David Childs was Mayor of the town of Rushden in Northamptonshire for just 18 days in May 2006 when he tragically died from mesothelioma, a type of lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos fibres decades earlier.

Now his widow Carol Childs is backing a campaign by the Health and Safety Executive to make those working in construction-related trades aware of the dangers posed by asbestos.

Grandmother Carol, 61, is determined to save the lives of younger workmen and warn tradesmen of what is often dubbed the 'hidden killer.' Asbestos related illnesses claim 4,000 lives a year and of that figure, around 2,000 are mesothelioma.

David was 57 when he died, having worked as a plumber and heating engineer since the age of 15 when he was taken on as an apprentice by a company in Rushden, before becoming self-employed at the age of 22. He had no idea of the danger of asbestos at the time.

As a young apprentice, part of David's work was servicing boilers, which involved brushing out the asbestos, taking in a deep breath before blowing away the debris and unknowingly inhaling asbestos fibres. He would also often have to replace asbestos sheets on factory roofs and asbestos box guttering, removing old, already cracked, sheets with a hammer or simply kicking through it.

"Asbestos killed David, without that he would have been here now," said Carol, who used to work as a Clerking Services manager at Northamptonshire County Council.

"I remember him telling me that as a young apprentice they were so ignorant to the dangers of asbestos that they even used to play snowballs with the powder. That turned out to be lethal."

"Sometimes on a Saturday I would meet him after he finished work and his hair would be quite dusty. He'd shake off the dust and I'd kiss him when it was in his hair, which has left me at risk too. The doctor says there is no rhyme or reason to these things and to just get on with my life, but it's a worry."

At 57 years old, he was still working; he had a tool for every job and lived in the four-bedroom house, which he had built with his own hands. He also enjoyed his civic duties, and was a town Councillor for Rushden Town Council for five-and-a-half years and a district councillor for the East Northants District for three years.

David realised something was wrong when he started to suffer breathlessness, with the first warning signs appearing during a walking holiday to New Zealand in 2005. They were planning their retirement, which would have included walking holidays.

At work, jobs seemed to take longer than they should have done, and carrying his toolbox or getting into the loft seemed like an effort.

Carol said: "The diagnosis came as an enormous shock. Totally devastating.

"David didn't let me see his suffering, if he felt very breathless he'd go outside quietly, it s just a horrendous illness. It took me ages to actually say Mesothelioma. If you see pictures of the lungs rotting away, just how can it do that?"

Carol and David were childhood sweethearts. They met at the local youth club in Rushden aged 17 and married two years later. They have two children - Lorraine 36, and Craig 38.

David didn't live long enough to see his grandson, Oscar, who is now eight months old.

"I just look at his picture and think he would have loved this little chap. And that's the cheat - being robbed of everything," Carol said, "I can't do anything to get David back but I can urge the young men out there to protect their future. Asbestos is a killer; please don't let it kill you."