Skip to content or view mobile version

Home | Mobile | Editorial | Mission | Privacy | About | Contact | Help | Security | Support

A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

International Asbestos Memorial Pledged for Rochdale

Save Spodden Valley | 29.04.2005 01:17 | Ecology | Health | Social Struggles | World

General Election Candidates Lorna Fitzsimons (Labour) and Paul Rowen (Lib Dem) have both supported calls for a permanent memorial to all those who have suffered as a result of asbestos exposure. The pledge was made as dozens of people attended a candlelit vigil outside Rochdale Town Hall for International Workers' Memorial Day.

we will never forget those who have suffered from asbestos exposure...
we will never forget those who have suffered from asbestos exposure...


Rochdale was the birthplace of the world’s modern asbestos industry.

Until 1948, the headquarters of the world’s largest asbestos factory, Turner and Newall (T&N) was in Rochdale.
Decisions made in those offices have affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.

The world’s first victim of asbestos was a Rochdale woman called Nellie Kershaw. This was in 1924.

Countless people have since died as asbestos related illnesses, in Rochdale, Britain and worldwide. People are dying today. The peak deaths are not expected until next decade.

Wherever there is asbestos –there appears to be huge profits. But at what cost?

The story of asbestos appears to be one of denial, aggressive tactics and avoidance of responsibility. This still seems true in 2005.

In 1924, when indisputable medical evidence was presented to the asbestos company the directors replied with ‘media spin’ about what a wonderful company they were and how they received government praise. Does this sound familiar in 2005?

In 1924, the asbestos company aggressively denied liability. They wrote:
“We repudiate the term ‘asbestos poisoning’. Asbestos is not poisonous and no definition or knowledge of such a disease exists”.
Could such ‘weasel words’ to avoid liability for potentially dangerous activity be used in 2005?

As she became ill in late 1922, Nellie Kershaw pleaded her employer to allow a payment of sickness benefit.
She wrote:
“I have been at home 9 weeks now and have not received a penny… I am needing nourishments”.

The company never paid a penny.

At the inquest, the works manager testified that the factory produced little dust.

The company rebuffed the widower’s request even for modest funeral expenses.
A memo from one of the firm’s managers advised that doing so “would create a precedent”.

Nellie Kershaw lies in an unmarked ‘paupers’ grave in Rochdale cemetery. She died aged 33- a mother to 2 children.

Today, on Workers Memorial Day 2005, we ask that a simple stone be placed in Rochdale’s memorial garden to remember all the victims of asbestos disease.

Plans have been submitted to build over 600 homes and a children's nursery on the former asbestos factory site.

The local community has faced the destruction of hundreds of trees in woodlands around the asbestos factory.

The developers have stated: "of particular note is the abscence of any asbestos contamination" -this has been proven to be incorrect.

Asbestos removal workers have been seen on site removing sacks of blue, brown and white asbestos. protective suits and masks were only worn properly when they were spotted by local people. When asked what they were doing, local people were told that "just a bit of rubbish was being removed" that had been put there recently by local troublemakers. IF SAID,THESE ARE DANGEROUS, IRRESPONSIBLE LIES. The asbestos being removed formed part of a huge asbestos tip that had been in operation from the early 1940's. The exposed tree roots were found UNDER tree roots. Without the benefit of a time machine how could 'local trouble makers' have put many tonnes of asbestos waste UNDER mature trees?

Rather than facing the facts about asbestos contamination, the development company, Countryside Properties, has been buying up similar sounding domain names to the community campaign called Save Spodden Valley.

Asbestos can kill. Avoiding the issues does not keep people safe.

We plead that the site of what was the world’s first, then largest asbestos textile factory be treated with the utmost respect. Countless people have died because of the decisions and products made in the Spodden Valley. To disturb parts of the site may release decades-old asbestos dust into the air. Irresponsible development of the site could affect future generations of Rochdalians.

Many say: “Let the soil rest in peace. Like Nelly Kershaw and all those who died after her and those who are still suffering from the effects of asbestos today.

We ask all those with responsibilities for the Spodden Valley site to:

-Remember the victims of asbestos related disease
-Please respect our environment and wildlife habitats
-Ensure there is public access to all the facts and decisions
-Involve the whole community in its future
-Keep the people of Rochdale safe, now and for the generations to come.

Save Spodden Valley
- e-mail: Save Spodden Valley
- Homepage: http://www.Spodden-Valley.co.uk

Comments

Display the following 2 comments

  1. International Asbestos Memorial Pleadged for Rochdale — Save Spodden Valley
  2. Rest in Peace — Save Spodden Valley
Upcoming Coverage
View and post events
Upcoming Events UK
24th October, London: 2015 London Anarchist Bookfair
2nd - 8th November: Wrexham, Wales, UK & Everywhere: Week of Action Against the North Wales Prison & the Prison Industrial Complex. Cymraeg: Wythnos o Weithredu yn Erbyn Carchar Gogledd Cymru

Ongoing UK
Every Tuesday 6pm-8pm, Yorkshire: Demo/vigil at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill US Spy Base More info: CAAB.

Every Tuesday, UK & worldwide: Counter Terror Tuesdays. Call the US Embassy nearest to you to protest Obama's Terror Tuesdays. More info here

Every day, London: Vigil for Julian Assange outside Ecuadorian Embassy

Parliament Sq Protest: see topic page
Ongoing Global
Rossport, Ireland: see topic page
Israel-Palestine: Israel Indymedia | Palestine Indymedia
Oaxaca: Chiapas Indymedia
Regions
All Regions
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World
Other Local IMCs
Bristol/South West
Nottingham
Scotland
Social Media
You can follow @ukindymedia on indy.im and Twitter. We are working on a Twitter policy. We do not use Facebook, and advise you not to either.
Support Us
We need help paying the bills for hosting this site, please consider supporting us financially.
Other Media Projects
Schnews
Dissident Island Radio
Corporate Watch
Media Lens
VisionOnTV
Earth First! Action Update
Earth First! Action Reports
Topics
All Topics
Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
Major Reports
NATO 2014
G8 2013
Workfare
2011 Census Resistance
Occupy Everywhere
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands
G20 London Summit
University Occupations for Gaza
Guantanamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
Carmel Agrexco
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Stop Sequani
Stop RWB
Climate Camp 2008
Oaxaca Uprising
Rossport Solidarity
Smash EDO
SOCPA
Past Major Reports
Encrypted Page
You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.
If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

Global IMC Network


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech