CHECKLIST

THEY may not trip round the maypole any more but for kids the ''merry month'' heralds long sunny days of boisterous activity - and an increased risk of injury.

While children are incredibly resilient, some inevitably suffer permanent disability through accidents and need long-term, perhaps lifetime, care. A child injury policy from Boots can help relieve families from the financial - and thus emotional - burden that falls upon them when tragedy strikes.

Lump sum payouts can fund home modifications and other costs associated with a sudden, stressful change of lifestyle. Cover costs #30 a year for a child under 16, #60 for two or more children. Examples of benefits: #150,000 for total organic paralysis and #100,000 for irrecoverable loss of intellectual capacity, or loss of sight in both eyes.

Diving, mountaineering, pot-holing, and rock-climbing are not excluded as long as children are being directly supervised by a reasonably proficient adult. Call 0845 8401111 for details, or ask at Boots stores.

LOOKING for a wedding gift with a touch of class? A 124-piece dinner service being served up by auctioneers Phillips in Edinburgh today was originally given to newly-weds over 50 years ago - at the time of rationing - and has remained stored in a cellar ever since. The Royal Crown Derby service is expected to fetch around #3000.

THis week's warning that children's feet may be harmed by sloppy shoes is disturbing enough, but another fad is potentially more dangerous. Eye experts say children are risking infection sharing fun contact lenses that turn brown eyes blue, or even put stars in them. Failure to use and clean ''plano'' lenses properly could lead to irreversible eye damage - even blindness.

It's also feared the HIV virus might be passed through shared cosmetic lenses, which don't need a prescription and are increasingly popular at nightclubs. Helen Parker, of the Consumers' Association, tells Checklist: ''We think the Department of Health should act now to ensure only qualified practitioners can sell the lenses.''

WHEN Londoner David Noton was evacuated to Kinaldie during the Second World War, his grandparents told him all about the famous northern lights of nearby Aberdeen. More than 50 years on, he's even more enlightened - running LightMask, a radical, drug-free approach to attention deficit disorder, migraine and PMS. Just a 15-minute daily session is needed.

Historical records show that the beneficial effects of flashing lights have long been appreciated, as when the sun is viewed through the spokes of a rotating wheel. These are now available via an attractive face mask that provides photic stimulation, believed to increase bloodflow to the brain or speed up ''slow'' brainwaves.

The LightMask costs #75 - for a free information pack phone 0990 168143.

WORRYING about funerals is enough to drive some people to the grave - so it's good news that consumers are to get more protection for their final purchase.

Welcoming an expansion of the Funeral Ombudsman Scheme, consumer affairs minister Nigel Griffiths says it will ensure greater peace of mind for families buying funerals. More than half the 600,000 or so undertaken each year in the UK will be covered by the scheme - most of the rest are dealt with by the National Association of Funeral Directors.

''These two schemes bring redress for the consumer at a time of inevitable stress,'' says Mr Griffiths, MP for Edinburgh South, endorsing a good practice code that requires a basic funeral to be made available at a clearly stated price. For information phone 0171 215 5000 (textphone 0171 215 6740).