Anti-asbestos campaigners have embarked on a gruelling 1200 mile bike journey to raise awareness about mesotheliomia.They will cycle upto 100 miles every day.
Jason Addy, of Save Spodden Valley, will join two local solicitors, Paul Glanville and Katrina London, on the extensive journey from Glasgow to Southampton, criss-crossing across the country and stopping at several locations on the way.
The Prime Minister has expressed his support for the voyage, which began on 20 June and will continue through to 4 July.
“There are many breath-taking facts about asbestos – the cause of diseases that remain Britain’s biggest workplace killer.
“We are calling for a National Centre for Asbestos Related Disease (NCARD).”
Breathtaking Cycle Team arriving on Gateshead Millennium Bridge
The Deputy Mayor of Gateshead Cllr. Pauline Dillon welcomes the team to the North East
Katrina proudly "models" the ANGEL OF THE NORTH tie she'd been presented with by Cllr. Joe Mitchison
The team reach Albert Square in Manchester on Friday 26th June and were greeted by dozens of families bereaved by mesothelioma.
Ronald Walsh from Stockport, who is 77 and suffers from mesothelioma, and who was a keen cyclist will be there to meet them with his wife, Margaret, says:“I think it is fantastic that these courageous young people are willing to cycle 1200 miles in just 12 days to raise awareness about mesothelioma and to call for better treatment for so many people like me who are facing the dreadful consequences of exposure to asbestos. I look forward to meeting them and congratulating them on their tremendous work.”
Tony Whitston, Greater Manchester Asbestos Victims Support Group, says:
“Eighty Nine (89) people were diagnosedwith mesothelioma in Greater Manchester in 2008 and we have already seen 42 newly diagnosed mesothelioma patients this year. Hundreds of Greater Manchester families affected by mesothelioma will be supporting the cyclists.”
Katrina London, says:
“It will be tough going as we will be cycling up to 100 miles a day, but it is for a very important cause and promises to be a breathtaking journey to raise awareness of the legacy caused by asbestos.”
“It is a staggering fact that asbestos-related cancers remain one of Britain’s biggest workplace killers in 2009, yet there is practically no dedicated research funding into these cancers.”
“The main aim is to show the terrible impact asbestos has upon the victims of mesothelioma, to raise funds for research into asbestos-related cancers and show our support for the campaign to set up a national centre for asbestos-related diseases.”
The Birmingam Leg began on 1st July at the site of the old Canadian Consulate in Colmore Row They were joined by local people bereaved by these diseases and construction union members who gathered to wave them off and to demand an end to the international trade in asbestos.
The Team arrive in Birmingham
They chose to begin at the ex- Canadian Consulate because the today is Canada’s national day and they want it to end its part in the asbestos trade, a trade which leads to over 100,000 thousand deaths each year worldwide.
They point out that the Canadian Government must know about the danger because, despite being one of the biggest exporters of asbestos in the world, the use of this material is effectively banned within its own borders.
The effects of this trade are everywhere. Here in the West Midlands, despite asbestos being banned in the UK since 2000, people continue to die because they were exposed to asbestos. It remains the biggest single work related cause of death and more people die because of it than die on the roads each year.
Amongst those most at risk are construction workers, which is why their union helped to organise the protest. Neil Vernon, from UCATT, said that “on Canada’s national day- the Government listens to the growing number of people in their own country and throughout the world calling for an end to this evil trade. Too many of my members have died, and thousands more face this danger every day. When people think of Canada they think of clean air and mountain scenery; its time to live up to that image and end this deadly trade.”
Doug Jewell from local support group Asbestos Support West Midlands is also hoping for an end to the trade. “The misery that asbestos causes has been called a silent epidemic; well things like this epic bike ride show that people are no longer staying silent. It’s an outrage that the international trade continues and it’s an outrage that the victims of asbestos in this country still have to fight for justice. That’s why we also support the cyclists call for a National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases. Such a Centre truly would offer the hope of a better future for sufferers and their families”.
Katrina London, one of the cyclists and a solicitor who specialises in asbestos cases for Irwin Mitchell’s, said about their epic ride; “it’s tough going, cycling up to 100 miles a day, but it is a very important cause. Ours is proving to be a breathtaking journey to raise awareness of the legacy caused by asbestos” she said.
A website has just been set up for more information: www.breathtaking-journey.com
