I’ve been going to the Suffolk Show for more years than I care to remember but this year was one of the best, as I was able to be there and help to spread the sun awareness message.

It’s a great showcase for Suffolk and hats off to the organisers from the Suffolk Agricultural Association for a great two days.

As a child I would go with some of my friends who earnt money by litter picking but I was more interested in collecting as many stickers and leaflets as possible. I would march up to each stand and the utter the words: “Got any freebies?” I was glad to see this week that was still happening as children with their parents or grandparents were covered in stickers from various charities and businesses. I also used to love climbing on all the tractors and combine harvesters as well as sitting in all the posh cars. Fast forward a few years when I worked at Lancaster Mercedes Benz. I would help out on the stand and spent most of my time making sure the kids didn’t put sticky fingers on the flash cars or nick the gear knobs!

My relationship with the Suffolk Show continued when I joined the BBC, and for many years I was responsible for our stand at the show. It was great fun but also a logistical nightmare, decamping the whole radio station from central Ipswich up to the Trinity Park showground. We had some amazing times with one year the Teletubbies joining us on stage and another time we had some amazing props from Doctor Who.

It was a great way of meeting our listeners, hopefully gaining some more, and that’s the same for all of the people at the show. It’s a great chance to interact with customers or supporters.

I’ve been to the show in all weathers and some years we’d get four seasons in one day! The weather this week was a little damp, but it didn’t put people off and it was a fabulous couple of days. As a child I always used to go home with a sunburnt neck.

In fact, as a kid I was always getting badly burnt by the sun and would go home with my skin red raw. We didn’t know about the dangers of the sun in those days, and we never knew about suntan lotion.

I would be so burnt I could hardly move and all mum could do was to cover me in Calamine lotion to sooth the pain. I couldn’t have anything touch my skin and couldn’t take a bath or shower because it hurt so much.

Now, thank goodness, we know much more and our children are either covered up or covered in factor 50 sun lotion. The worry is people like me who were badly burnt in childhood could develop some form skin cancer. I’m now the CEO of Cancer Support Suffolk and I’m in the right place to help make a difference.

That’s why this week at the show we took a stand and in conjunction with Ipswich Hospital carried out skin checks on around 180 people. The idea was anyone with a concern about their skin could pop in and have it looked at. Of those we saw, 10 were referred for further examination.

We were surprised so many people had worries, but bearing in mind what I said earlier, those of us who didn’t cover in our youth must keep an eye on our skin. Like all cancers if caught early enough, your chances of survival are much greater.

Whatever your age, if you have a mole that changes or a mark on your skin, please, please go and get it checked out by your GP. Don’t put it off and be persistent if you’re not happy with the response. It’s probably nothing but it could be something.

At Cancer Support Suffolk we’re giving out sun safety sessions to school children, we’re encouraging them to wear factor 50 sunscreen, wear a hat and wear some good quality sunglasses.

That’s really good advice for all of us whatever our age.

So, thank you to the Suffolk Show organisers for letting us spread this important message and if you’ve got concerns go and see your GP.