Mesothelioma is a terminal cancer caused by exposure to asbestos dust. Typically it develops 20-40 years after the exposure to asbestos occurred. Every year more than 2000 men and women in the UK are diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos related conditions. Despite this there is still no treatment which will cure this aggressive and devastating disease.

The 5^th Annual Asbestos Mesothelioma Day (AMD) was held on Friday 1^st July 2011.  Hundreds of mesothelioma sufferers and their families came together at events across the country to honour those affected by the disease and raise awareness among the general public.

John Pickering and Partners LLP specialise in representing mesothelioma sufferers and their families. We recognise the need to raise awareness of this entirely preventable disease and support events like AMD which highlight the current campaigns and promotes education about the disease. Solicitors from the firm attended a range of events across the country.

Liverpool

 

A public meeting was held jointly between the Cheshire Asbestos Victim Support Group and the Merseyside Asbestos Victim Support Group at Wallasey Town Hall. The event was attended by over 100 victims of asbestos related conditions, their families, legal professionals and medical staff. Also in attendance were Civil Dignitaries from across the Merseyside area including the Lord Mayor of Liverpool.

 

A sponsored dove release took place on the steps of the Town Hall in memory of victims of mesothelioma. The doves were released at 12 noon by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool and the grand-daughters of the late Mr George Edwards, a mesothelioma victim.

 

 

Throughout the day funds were collected for two asbestos charities devoted to raising money to fund research into a cure for mesothelioma, The June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund and the Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund.

 

There were a number of speakers during the day, each with their own perspective on asbestos related diseases. Dr Chris Warburton, Consultant Respiratory Physician from Aintree Hospital, spoke about the range of asbestos conditions that he treats and the ways in which the different conditions are diagnosed.

 

Mr Paul Rowan, former Rochdale MP and now Chair of the Asbestos in Schools Campaign, highlighted the danger that asbestos in school buildings poses to teachers and pupils in British schools. He also considered the recent case of Diane Wilmore who was exposed to asbestos as a child in a Knowlsley secondary school.

 

The final speaker of the day was Mr John Tootle, Tutor in Construction at Liverpool Community College. He himself had trained and worked as a plumber and spoke about his experiences in the 1980s coming into contact with asbestos in the course of his work. His current role as a tutor involves educating young men training to be plumbers about the dangers of asbestos and educating them about what they should do if faced with it.

 

 

Manchester

 

This event was organised by the Greater Manchester Asbestos Victim Support Group. A public meeting was held at Manchester Town Hall with a release of doves in memory of victims of the mesothelioma.

 

Speakers included John Shiers, a victim of mesothelioma, who was exposed to asbestos whilst living in a Council property in the 1960s and 1970s. He bravely addressed the meeting about his involvement in the campaign to raise awareness of asbestos in social housing.

 

 

Dr Linda Waldman, Co-Author of the report “Safe as Houses” was the second speaker. She highlighted the dangers of the prolific use of asbestos products in domestic properties. She pointed out that often home owners are unaware of the presence of asbestos in their property and put themselves and their families at risk by carrying out DIY, releasing harmful asbestos fibres into the atmosphere. Those property owners who do know that asbestos is in their home often are ignorant to the hazards and precautions that should be taken when carrying out any work.

 

Leeds

 

The June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund organised a ‘meet the experts’ session. This allowed victims of asbestos diseases and their families to meet and talk with experts in the field of mesothelioma and other diseases caused by asbestos.

 

Newcastle

 

A memorial service organised by the Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund was held in St Nicholas Cathedral in memory of those who have lost their fight with mesothelioma. A sponsored dove release was held after the service.

 

This was followed by a seminar where speakers included Michael Lees, from Asbestos in Schools. He spoke about his nationwide campaign to remove asbestos from all school buildings following the death of his wife, a teacher, from mesothelioma.  

 

London

 

This event was held in front of St Bartholomew’s’ Hospital in West Smithfield. It was organised by London Councils and the London Hazards Centre, which promotes awareness of health and safety in the workplace. As a tribute to those who have lost their fight against mesothelioma doves were released before the public meeting.

 

The speakers at the London event included Dr Jeremy Steele, who spoke about the treatment of mesothelioma and what patients can expect. He mentioned several drug trials around the world and his hope that in the next couple of years a drug will be found that will shrink and kill this cancer. He concluded his talk by highlighting five key things that patients should expect: Compassion, Continuity of Care, Control of Symptoms, Clinical Research and Chemotherapy.

 

Eileen Beadle of the East London Mesothelioma Support Group (ELMS) spoke movingly about her husband, Raymond, who sadly passed away from mesothelioma in 2006. She gave her perspective as ‘an ordinary person who has been deeply affected by mesothelioma.’

 

Carol Hagedorn, a secondary school teacher suffering from mesothelioma, also spoke at the London event. Carol was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2008 as a result of her exposure to asbestos dust throughout her career as a languages teacher. She highlighted the campaign to raise awareness of the presence of asbestos in schools and the health risks that it poses to our children. She contrasted the situation in the UK, where at least 75% of schools have asbestos in them to that in the USA where very school is inspected every 3 years and the parents and teaching staff updated on the presence of asbestos. A petition was signed in support of the campaign for the removal of asbestos from UK schools and for better monitoring and control measures.

 

Contact details:

 

Telephone: 0161 834 1251                
E-mail: ls@johnpickering.co.uk       
Website: www.johnpickering.co.uk               
FREEPHONE: 0808 1440957      

 

About John Pickering and Partners LLP

John Pickering and Partners LLP- Specialist mesothelioma compensation solicitors

 

We are a dedicated personal injury law firm who do not do other types of work.  We specialise in claiming damages for asbestos sufferers. We have been handling compensation claims for industrial disease for over 30 years. Most of our work involves acting for asbestos disease victims who suffer from mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis and pleural thickening. We only act for the sufferers of asbestos diseases and never act for the organisations that caused the asbestos exposure or their insurers. We have an ethical approach and donate 10% of our net profits every year to good causes that help asbestos sufferers.  We have set up a charitable trust to help to fund medical research into mesothelioma and various organisations that help and support asbestos sufferers and their families.

 

Find out more about our donations to good causes. We have also been involved in most of the landmark judgments that shape this area of law. Find out more about us or  our reported cases. We are on the panels of several asbestos support groups and are ranked highly by legal guides.  Find out more about what others have said about us.

 

John Pickering and Partners LLP is a niche legal practice that has represented Claimants in the leading asbestos "test cases" in the last ten years. The firm represented Sylvia Barker in Barker v Corus (UK) Plc, a case that highlighted the legal tactics of employers and insurers trying to cut back their compensation liabilities to mesothelioma sufferers, and which prompted the amendment of the Compensation Act 2006 to ensure full compensation for mesothelioma claims. The firm represented two of the three Claimants in the landmark Fairchild appeal, in which the insurance industry tried unsuccessfully to block compensation altogether for mesothelioma sufferers unable to identify which of two or more sources of asbestos exposure had caused their illness.

 

The firm represented Alice Jefferson, a mesothelioma sufferer, whose illness and compensation claim against Cape Asbestos were featured in the important documentary "Alice: A Fight For Life." Shown by Yorkshire Television in July 1982, the programme was an important catalyst for legal change and public awareness of the plight of mesothelioma and other asbestos disease sufferers and a prompt for important legal reform.

 

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that affects the lining of certain bodily organs. It most commonly affects the lining of the lungs (the pleura) but it can affect other areas including organs in the abdominal cavity (the peritoneum).

 

More than 2,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma every year in the UK and there is one mesothelioma death every five hours. The number of deaths from mesothelioma increased from 153 in 1968 to 1,969 in 2004 and is expected to peak at 2,450 between 2011 and 2015. 

 

The first Action Mesothelioma Day was launched on 27th February 2006.  Its objectives were to raise awareness about mesothelioma, to improve the treatment and care of mesothelioma patients, and to lobby for better funding for research into mesothelioma and for the protection and education of people who may be exposed to asbestos.

 

If you need advice about an asbestos related illness, contact us now for information about making a claim for compensation.

 

Contact us to find out more about your entitlement to claim compensation if you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer or pleural thickening.

 

For more information about asbestos diseases-

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For practical information and support concerning mesothelioma-

www.mesothelioma-advice.co.uk

For more information about claiming for different types of asbestos disease-

Mesothelioma compensation claims

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For more an explanation about different types of asbestos conditions-

Different asbestos conditions