London, UK. (Top40 Charts/ SONY BMG MUSIC Entertainment) -
Leona Lewis has today been revealed as the face of Teenage Cancer Trust's summer sun safety campaign, Shunburn. Supported by Superdrug, the campaign aims to help young people avoid sunburn, one of the primary causes of skin cancer in the UK.
Mary McCartney, renowned photographer and daughter of Sir Paul McCartney, donated her time to photograph the record-breaking singer in a stunning series of shots highlighting Teenage Cancer Trust's key sun protection messages.
Leona Lewis commented: "I'm proud to be supporting Teenage Cancer Trust's Shunburn campaign. TCT is a charity that I hold very close to my heart and this campaign is so important because young people really need to know how to stay safe in the sun. I want to encourage teenagers to realise that whether you're in the UK or abroad, it's vital to cover up and use a sun cream with an SPF of 30 or above. It's time to respect your skin!"
Mary McCartney added: "It was a real pleasure to meet Leona and take photographs for this fantastic campaign as I feel the work Teenage Cancer Trust does is invaluable. Both Leona and myself really believe in the importance of raising awareness amongst teenagers about protecting their skin in the summer months. I am sure the campaign will be a great success."
The images of Leona taken by Mary will be used to spread the sun safety message all summer long on leaflets, on-line and in Superdrug stores across the country. Leona has also designed a head scarf to be sold exclusively on Superdrug.com to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust.
Recent research carried out by TCT on 1,000 teenagers revealed a serious need for education in sun safety: a quarter of teens believe that using tanning oil or playing in the swimming pool protects their skin from burning!
Research also shows that one of the main reasons teens get burnt is that they often simply forget to take suncream with them. That's why at the heart of Shunburn is an innovative FREE Burn Alert SMS text service sending subscribers friendly reminders to take precautions on the hottest days of the summer.
Young people can subscribe by texting SHUN to 80231 or online at www.shunburn.co.uk and in return they will be entered into a weekly draw to win festival tickets and other fantastic prizes.
