WI petitions to make Asbestos in Schools a national campaign in member's memory

A former teacher who retired to Crediton, recently lost her battle against mesothelioma, a type of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.

Sue Stephens taught hundreds of children in her 30 years in the classroom and believed the cancer was caused by the job she loved.

Sue, who had launched a petition calling on the Government to do more to protect children and staff at affected schools, died at her home on 26 June 2016 to the sound of the dawn chorus.

Her daughter Lucie is continuing with the campaign in her Mum’s memory and aims for the removal of asbestos from schools to be part of her legacy.

The petition asks the Government to ensure all schools in the UK produce an annual report about the type and condition of any asbestos they have on the premises, and be required to share this with all parents and staff, with every child’s potential exposure to asbestos recorded and shared with parents. This has been happening in the USA for the last 30 years.

Parents have been kept in the dark about asbestos risks in UK schools for too long. Help protect children and teachers by reading and signing Sue’s petition here.

Sue was a member of the Down St Mary WI in Devon and her branch is currently putting forward a petition to make 'Asbestos in Schools' a national campaign issue for the WI. It has to be approved by Devon first and if this happens it will then go to national WIs to also be approved.

Members of the public are being asked to help spread the word, especially with the aim of encouraging any WI members they might know to support this. Also, to prime any WI members to look out for this in September when national priorities are voted on.

As Lucie Stephens said:  "I’ve lost my darling Mum to this terrible disease. As a parent I need to be sure that my school age daughter is not being put at risk simply by going to school. We can’t let more of our children and teachers die from this entirely preventable disease."