Christchurch man Michael Bishopp with asbestos related mesothelioma appeals for help from former colleagues at New Milton Barclays bank

A CHRISTCHURCH granddad suffering from asbestos-related cancer is appealing to find former colleagues at Barclays’ New Milton branch to help his legal battle.

Michael Bishopp was diagnosed in January with mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung associated with exposure to the deadly material.

The 77-year-old believes he was exposed to it when the bank was having alterations done to it in the early 1970s.

He started to notice symptoms in 2023 which began with a pain in the top of his shoulder and breathlessness. Following tests, he was diagnosed with mesothelioma.

Mr Bishopp attends Addenbrooke’s Hospital at least once every three weeks for scans and immunotherapy treatment.

He said: “The last few months have been the worst of my life. I knew something was wrong, but you never imagine being told you have cancer. The shock was overwhelming and it was hard to take things in.

Right now, I’m spending as much time with my family as I can and looking at options for treatment. I’m already on a trial that seems to be working, but I’m open to doing what I can to spend as much time as possible with my family and obtain the answers I deserve.

Mr Bishopp, who has four children and three grandchildren, went straight into banking as a school leaver and worked at the branch in Station Road from 1969 to 1971. He retired from banking in 2003.

At one time accommodation upstairs was being converted into office space. He remembers there being a lot of “dust and debris” and believes asbestos may have been in the old kitchens and bathrooms.

He recalls builders cutting up and drilling boards to reinforce the ceiling and sweeping the dust, and thinks this is when he might have been exposed to the material.

Mr Bishopp, who has been married for 39 years, used to play for Hordle Spurs. He said: “This is proving to be such a difficult period in my life and I’d be so grateful for any information that people can provide.

“I know it’s a lot to ask, but it would mean a lot to hear from people and could also help others who were there at the same time I was.”

He is being helped in his search by Irwin Mitchell solicitors.

Natalia Rushworth-White, the specialist asbestos-related disease lawyer at the firm said: “Mike and his family are understandably still shocked by his mesothelioma diagnosis and what this means for their future.”

“Mike is determined to uncover the truth about his asbestos exposure.

“He was employed by the bank for a long time and hopes that people will remember him. If anyone can come forward with their recollections, it would mean a lot to Mike and his family and could make all the difference in providing him with the answers he deserves.”

Those with information which could help Mr Bishopp can contact Ms Rushworth-White on 01223 791893 or e-mail natalia.rushworth-white@irwinmitchell.com