The cancer had spread to her brain, and her family’s lawyers say it could have caused by exposure to asbestos to her jobs at factories in Enfield decades earlier.
Carole’s daughters Annette Graham and Tracey Phillips have now instructed law firm Irwin Mitchell, which specialises in asbestos-related claims, to look into whether it could be connected to her work between the 1960s and 90s.
The sisters are appealing to former workmates for anything that could help establish whether their mother came into contact with asbestos at either the Belling or the Thorn EMI factories.
“Losing Carole continues to have a devastating impact on her daughters,” Irwin Mitchell lawyer Natalia Rushworth-White told the Enfield Independent.
“Nothing will ever change what Carole’s family are going through — but we’re determined to give them answers.”
The law firm is appealing this week for Carole’s former workmates to help if they can.
“Using asbestos was commonly associated with heavy industry,” the lawyer explained. “But its heatproof properties meant wider use in making household appliances.”
Carole worked at the Belling factory in Southbury Road between 1981 and 1992, where cookers and microwaves were made and assembled.
Her job was in packing and assembly, and she worked alongside her husband Ron, who died 20 years ago. They couple lived in Southbury Road at the time, close to the Belling factory.
Carole had also worked for Thorn EMI factory – sometimes known as Ferguson’s – in Lincoln Road, off the Great Cambridge Road between 1965 and 1974.
She began suffering breathlessness and chest pain in December 2023 and thought it was pneumonia — but then had seizures and went to A&E in July last year, when mesothelioma was diagnosed.
Carole died the following month aged 74.
Her daughter Annette said: “Not for one minute did we expect mesothelioma. We knew nothing about the condition.
“It was heart-breaking to hear how advanced it was and to watch mum deteriorate so quickly.
“To this day, it’s still difficult to accept that she’s gone — but the least we can do is get some answers to help honour her memory.”
The family want hear from anyone who worked with mum to help their investigation — any detail that could be helpful to establish if there was asbestos in the workplace.
Their lawyer can be contacted at the Irwin Mitchell office in Cambridge on 01223-791893, or by e-mail at natalia.rushworth-white@irwinmitchell.com.
