Harold Dyson should have been celebrating his Golden Wedding anniversary with his wife Margaret and his family in 2010. But Harold was one of the 4,000 people each year to die from asbestos-related diseases. He died of mesothelioma, a fatal type of lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.

Now Margaret, who lives in Glossop, has become a champion for workers suffering from asbestos-related diseases. She wants tradespeople and others working in the construction industry, as Harold did, to understand the devastating effect conditions like mesothelioma can have on them and their families.

Harold was a joiner and his work included fitting out supermarket cold rooms, which were often lined with asbestos.

He was diagnosed with mesothelioma in September 2007 and died nine months later at the age of 71.

Margaret said:

"We first noticed something was wrong when we were on holiday in Spain in June 2007. We were going for a walk along the promenade after dinner one night when Harold started to complain that he was short of breath. He actually looked quite ill.

When we arrived home the following day I was on to him to make an appointment to see the doctor, which he did. He had to attend the hospital for a chest x-ray and was admitted with the fluid in his pleural cavity. He was in and out of hospital from July to September when he finally had a major operation that confirmed he had mesothelioma.

From being a very active, smart, healthy man he was just like a skeleton when he died. Fortunately, I was able to look after him at home, and I am glad that I did."

Margaret is supporting a national Health and Safety Executive (HSE) campaign - 'Asbestos - The Hidden Killer', which aims to educate today's tradesmen about the dangers of asbestos.

Any building built or refurbished before the year 2000 could contain asbestos, and more people are dying every year from diseases related to asbestos than are killed on the roads.

One in four people currently dying are building maintenance and repair workers, who have been exposed to the dust while at work.

Following Harold's death, 71-year-old Margaret was determined that others should not suffer in the same way and so joined the Greater Manchester Asbestos Victims' Support Group.

Margaret added:

"I got to the stage when I thought I've got to start doing something to help other people who are going through what we went through.

I still don't think people are aware of the dangers and how much of a difference it can make to people's family lives. Unless you've actually seen someone with the illness, you don't know what effect it can have. I wouldn't have been aware of it before Harold's illness and I'm quite sure Harold wasn't either.

My message to people in the building trade is simple. Never touch asbestos and make sure that it's removed by the proper people because it's a huge health hazard."

Workers have a right to know if asbestos is present in a building they are working on.

Mesothelioma can take anywhere from 15 to 60 years before it becomes active, when it starts attacking the external lining of the lungs. The majority of sufferers die within one or two years of being diagnosed.

Margaret and Harold married in May 1960 and would have celebrated their golden wedding anniversary next year. They have two sons Andrew and Mark, and four grandchildren. Margaret says his illness and death has had a lasting impact on all of them.

The whole family enjoyed cricket, and Andrew and Mark played cricket at the local club for nearly 30 years. Margaret has fond memories of visiting the ground with her husband on Saturday afternoons to watch them play.

"Harold used to say cricket was our religion. A couple of years ago they had a very nice new pavilion built at the ground. Harold and I went to the opening ceremony and when we came home he said, 'I'll tell you what Margaret, when it's our Golden Wedding we'll have it there'.

"It would have been a big family party. Harold loved a party atmosphere. He really enjoyed life and he loved his family being around him. But it's not a party we will ever have now he's gone."

Margaret is determined to make sure her husband's death helps alert other workers to the dangers of asbestos. She hopes HSE's 'Asbestos - The Hidden Killer' campaign will have a lasting impact on Britain's workforce, and reduce the death toll in the future.