicule than become a statistic of a largely preventable cancer.

Excuse me... taps on shoulder.... this is mn uk isn't it????

I remember at secondary school in the early 90's hats and sun cream were both banned as fashion accessories and toiletries respectively (other than deodorant for after pe these things weren't allowed). Heat stroke and sunburn were part and parcel of sports day, especially for those of us who weren't taking part and had to sit on the field with no moving around. Times should have changed since then.

My dc schools provide gazebos, for kids only mind but for me that’s all that matters. I’m wondering if my dc ones might get cancelled now though with the weather supposed to be 28 tomorrow here in south east 🤒

A couple of points.
For those saying there is no shade, why don't you provide your own? A cheap gazebo or even a brolly is better then nothing.
Those saying it takes 2 weeks for us to acclimatise? We've had this heat for over that.

I get looked at a bit oddly for wanting to be pale. I think people dismiss melanoma/skin cancer as something that happens to other people, or to people who sit and fry themselves for hours every day in the summer.

But it's the fastest growing cancer and all it takes is one sunburn - especially if you're pale and prone to moles and freckling. But anyone can get it.

And people still talk about how easily their kids tan (which is still sun damage) or being proud of the fact that their school allowed sports day to go ahead at 1pm, when the UV is at its highest (and actually at very high levels according to the met office). Even though medical advice says you should stay in the shade and covered up between 11am and 3pm to avoid things like heatstroke, sunburn and other heat-related illnesses.

I'd rather be pale and called pathetic or incapable of coping than end up frazzled with a massively increased chance of a fairly preventable cancer!

Your solution only works if ones child is allowed to sit under shade provided by the parent mellon. It's also a bit of a fucker for kids who don't have a parent there. Like, if your parents are both FT, sunburn for you!

Nor everyone has a car to lug around a gazebo and unless it's a beach umbrella, it probably won't provide anywhere near enough shade.

Our nursery sports day is at 2:30, but it's in a shaded, cool garden and everyone can take refuge inside so I expect it will be fine.

Your post is appt-on adaline- I feel exactly the same.

I thought it was common knowledge that it is generally not a good idea to be in the sun between 11-3, when the temperature is high. But clearly that isn’t the case

...pressed send too soon.

And YES re kids! I once overheard a mum saying that her child doesn’t need sunscreen because they don’t burn. 🙄

I was amused to read this in the heat advisory we got today from the National Weather Service - we had a high of 33C here.

"...CHILDREN ATTENDING SUMMER CAMPS OR OUTDOOR SPORTS PRACTICES SHOULD TAKE EXTRA PRECAUTIONS. WHEN POSSIBLE...RESCHEDULE STRENUOUS ACTIVITIES TO EARLY MORNING"

My DS sports day got cancelled on Monday 30 mins before it was suppose to start because it reached 30. Some parent must have complained as they sent out an apology letter containing the sun protection act. I know some of the parents complained to my mum who works in the local shop. I know it’s fraustrating, I was 5 mins from school when I found out but I totally 7nderstand why they did it. It sounds like some of the parent would rather their kids overheat for the convenience. They’ve rescheduled for the morning in a week which I much better.