Monday 4 April 2016

Lincolnshire Needs You!

A few years back, DAST projected the names of people that had been lost to Mesothelioma onto the tower of Derby Cathedral. This event drew attention to the issue of asbestos diseases and put the word ‘Mesothelioma’ into the local media. The photographs taken on the night have become iconic to the work of DAST – an image both arresting and poignant.



Since that event, time has progressed and unfortunately a lot more East Midlands residents have been diagnosed with Mesothelioma. We thought that it was time to stage another event of this type, especially since it would complement our new Bereavement Support project. The projection of names allows loved ones to share their loss and to gather with others who have been affected in the same way.

When it came to choosing a location, Lincolnshire immediately sprung to mind.  At the time of planning, this was a particularly busy county. DAST was being referred a third more asbestos disease cases from here than from the second busiest county of Derbyshire. We felt that these statistics signalled a need for an awareness drive in this area, encouraging local people to be aware of the issues being faced by so many people.

So, on 9th November 2016, DAST will be holding an event in Lincoln City Centre. We will be in the grounds of Lincoln Cathedral – the highest point for miles around – and we will be projecting names onto one of the buildings. We will also have speakers and we will be displaying information about the dangers of asbestos.

We will invite the local press as well as trade union and local council representatives to help filter the message out into the local community. This will be one of the stand-out events of our busy year.

But this is going to cost us quite a lot of money. We need to purchase the technical expertise to set up the projection programme and to deliver this on the night. We also need to invest in getting the event noticed by purchasing advertisements and printing leaflets.

At the moment we have yet to receive any pledges of support specifically towards this project – so this is where you can help!

We need sponsors.  Because of the nature of our core funding and the trade union-based ethos of our charity we have to be careful about who we accept sponsor money from. For example, we cannot accept donations from solicitors who are not on our panel, or from asbestos removal companies who are not properly registered and qualified. But we are interested in hearing from any Lincolnshire based trade union or business that would fit well with our work. It might even be a workplace where a colleague has been affected by asbestos exposure from their work in the past.

In return for this support, we can offer a mention in the event literature and in our newsletter and annual report. We will also acknowledge donations on our social media accounts.

Ideally, we need to raise around £4,000 for this event. Any shortfall will be made up from our general fund so the event will still go ahead. However our general fund also needs to pay for the home visits and other methods of directly supporting those affected by asbestos and Mesothelioma.

Do you know someone who can help?  Can you make a contribution to this event?  Please let us know:


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