European film crew visits Spodden Valley

Filiming the former Turners site in the Spodden Valley

Producer Hendrik Verbeure and Cameraman Mark Schellingerhout are Belgian based filmmakers that have just visited the Spodden Valley. They came to Rochdale to film the former Turner's site in the Spodden Valley. This visit is central to their 2 hour documentary on asbestos and the diseases caused by exposure to the dust and fibre.

The Rochdale site has importance to the film crew as it was the birthplace of the modern asbestos textile industry and headquarters of the T&N worldwide empire until 1948.

The world’s first asbestosis victim was Rochdale TBA worker Nellie Kershaw in 1924. The first mesothelioma cancer victim recognised by T&N was Spotland worker and resident William Pennington in 1936. The link between lung cancer and asbestos exposure was confirm by a study of Rochdale TBA workers in 1955.

Researchers have uncovered documents that prove the asbestos and insurance industry knew about the dangers of the deadly fibre for many decades. Factory Inspectors in 1898 warned about the working conditions of asbestos workers. It has been suggested that the story of the asbestos industry is one where known facts about health and safety were suppressed for the sake of profit.

The documentary will also concentrate on the SSV campaign with reports of T&N documents and historic aerial photographs that have been presented to Rochdale Council’s consultants- Atkins Global.

The filmmakers have been following the events in the Spodden Valley and met with SSV campaigners at the European Parliament this September.

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/News/spodden_news.asp?ID=896

In Brussels this autumn, the Parliament chamber was stunned by the developers’ a conclusion of the developers planning application was read. Their Environmental Statement stated about the site:

“of particular note is the absence of any asbestos contamination”. [paragraph 5.30].

Since the application was published further test results confirmed the existence of positive test results for asbestos on the site. However, this was only confirmed following an investigation by the BBC that suggested that the developers had been selective in the information given to Councillors, Council officers and members of the public. 

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/News/spodden_news.asp?ID=787

Soon after, the developers published an apology for their ‘past actions’ and ‘miscommunication’.

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/News/spodden_news.asp?ID=879

Analogies have been made with the way the developers and their PR companies have presented plans to build hundreds of homes and a children’s nursery on the site that had once been the HQ to the asbestos industry’s lobbying organisation – the Asbestosis Research Council.

SSV co-ordinator Jason Addy comments on the film crew’s visit:

“The Rochdale factory site is central to the history of the asbestos industry. Today, we are fighting to ensure all the facts come out about the site and asbestos to ensure that lessons can be learnt. The controversial planning application is firmly in the international spotlight”. 

Filming has already been completed in Canada and Italy. It will move to South Africa in January 2006. A final visit is planned to Rochdale and Manchester in the Spring before the documentary’s completion for Summer 2006.