Before Her Death Last Year, Jill Davis Told Lawyers She Feared She Had Been Exposed At Sheffield School Decades Earlier

The widower of a Sheffield school teacher is appealing for information from former staff and pupils at Malin Bridge School after his wife’s death from asbestos-related cancer.

Richard Davis, from Ecclesall, Sheffield, lost wife Jill on 7th July last year, 17 months after the 70-year-old had been diagnosed with the asbestos-related disease.

Before her death, mum-of-one Jill, instructed expert asbestos-related disease lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate how she came to be exposed to the asbestos fibres, which she believed may have been present at Malin Bridge School where she worked between 1982 and 2006.

Mesothelioma is an aggressive and terminal form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, often decades before victims begin to suffer with symptoms. According to the latest statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) more than 2,500 people in the UK lose their lives to the disease every year.

By sad coincidence, the first anniversary of Jill’s death this year fell on Action Mesothelioma Day, a national awareness day which aims to bring together victims of the disease, those who have loved ones affected by the disease, healthcare professionals, support groups and those working to understand mesothelioma and find a cure, to ensure the public are aware of the terrible impact it can have on sufferers and their carers.

Mesothelioma is most commonly associated with heavy industry and the building trade and the vast majority of deaths from mesothelioma are in people over the age of 65. It is predicted that mesothelioma deaths will continue to rise every year before reaching a peak in about 2020.

Adrian Budgen, an expert asbestos-related disease lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, representing Richard, said:

Expert Opinion

“Mesothelioma is a very aggressive form of cancer which causes a significant amount of pain and suffering for victims like Jill.

“The first Asbestos Regulations, to manage the use of asbestos because of its danger to health, became law in 1931, so to learn that people were exposed to the fibres much later is very upsetting for the individuals or the families who come to us.

“Those who worked alongside Jill may have important information on the presence of asbestos at Malin Bridge School as well as details of safety measures, if any, taken to protect staff from exposure to it.

“We hope former colleagues will come forward with this crucial information so we can give Richard the answers he deserves.” Adrian Budgen - Partner

Jill grew up in Chesterfield, and was a pupil at St Helena Grammar School, leaving in 1965 to attend teacher training college in Crewe. From there she worked at a number of schools including Shiregreen Nursery School in Bracken Road and Birdholme Infant School in Chesterfield.

In September 1982 she began working as a primary teacher at Malin Bridge School in Dykes Lane. Before her death, Jill told Irwin Mitchell that she had complained on a number of occasions about the ceilings and walls in some of the classrooms being in a poor state of repair. She recalls there was asbestos in the roof void of one of her classrooms, which was later to become the Information Computer Technology (ICT) suite in the 1990s.

Jill said she recalled that, on a few occasions, thieves stole sections of lead from the school roof, leading to rain seeping down to the classroom ceiling. At one point the ceiling in the hall collapsed and, such was the size of the clean-up task, the teachers were asked to assist. Jill said the job was dusty.

While she retired from full time work in 2002, she remained working as a supply teacher at Malin Bridge until 2006.

Jill first began to feel breathless in early November 2015 while out walking her beloved dog, Pru, part of her daily routine. She visited her GP who referred her to Hallamshire Hospital where she underwent an echocardiogram and a chest x-ray. Doctors found a build-up of fluid in Jill’s right lung, and after a series of biopsies she was told she had developed malignant mesothelioma.

Richard, 68, said: “Jill’s diagnosis came as a huge shock to us both. As a teacher she was on her feet for much of the day and in retirement she remained active, so to suddenly be told she had a terminal illness devastated us both.

“She told me that she feared she must have been exposed at Malin Bridge School because her classrooms were always in such a sorry state, with ceiling tiles coming down and the walls crumbling. The school had no money to make decent repairs so things got patched up and Jill and her colleagues muddled along.

“With Jill no longer with me, I have so many questions and I am hoping that maybe her former colleagues or ex-pupils could shed some light on conditions there. If anyone does have information, my family and I would ask that they get in touch with Irwin Mitchell.”

Anyone who recalls working with Jill Davis at Malin Bridge School between 1982 and 2006 should contact Adrian Budgen at Irwin Mitchell Solicitors on 0114 274 4371 or email Adrian.Budgen@Irwinmitchell.com.

If your or a loved one need help filing for an asbestos claim, get in touch with Irwin Mitchell today.