Tragic Mark: widow's plea to ex-workmates

MARK Farrey who died of cancer after exposure to asbestos

A WIDOW from Oldham whose husband died from cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, is appealing to those who worked alongside him decades ago for information.

Mark Farrey, a former heating and boiler engineer, died aged 56 at Dr Kershaw's Hospice in Royton in August, 2015.

He had mesothelioma, a terminal cancer caused by exposure to harmful asbestos dust and fibres, but it takes decades for the symptoms to develop.

Boilers

Now his widow Angela is appealing for those who worked alongside Mark between 1977 and 1982 at CM Dunphy in Rochdale to come forward.

Mark began working for the company, now called Christopher Dunphy Ecclesiastical Ltd, as an apprentice heating engineer. Angela, who lives in Chadderton, believes Mark was possibly exposed to asbestos when servicing and repairing boilers for CM Dunphy.

While Mark was working for the company they began to specialise in church boilers, including installing heating at Salford Cathedral in 1979. As a result of this expansion, Mark worked at sites across the North-West, working on commercial and domestic boilers for the church.

Angela (54) who was married to Mark for 27 years, has told her legal team that Mark once told her of a job where he had to remove an old boiler in an outhouse, attached to a church. She says the boiler was completely covered in asbestos and in order to remove it, he had to break the asbestos up using a hammer and pull it off by hand.

Mesothelioma is an aggressive terminal asbestos related cancer that can take decades to develop after exposure to asbestos dust.

Katrina London, an associate and expert industrial illness lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Angela, said: "Angela and the family were left devastated by Mark's death and they are desperate for answers about how and where he came into contact with the fatal asbestos that caused him to develop mesothelioma.

"We want to hear from anyone who recalls working with Mark at C M Dunphy in the hope that the information they can provide on Mark's working conditions means that we can help Angela."

Angela, who had three children with Mark that are now all in their 20's, said: "Mark was a very independent and active man, which made it extremely difficult for him to rely on other people when the disease started to cause his health to suffer.

"I urge any of his former colleagues to contact my legal team at Irwin Mitchell if they have any information on the working conditions he endured."

Anyone who worked with Mark and can provide any information is asked to contact Ciaran Wells at Irwin Mitchell on 0161 838 3162.