UKMA Members

The alliance is open to all non-commercial mesothelioma stakeholders. Our members include mesothelioma patient/carer advocates, campaigners and charities, and asbestos charities and support groups, campaigners and trade unions. Other organisations may be co-opted onto the UKMA for the duration of a specific asbestos-related campaign, for example.

Any non-commercial mesothelioma organisations can request to join the UKMA by emailing info@UKMesoAlliance.org

Members

Our current members list:

Action on Asbestos

Action on Asbestos, formerly Clydeside Action on Asbestos, was formed in 1984 by men who had an asbestos condition.

The charity provides a comprehensive welfare benefits advice service; actively campaigns on any injustices placed on our clients; hosts monthly support groups throughout Scotland to reduce the isolation of our members and works closely with all health care professionals.

Action on Asbestos’s aim is to put more funds into the NHS; currently sponsor 2 specialist nurses, a specialist respiratory physiotherapist and provide funding for research and/ medical equipment.

Asbestos Awareness and Support Cymru

Asbestos Awareness & Support Cymru (AASC) is an independent charity that supports victims of asbestos related illnesses and their families in Wales. AASC provides a dedicated contact number with an answering service that is available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, offering a signposting service and a listening ear. In addition to offering support, information and guidance, AASC also facilitates a number of events and support group meetings at various locations across Wales throughout the year whilst striving to raise awareness.

Asbestos in Schools/Joint Union Asbestos Committee

Asbestos in Schools examines the extent, type and condition of asbestos in schools and the risks to the occupants.

The Joint Union Asbestos Committee (JUAC) was founded in 2010 and aims to protect education workers by raising awareness of asbestos in schools and promoting improved management of asbestos in education sector buildings.

Asbestos Support Groups Forum UK

The Asbestos Victims Support Groups Forum UK (AVSGF-UK) is an umbrella organisation representing asbestos victims support groups. The Forum’s main purpose is to work collectively to provide one voice for asbestos victims.

British Asbestos Newsletter

Since 1990, the British Asbestos Newsletter (BAN) has provided detailed and up-to-date information and analysis on a multiplicity of issues to inform and stimulate efforts to address the country’s asbestos legacy. The newsletter, widely regarded as a contemporaneous and authoritative publication, is a historical document with copies of each issue lodged at the British Library. As the editor of the BAN, Laurie Kazan-Allen works closely with asbestos victims’ groups, trade unions, and politicians, medical and scientific experts to ensure that the welfare of asbestos victims retains a high priority in the national discourse.

British Thoracic Oncology Group

The British Thoracic Oncology Group (BTOG) is a membership organisation which aims to support and educate health care professionals, creating a community to exchange ideas, information and innovation, and to foster the development of research. The overall aim is to represent the needs of patients and improve their outcomes.

ERASE MESO

Erase Meso is a voluntary community committed to

  1. Raising research funds to find a cure or at least a way of managing mesothelioma
  2. Raising awareness of mesothelioma asbestos cancer
  3. Providing hope for mesothelioma sufferers

GMB

GMB is a campaigning trade union open to any worker, from any industry. The union offers members protection, representation and advice on every issue related to work life.

HASAG

HASAG is a charity dedicated to helping people suffering from asbestos-related diseases and their families throughout the South of England, South East, London and Home Counties. It provides a complete source of help and support for anyone with an asbestos-related disease and their loved ones.

International Ban Asbestos Secretariat

The International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS), established in 1999, provides a conduit for the exchange of information between groups and individuals working to achieve a global asbestos ban and alleviate the damage caused by widespread asbestos use. IBAS channels the views of a network of victims’ groups, medical and legal professionals and concerned individuals to raise awareness of asbestos hazards and provide informed comment on current developments. Its objectives are to achieve a global ban on asbestos and justice for all asbestos victims.

June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund

Established in 1997, this mesothelioma charity was named after June Hancock, who successfully sued the asbestos factory owner whose negligence claimed her life. The charity has raised over £1.5 million which is mostly spent on research into diagnosis, and treatment and care for those affected by mesothelioma.

Lung Cancer Nursing UK

Established in 1999 as NLCFN, LCN UK provides networking and support to nurses specialising in the care of people with lung cancer.  It is a paid membership forum and is open to any specialist nurse who spends more than 50% of their working week or clinical activities in caring for patients with lung cancer. The forum provides clinical support, knowledge sharing, support for research, educational programmes and materials, and a voice for lung cancer nurse specialists.

Mavis Nye Foundation

The Mavis Nye Foundation was set up in 2018 by Mavis, who was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2009, to support mesowarriors on social media, by email and over the phone. The primary aim is to reach out to as many donors and fundraisers as possible to enable grants for smaller research labs to pursue the development of new drugs for mesothelioma research in the UK; to offer grants towards securing mesothelioma clinical nurse specialists in the UK and; to support university students studying to become mesothelioma doctors.

Mesothelioma UK

Mesothelioma UK is a national resource centre dedicated to providing free specialist information, support and improved treatment and care for those affected by mesothelioma. The charity offers support to patients through a dedicated helpline and a team of specialist nurses, and also works with health care professionals and other organisations to fund research into mesothelioma and drive up standards of care.

TUC

Founded in 1868, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) exists to make the working world a better and safer place for everyone. It brings together more than 5.6 million working people who make up its 49 member unions. The TUC supports trade unions and stands for equality, fairness and justice, and for dignity and respect for all working people.

Co-opted organisations:

Glynnis Gale Foundation

The Glynnis Gale Foundation is there to support Mesothelioma patients in the Northern Cape of South Africa through:

  • Raising awareness of asbestos and seeking appropriate management of asbestos contamination across the region with a particular focus on schools.
  • Ensuring health care professionals and care workers have appropriate palliative care training
  • Supporting research projects that highlight the devastation and impact of asbestos on the region and its people
  • Ensuring early detection and access to palliative care for all mesothelioma patients.

Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH)

The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) is the independent, authoritative voice on all areas of workplace health and safety. It is the biggest health and safety membership organisation in the world and the only Chartered body for health and safety professionals.

IOSH’s No Time to Lose campaign identifies asbestos as the top cause of work-related cancer deaths and aims to help organisations reduce exposures to this and other causes of occupational cancers.