Sling the Mesh wins the 2024 Tenacious Campaigner Awards

Kath Sansom from the town of March has been named the winner of the 2024 Tenacious Campaigner Awards, which support activists working to right an injustice.

She launched the “Sling the Mesh” campaign almost a decade ago.

It started in 2015 with 20 members of their Facebook support group and now includes almost 11,000 members from all over the world.

The former journalist of this newspaper group has also succeeded in obtaining the suspension of one type of scam and a ban on another, and has advocated for a number of regulatory reforms.

Last month it was announced that 140 women who were harmed by the vaginal mesh implants were successful in a group settlement with three manufacturers and will receive compensation.

Kath said: “Receiving the Tenacious Campaigner Award is an incredible honour.

“This recognition not only underscores the importance of our fight, but also strengthens my determination to work towards lasting change in patient safety.

“I don’t want my children and grandchildren to suffer like the rest of us.

“We must not see another online scandal in which innocent people are harmed by medical treatment and then face a wall of denial.”

The award is a prestigious recognition for exceptional individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary skill and determination in the fight against injustice and for meaningful social change.

Kath was one of ten activists who will each receive £20,000 under the scheme.

Their diverse campaigning efforts range from aiming to abolish residential leases in England and Wales to ending the imprisonment of pregnant women.

The winners will attend an awards ceremony in London on 25 September, where they will have the opportunity to meet the award winners and network with other professionals from the fields of campaigning, law, journalism and philanthropy.

For more information about the award winners and their campaigns, visit www.tenaciousawards.org.