Free skin cancer screening

Spot it early.
It could save your life.

Free nurse-led skin checks at sailing clubs and outdoor sporting events across the UK. No appointment. No cost. Just a few minutes that could make all the difference.

How it works Our story
174,000+
new skin cancer diagnoses every year in the UK — 18,300 melanoma and over 156,000 non-melanoma (2016–2021)
including 20,800 melanoma cases — the 3rd highest in the world
Melanoma data ↗  Non-melanoma data ↗
Every 4 hrs
someone in the UK dies from melanoma — more than 2,600 deaths every year and rising
Source: Cancer Research UK ↗
~100%
five-year survival for stage 1 melanoma — caught early, it is almost always curable
Source: Cancer Research UK / NHS England ↗
How it works

Simple. Free. Potentially life-saving.

Our model is straightforward. Qualified nurses attend outdoor sporting events and offer discreet spot checks — no referral or registration needed.

01

Check

A qualified nurse examines up to three moles or lesions of concern. Our nurses are trained in dermoscopy — the clinical assessment of skin lesions — so you're in expert hands.

02

Triage

Your nurse discusses what they've seen with you, explains what to look out for, and gives you educational materials on skin health, sun protection, and self-examination.

03

Refer

If anything causes concern, we'll advise you to see your GP promptly and, where possible, provide a brief written summary to help speed up your appointment. We don't diagnose — we connect you with those who can.

Our communities

Built for people who spend time outdoors

Outdoor sport communities face higher UV exposure than the general population — yet skin cancer screening rarely comes to them. We're changing that, one club at a time.

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Sailing

Active now
🏏

Cricket

🎾

Tennis

🏌️

Golf

🚣

Rowing

🏃

Running

Expanding into cycling and more outdoor communities from 2026 onwards.

About the founder

A nurse, a sailor, and someone who understands why this matters

"Sailors spend hours in direct sunlight, often on reflective water, with very little shade. And most of them haven't had their skin checked in years."

John Wilson is a Registered General Nurse, born and raised in the North East of England, with nearly twenty years of A&E and community experience, trained at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London. He is also a qualified RYA Yachtmaster Offshore and Cruising Instructor — someone who has spent a great deal of time on the water and within the UK sailing community.

Following his own stage 4 melanoma diagnosis, John looked around him and noticed a gap: people in outdoor sporting communities spending long hours in high UV environments, with little access to the kind of basic skin checks that can genuinely save lives.

With the support of donations, he is currently completing a Postgraduate Diploma in Dermatology in Clinical Practice at the University of South Wales and undertaking specialist dermoscopy training, to ensure that Spot It Early is built on solid clinical foundations before it opens its doors.

RGN RYA Yachtmaster Offshore RYA Cruising Instructor PGDip Dermatology (in progress) St Bartholomew's Hospital, London
Global context

The UK is 3rd in the world for melanoma diagnoses

With over 20,800 new cases every year, the UK has one of the highest absolute burdens of melanoma globally — and an age-standardised rate that confirms this is a genuine risk problem, not just a reflection of population size.

Rank Country New cases/yr Incidence ASR* Deaths/yr Mortality ASR*
1United States97,61016.311,4802.1
2Germany30,62018.93,5302.2
3United Kingdom ★20,80017.42,7101.9
4Australia16,82037.01,3933.1
5France15,95014.21,9801.7
6Italy14,87013.61,6101.5
7Brazil12,0403.22,1900.6
8Netherlands11,25020.11,0902.0
9Sweden9,48021.88602.5
10Spain8,96011.01,1401.4

★ United Kingdom highlighted  ·  Ranked by total new cases (both sexes)  ·  *ASR = age-standardised rate per 100,000 population — adjusts for age structure so countries can be fairly compared  ·  Source: GLOBOCAN 2022, IARC Global Cancer Observatory, via Hua et al. Int Open Med J. 2026;1:32–8

Why this matters

The UK has one of the highest rates of melanoma in the world. Early detection changes everything.

More than 20,800 people are diagnosed with melanoma in the UK every year. Someone dies from it every four hours. And yet — caught at its earliest stage — melanoma is almost always curable, with five-year survival rates approaching 100%. The difference between those two outcomes is often nothing more than a timely check.

Nurse-led community screening programmes already operating in other countries have proven exactly this model: free checks, at the places people already gather, delivered by trained nurses who know what to look for. Spot It Early brings that same approach to the UK, starting with the communities we know best.

Support us on GoFundMe
What a spot check involves

What to expect at a Spot It Early event

Our events are relaxed, discreet, and take no more than a few minutes of your time.

  • A qualified nurse checks up to three moles or skin lesions of concern
  • You receive clear, honest information about what the nurse has observed
  • You're given educational materials on sun protection and self-examination
  • If anything needs further attention, you're advised to see your GP — with a written note if possible
  • The whole process is free, confidential, and completely non-diagnostic
  • No appointment or registration needed — just turn up at a participating club
Get involved

Help us get Spot It Early off the ground

We're in our founding phase — raising the funds needed to complete clinical training, purchase dermoscopy equipment, and run our first events. Every contribution matters.

Donate to our GoFundMe

£4,680 raisedGoal: £9,000

Your donation goes directly towards clinical training, dermoscopy equipment, and the running costs of our first screening events. Every pound gets us closer to being on the water.

Donate now on GoFundMe

Bring us to your club

Are you a sailing club, cricket club, golf club, or other outdoor sporting community? We'd love to come to you. Get in touch and we'll work out how to make it happen — there's no cost to the club.

Get in touch
Contact

Get in touch

We'd love to hear from you

Whether you're a club secretary curious about hosting a screening event, someone who wants to get involved as a volunteer, or a potential supporter — please get in touch.

We aim to respond to all enquiries within two working days.

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[email protected]
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www.spotitearly.org.uk
❤️
gofundme.com/f/nurseskincancer

Are you a sailor or outdoor sports enthusiast?
Check back for upcoming screening visits to clubs near you.