THE family of a former Middlewich site agent who died from asbestos cancer is appealing to his old colleagues to discover how he was exposed to the hazardous material that claimed his life.

Glyn Jones, from Y Felinheli near Bangor but a former Pochins Middlewich employee, was diagnosed with mesothelioma in November 2021, aged 82.

This is a cancer of the lining of the lung associated with exposure to asbestos - often decades previously.

Gyln sadly died early this year, and now his sister-in-law Delyth and brother Ralph are working with specialist asbestos-related disease lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate where his exposure may have occurred.

Glyn had dementia at the time of his diagnosis and had limited memories of his working life, so his family are now appealing for anyone who remembers working with Glyn to come forward with details about the conditions he may have faced.

He worked at Pochins in Middlewich, in 1964, Burns Anderson in 1966-67, The University of Manchester from 1963 to 1965, and again from 1967 to 1970.

Katrina London, the expert asbestos-related disease lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, said: “Glyn and his family lived with the impact of dementia on his life and that they then had to face a mesothelioma diagnosis in the last few months of his life was very cruel. 

“Glyn’s family are determined to get to the truth about his asbestos exposure.

“He worked on public buildings and flats in the 1960s, a time when asbestos products were frequently used in the construction industry, so if anyone who remembers working with him or at the sites mentioned at the time could come forward, it would mean a lot to the family.

“Glyn’s dementia meant he struggled to recall some details of his work history, so any facts former workmates can supply could prove vital to our investigation.”

After graduating with a degree in building studies, Glyn started work as a site agent for Pochins in Middlewich in 1964.

His role involved reading drawings and translating them through to execution on site.

The role involved a lot of work ‘snagging’ on site and problem solving. Glyn mainly worked on University of Manchester buildings.

From 1966-67, Glyn was employed by Burns Anderson, working on several blocks of flats during his time with the firm, one of them being close to Lapwing Lane, in Didsbury, Manchester.

He returned to work at various University of Manchester between 1963 and 1965 and again from 1967-1970 but found it difficult to recall the individual locations and the work that he undertook.

Glyn moved to North Wales in 1983 to develop his boat building and renovation business.

He started to feel unwell in the summer of 2021 and following a consultation with his GP, was referred for tests. Glyn was diagnosed with mesothelioma in November 2021.

Speaking for the family about the appeal, sister-in-law Delyth said: “Glyn’s mesothelioma diagnosis came as a terrible shock to us and his dementia made it even harder for him to understand what was happening to him. 

“Sadly, Glyn’s diagnosis came at a time when he found it hard to remember his past work in detail, so we really do need help from his former workmates to complete the picture.

“It really would mean a lot to Glyn’s family if anyone out there who remembers him or the places where he worked could come forward.”

Anyone with information that could help Glyn’s family is asked to contact Katrina London on 0161 838 7262 or by e-mail to Katrina.London@IrwinMitchell.com