Calls for change as MP opens up on cancer deaths of wife and father
Just months passed between diagnosis and death in devastating tragedies
Hello and welcome to The Southport Lead.
To lose one loved one to cancer is devastating. To lose two, each with a matter of months between diagnosis and death and almost simultaneously is seemingly unimaginable but is in fact the devastating reality suffered by Patrick Hurley.
The Southport MP spoke about the deaths of his wife and father in Parliament to raise awareness of less survivable cancers and call on the government to change its approach and in turn improve survival rates and regional inequality.
It’s not an easy topic to discuss, but it’s an important one.
The Southport Lead marks its one-year anniversary in January so to celebrate we’re offering 30% off monthly and annual subscriptions for the entire month. That means you can get an annual subscription for just £34.30 or pay £3.49 a month, a little more than the cost of two hours’ parking in Southport town centre. Use this link to take advantage of the offer.
Southport briefing
⚽ A thug who punched a 13-year-old boy at a football match has been given a three-year banning order and ordered to pay £250 compensation. Sean Ryan, from Old Swan, punched the teenage victim in an unprovoked attack at Southport FC’s home match against Radcliffe in January 2025, leaving the boy in pain and distress. Ryan, 21, was detained by stewards and this week was sentenced for assault at South Sefton MAgistrates Court. As part of his punishment, he must also carry out 120 hours of unpaid work. Inspector Stuart McLoughlin said: “The young victim was left very distressed after the incident and this type of violent behaviour has no place in football. Thankfully Ryan quickly admitted the assault after it had happened, and now Ryan is banned from attending any football game in the country. Everyone should feel safe without any fear when they are attending a football game.”
✅ Sefton Council has now formally submitted a business case to the Government to access funding to repair and reopen Southport Pier and hopes work can begin in the coming months. In order to access the promised government funding - which could be as high as £20m - the council was required to submit a formal business case which is expected to be assessed later this month. Once approved, the money will cover the full replacement of decking boards and timber joists, extensive steelwork repairs and replacements due to corrosion, installation of new gates and CCTV, and implementation of a new long-term maintenance regime. Cllr Marion Atkinson, Leader of Sefton Council said: “I have been on record countless times saying we would be ready to start these works as soon as we get funding and we are staying completely true to our word. A two-stage design and build procurement process has already been completed, while listed building consent is also secured.”
🚌 A bus service to Ocean Plaza is finally going to be introduced - but not until next year. The new service will come after buses across the Liverpool City Region are brought under public control in a similar way to that seen with Greater Manchester’s Bee Network. The move will allow the Combined Authority (CA) to commission bus services, with the power to set fares and routes and make decisions about where profits will be reinvested into services. St Helens and Wirral will be the first of the authority areas to roll-out the scheme this year, with Sefton due to be included from 2027. Once that happens, a circular service is to be introduced in Southport improving links to Southport & Formby District General Hospital with a new route linking to Ocean Plaza.
“There was not any long fight or slow decline - only shock, confusion, urgent decisions and death”
By Jamie Lopez
Southport MP Patrick Hurley opened up on the deaths of his wife and father as he sought to encourage change which would see fewer families suffer similar tragedies.
Both loved ones died just months after being diagnosed with oesophageal cancer - and within months of each other in 2006. At a House of Commons debate on less survivable cancers, Hurley spoke of the devastating losses and called for reform to ensure greater equality in care of such illnesses and to end
Such cancers counted as less survivable are lung, liver, brain, oesophageal, pancreatic, and stomach and in Less Survivable Cancers Awareness Week campaigners are lobbying the government to invest more in research investment into research to reduce the number of such deaths.
The five-year survival rate for these cancers collectively is just 16% and more than 95,000 people in the UK will be diagnosed each year. As such, they account for 40% of all cancer deaths.
Speaking in Westminster, Hurley said: “Less Survivable Cancers Awareness Week is an important marker in the calendar, but I want to talk about another important marker when it comes to these cancers - one that is important for me and my family anyway - because this year marks 20 years since I was made unavoidably aware of the devastation of oesophageal cancer.
