I paid a very interesting visit to the Liver Unit at St James’s Hospital recently alongside my Parliamentary colleagues Richard Burgon and Fabian Hamilton.
The transplant unit in Leeds does about 140 liver transplants a year and we met on Zoom one of the beneficiaries who told us how her life has been absolutely transformed by her new liver and the care, skill and expertise of the surgeons and other staff at the hospital. There is unfortunately a waiting list because of a shortage of donors.
We learned a great deal about the extent and causes of liver disease. Taken together, alcohol, excess bodyweight, and viral hepatitis are behind 9 in 10 cases of liver disease, according to the British Liver Trust. Apparently, the symptoms are not always easy to spot, but there is now a hand-held scanner which can help assess disease by identifying the softness (good) or hardness (not so good) of the liver. Astonishingly, it seems that the scanner was originally developed by a company in France which makes cheeses. They wanted to test the quality of their product, but after a while they realised that there were other very different uses to which their machine could be put!
Like many other diseases, including heart trouble and strokes, there is a higher rate of liver disease in the most deprived communities in South Leeds. The Unit has carried out some research which found that the number of adverts for alcohol and unhealthy food is much higher in the same most deprived communities than they are in the leafy, prosperous suburbs.
As the NHS advise, “there’s currently no specific medical treatment for ALRD (alcohol related liver disease). The main treatment is to stop drinking, preferably for the rest of your life.”
I was so impressed by the commitment and dedication of all the staff we met, and we wish them all the best in their work as we try and play our part in reducing the burden of this disease.
I’ve written before about the Leeds Civic Trust’s wonderful blue plaque scheme, but recently I attended the unveiling of a red plaque. It was in honour of a firefighter by the name of James Potter Schofield – known to his family and friends as Jim – who died while fighting the great fire at Leeds train station in the Dark Arches on 13 January 1892.
The red plaque scheme was started by the Fire Brigades Union to honour fallen firefighters.
Two local historians told us Jim Schofield’s story on a rather cold Saturday morning as we gathered for the plaque to be unveiled. The Firefighters’ Memorial Bell was rung to mark a minute’s silence, and as we stood there, the only sound that could be heard was the roar of the water.
The Dark Arches were built in the late 1860s to support Leeds Railway Station. Apparently, 17 million bricks were used in their construction and it is an engineering marvel. The task was to construct a railway station above a river and so they built a network of brick arches which allowed the River Aire to run under and through them.
It was also, however, a place where a lot of very flammable materials were stored, in particular by Joseph Watson & Sons Co, who made soap.
As Ken Burton reported in his excellent article in South Leeds Life a year ago, there were some “1,700 tons of resin, oils, spirits, and other combustible materials, all giving off toxic fumes. In the foggy early morning hours of 13 January 1892 a fire broke out in the Watson warehouse. As far as can be ascertained the fire broke out in the arch furthest from the station entrance. Soon no less than five steam fire engines were pouring water on the burning arches. Burning tallow and oil running from the fire soon provided an additional source of danger.”
The Chief Fire Officer for West Yorkshire John Roberts explained, it was like fighting a huge fire in a basement.
Jim Schofield had just come on duty to take over from his brother William when the platform he was standing on above the fire collapsed and he was thrown into the heart of the flames.
There was a huge turnout for his funeral and he is buried in Beckett Street cemetery. On his grave lies this inscription “Always ready we may be, but for what we do not know”.
It is a reminder of the bravery and dedication of firefighters, the police and the other emergency services who head towards difficulty and danger while the rest of us are moving in the opposite direction.
It was a very moving occasion and an honour to have been invited.
And finally, it was a great pleasure to have the chance to meet pupils from Middleton St Mary’s Primary School on their recent visit to Parliament. They had clearly enjoyed their tour of the Palace of Westminster, and had lots of very good questions to ask me.
They have also just sent me some lovely letters prompted by the question “if you were in charge of education, which change would you make?” I look forward to replying to them.
Hilary Benn is our Member of Parliament. He represents the Leeds South constituency.
Email: hilary.benn.mp@parliament.uk | Website: www.hilarybennmp.com
Constituency office:
Unity Business Centre, 26 Roundhay Road, Leeds, LS7 1AB
Tel: 0113 244 1097
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The information about the fire at the dark arches is something I’ve never read about before or learnt about in any history lesson in school ( many years since I was at school) and it’s also the first time I’ve read about the Red Plaque, so a really interesting article thank you