Sun Worship

At present we are living in Eastbourne; our flat is just a few strides from the sea front, so we have plenty of opportunity to observe the sun worshippers in action, although inaction would probably be a better word! I cannot take much sun, and never sunbathe as I would soon have a nasty headache. The deckchair attendants are doing a roaring trade as Eastbourne’s elderly folk hit the beach! I have to say that the sight is not for the faint-hearted! The rolled up trouser legs, braces over vests, topped off with knotted handkerchiefs show that for some British men, (they could only be British) their idea of sartorially elegant beachwear has not progressed at all since I was a child! The women have their dresses pulled up to a higher level than is wise, giving the unwary a generous display of their underwear!

Younger folk lie on the beach, wearing not much more than a smile, soaking up the intense rays of the noonday sun! I am amazed that the sun worshippers appear to have never heard of the dangers of so much exposure to our nearest star! We are told that skin cancer rates are rising alarmingly, partly due to the ozone layer becoming thinner. If adults wish to put themselves in danger, that is their prerogative, however, when I see young children unprotected against the sun, I get very angry indeed. I have seen quite a number of very small kiddies running around naked on the beach, bright red with sunburn. I am appalled. If a parent deliberately burnt their child with any other source of heat, they would be prosecuted, yet seemingly it is ok to let your child be burnt by the greatest heat source of them all!

I have heard that on beaches in Australia, they have beach wardens giving people advice on sun protection, and insisting that children wear hats and are smothered in sun block. Now that the UK is likely to have much hotter summers with the advent of global warming, perhaps Parliament might consider some sort of legislation to protect children from sunburn?