A PADIHAM publican is celebrating a special anniversary being given the all-clear from skin cancer.

And landlord Simon Hope is determined to help others a year after he defeated the disease by becoming leading a new cancer campaign.

As temperatures in East Lancashire continue to soar into the 90s, father-of-two Simon, who runs The Flying Dutchman, is warning of the dangers of too much sun and calling on folk to take heed of Cancer Research UK's SunSmart campaign.

Simon who tells drinkers in his own beer garden not to go unprotected is being backed by cancer experts.

Simon said: "It's vital people don't damage their skin in the sun.

"I always warn the customers at the pub who like to sit in the beer garden to use sun protection and am happy to talk about what happened to me as a warning.

"During the summer, I don't leave the house without putting on factor 50."

The 39-year-old found a raised mole on his chest last April but thought nothing of it. It wasn't until part of the lump fell off, regrew and then started to bleed that his wife Lyndsey finally convinced him to see a doctor.

And after undergoing a minor operation to remove the lump tests revealed that the tissue was malignant and Simon had skin cancer.

He had surgery at the Royal Preston Hospital to remove a deeper area of tissue the size of a tennis ball to ensure the cancer had not spread any further into his body.

Fortunately a subsequent scan showed Simon was fully clear.

He now needs three monthly check-ups and has been taught to examine himself to ensure there are no other problem moles.

Simon believes he developed skin cancer after burning badly as a child and suffering a particularly bad outbreak of sunburn on holiday in Spain in 1985.

He was so keen to raise awareness of what had happened to him at the same time as raising funds for Cancer Research UK, that he recently hosted a 24-hour pool marathon at the pub and raised £868.

He said: "When I went for the operation in hospital I was absolutely frightened to death. Finding out I had skin cancer was a big shock. But when we found out that the cancer hadn't spread any further we were over the moon. I've been left with a nasty scar, but I'm glad to be alive.

"I would urge anyone who is worried about a mole to see a doctor immediately. I wouldn't have gone to the doctor without my wife insisting."

Dr Catherine Harwood, consultant dermatologist for Cancer Research UK, urged men to be aware of mole changes and act promptly.

She said: "The thickness of a melanoma, at diagnosis, is very important in determining the outcome of any cancer.

"Men seem to be generally less aware of mole changes than women and as a result they often present when the melanoma is already quite thick. Detecting a melanoma in its early stages means earlier treatment with a much better chance of survival."

Latest figures show that 345 men were diagnosed with malignant melanoma in the North West during 2002.

The SunSmart Campaign is targeting men to raise awareness of skin cancer and the importance of reporting skin changes to a doctor. It is also focusing on outdoor workers."