Dr Alan McKenna is organising the first Kent based event for Action Mesothelioma Day, on Friday 7 July.
Mesothelioma is an incurable form of cancer affecting the lungs, which is derived from exposure to asbestos. The Kent Action Mesothelioma Day event will take place in Medway, which is a UK mesothelioma hotspot. More than 2,600 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year in the UK, and of the 78 people in Kent who died from the disease in 2015, 15 were in the Medway area.
Dr McKenna has long campaigned to raise awareness of mesothelioma and other asbestos related diseases, seeking justice for victims of asbestos exposure through changes in the law; ensuring appropriate levels of compensation are paid; and that adequate research funding is made available to find new medical treatments for asbestos victims.
Action Mesothelioma Day is a national day of awareness, which takes place on the first Friday in July every year. Events are held across the country to commemorate victims of mesothelioma and to seek to bring greater awareness of the continuing issues surrounding asbestos.
The Kent Action Mesothelioma Day event is taking place in the Royal Dockyard Church in Chatham Dockyard on Friday 7 July, from 11.30-16.15. There will be a number of presentations throughout the event, covering care and treatment of asbestos victims; asbestos in schools; and a presentation by Professor Anne Bowcock of Imperial College, who will discuss the new National Mesothelioma Research Centre based at Imperial. The event will begin with a release of doves to commemorate victims, presided over by the Deputy Mayor of Medway Cllr Gloria Opara.
The event is sponsored by solicitors Brachers LLP of Maidstone, and is open to everyone to attend. Those travelling by car are recommended to use the nearby Medway Council Gun Wharf Car Park.
In addition to the Kent event, events are also taking place are Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, London, Sheffield, Reading, Leicester, Leeds, Plymouth.
Download a poster with further details of the Kent event from the Mesothelioma UK website, or view the programme on the Brachers LLP website.