Mesothelioma victim’s fight for justice commemorated in new play
“Dust,” a play about a British woman with mesothelioma who fought for justice against the local factory responsible for her asbestos exposure, will be staged on July 11 as part of the I Love Leeds festival. The play, written by Kenneth F. Yates, tells the story of June Hancock, a woman from the town of Armley who fought Turner and Newall, owners of the J W Roberts Factory, for compensation for her exposure to asbestos. Mrs. Hancock was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 1993 and told she had just two years to live. She devoted the rest of her life to fighting Turner and Newell, and in 1996 won her court battle which paved the way for asbestos victims around the world to seek justice from the company. Mrs. Hancock was exposed to asbestos as a child after her family moved to the community in 1936. She was a student at the local school. The school children played at the nearby loading bay for the factory and made “summer snowballs” from the thick white dust covering the ground. Proceeds from the play will go to the June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund. For more information, go to Yorkshire Post.
