There are a number of mesothelioma awareness events taking place throughout the UK today, on Action Mesothelioma Day. The commemorative event was established in 2006 by the British Lung Foundation, to raise awareness of mesothelioma and to improve the treatment and care of people affected by the disease.

To mark the establishment of the event in 2006 the British Lung Foundation delivered a Charter to the Prime Minister at Number 10 Downing Street, with more than 14,000 signatures. The Charter asks the government to support improved care and treatment of mesothelioma patients, better protection for employees, and more funding for resarch. You can sign the Charter!

In 2009, a goal of Action Mesothelioma Day is to ask the British government to establish an Asbestos Related Disease Research Centre. There is a list of Action Mesothelioma Day 2009 Events at the British Lung Foundation web site.

Of course our friend Debbie Brewer will be active in today’s events, including speaking about Alternative Treatment in Mesothelioma at an event presented by the Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund (MKMRF).

She also will join Jackie Lowe of the Roger Lowe Asbestos Mesothelioma Campaign to plant snowdrops in memory of those that have died of mesothelioma. The snowdrops will be planted at Saltram House, where last year Debbie and Jackie planted a tree to honor mesothelioma patients.

The MKMRF uses the snowdrop flower as its symbol, because it works through the depths of despair in the winter to push through the ground in spring to bloom. It represents hope and a promise for the future, and has come to be a symbol of mesothelioma awareness among groups in the UK.

The British Lung Foundation (BLF) is asking residents of the United Kingdom affected by mesothelioma to complete an online survey to help them gather data about the numbers of people affected by the asbestos-related cancer. They hope the data will help them lobby for new legislation to help mesothelioma victims and their families, and to secure funds for research and treatment.

According to a report in the Sheilds Gazette, Dame Helena Shovelton, chief executive of the BLF, is particularly encouraging residents of South Tyneside to participate in the survey. She said the area has been identified as one of the “top 10 hot spots for mesothelioma in the UK.”

The reserach survey is supported by the Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Reserach Fund. Readers of this site are familiar with this organization, which seeks to raise awareness about mesothelioma as well as money for research. The Gazette quotes Anne Craig, an official with the Knighton fund whose husband, David, died of mesothelioma, as saying, “I would encourage people to complete the BLF survey as soon as they can.”

Visit the BLF web site to COMPLETE THE SURVEY. It should only take about 10 minutes to complete. Or, call the BLF helpline at 08458 50 50 20.

A video produced by BBC News features the personal accounts of Karen Cockburn and Chris Knighton, both of whom lost their husbands to mesothelioma.

Chris founded the Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund, which seeks to raise awareness of mesothelioma as well as money for research, in memory of her husband, Mick. He was diagnosed in August 2000, and passed away 7 months later. Vowing that he would not die in vain, and recognizing the numbers of people affected by asbestos exposure, she started the Fund in 2002.

Soon, the organization also established a Snowdrop Fund, which allows others affected by mesothelioma to set up fundraising efforts as tributes to their loved ones. The MKMRF helps to organize and promote these activities.

MyMeso.org recently featured one of these Snowdrop Funds, the Bob Tolley Mesothelioma Snowdrop Fund, established by his daughter, Christine.

According to Chris Knighton, by pooling the Snowdrop Funds with the money raised directly by the Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund, a greater impact can be made on research into the disease. There currently is no government funding for mesothelioma research in the UK.

The Snowdrop is a flower, which Chris said she chose because it “works so hard through the depths of despair in the winter, yet come the spring it pushes through the ground bringing hope and promise for the future to everyone who sees it. We hope these funds will give hope and promise to all who take part.”

For more information about establishing your own Snowdrop Fund, contact cknighton-mkmrf@btconnect.com or telephone 0191 2637386 in the UK.