SUFFERERS of asbestos-related illnesses are now being offered personalised welfare advice. Derbyshire Asbestos Support Team has employed an advisor to visit patients and their families to help them claim the financial support to which they are entitled. The project has been funded for three years by a £150,000 grant from Macmillan Cancer Support. With this money, the team has been able to expand and welfare adviser Natalie Woodward will be visiting sufferers in Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Burton, as well as Derbyshire.Steve Gillingham, of Allenton, who was diagnosed with the fatal asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma in July, said: "I remember after my diagnosis coming home with my wife Sue and just sitting in silence. "We were shell-shocked and certainly not in the right frame of mind to have to seek the right benefits to make sure we'd be financially OK. "The 51-year-old, of Grosvenor Street, added: "I just didn't know where to start. It was all so overwhelming – my brain wasn't processing anything. And that's where Derbyshire Asbestos Support Team came in. "They were truly amazing. If it wasn't for them we would be lost. They knew exactly what to say and exactly what to do."Derbyshire is considered a hotspot for cases of mesothelioma because of its history of heavy engineering. At least 300 people in the county have died from it in the past 30 years.Yesterday, an event held to mark Derbyshire Support Team's expansion was attended by cancer specialists, solicitors, union representatives and mesothelioma sufferers. Speaking at the launch, held in Nottingham, Joanne Carlin, co-ordinator of the team, said compensation and financial support can make victims' lives easier.She said: "Natalie will be able to offer a full range of benefits advice to these people and their families. The advice we were offering before was far more limited. "Although the compensation in no way makes up for life being cut short, people are grateful for the support. Many of the people we've helped have spent the money on holidays with their family or it has made sure their loved ones are financially secure."Richard Morgan, a Derby representative of GMB union, said the Government should be investing more money into raising awareness about asbestos.He said: "We need to get the message out there. Asbestos still occurs and ignorance is rife."Sarah Avery, lung cancer specialist nurse at advice group Mesothelioma UK, called the disease "a devastating diagnosis". She said that it was the 16th most common cause of death from cancer. For advice and support, call the support team on 01623 748161.
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