Brenda Shaw Worked At Lux Lux Clothing Factory In Leek, Staffordshire As A Machinist In The 1950s

The children of a sewing machinist are calling upon their mother’s former colleagues to help them in their search for answers as to how she came to be exposed to the asbestos which resulted in her death from cancer in April.

Andrew Shaw and Jacqueline Price instructed expert asbestos-related disease lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate mother Brenda Shaw’s time at Lux Lux lingerie manufacturer in Leek, Staffordshire where she worked as a sewing machinist from approximately 1952 to 1960.

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.

The mother-of-two, from Markfield, Leicestershire was diagnosed in late February and died weeks later on April 4 this year at Loros Hospice, Leicester.

Daughter Jacqueline, 52, has launched the appeal for information ahead of Action Mesothelioma Day. The day 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 the disease 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.

Jacqui, said: “My mother’s diagnosis came as quite a shock because, as far as she was aware, mum had never been directly or knowingly exposed to asbestos.”

“We were all at a loss as to how it happened so we are looking to mum’s former workmates to help us. It’s a very long time to think back on, but we’d ask anyone who worked at Lux Lux who thinks they might know how she came into contact with asbestos, or remembers anything about asbestos on the premises, to get in touch with Irwin Mitchell and help give us that peace of mind.”

Brenda Scragg, as she was then known, joined Lux Lux as a machinist around the summer of 1952 having just finished school aged 15.

She met Frank Shaw as a teenager at the village youth club in Ipstones, Staffordshire, and the pair married on September 20, 1958, setting up home together in Kingsley.

Brenda left Lux Lux in the autumn of 1960 when Frank’s work in the steel industry took them away to Sheffield and their first home together in Rotherham.

Frank and Brenda retired to Markfield Leicestershire to be near to family. Frank died in March 2009.

Brenda first started to feel unwell in February this year, telling Jacqui that she was lacking in energy and waking up feeling nauseous and with pain in her back and chest.

Brenda visited her GP several times and was referred to Glenfield Hospital for an x-ray. While there she was diagnosed with a collapsed right lung and was kept in hospital for further tests.

Following a CT scan and diagnostic surgery she was given the devastating news that she had malignant mesothelioma and that her condition was terminal.

Expert Opinion

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

“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.

“Asbestos was commonly used in industry and the building trade for many years and, tragically, although employers ought to have known of the dangers it posed to the health of their staff, they did not implement safety measures and warnings to protect workers from inhaling the toxic substance.

“Those who worked alongside Brenda may have important information on the presence of asbestos at the factory and 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 Jacqueline and Andrew the answers they deserve.” Adrian Budgen - Partner

Anyone who recalls working with Brenda Scragg, as she was then known, at Lux Lux in Leek, Staffordshire in the 1950s should contact Adrian Budgen at Irwin Mitchell Solicitors on 0114 274 4371 or email Adrian.Budgen@Irwinmitchell.com

Read more about the work of Irwin Mitchell's Asbestos Related Disease Team