Rallying cry sounded before Stafford Hospital demo
A rallying cry was today issued ahead of the second protest march against plans to downgrade Stafford Hospital.
A children's march will set off from Market Square at 2pm on Saturday, September 28, with campaigners expecting thousands to pound the streets – just five months after 50,000 took part in a demonstration in April.
The hospital faces losing its maternity unit and paediatric inpatient care while critical care will be downgraded under plans drawn up by administrators.
Support Stafford Hospital campaigner Cheryl Porter said: "It's the vulnerable people that are going to suffer if these services go, the pregnant women, babies and children.
"There are a lot of very frightened little children and they have to rely on the children's ward at Stafford Hospital and those that attend it regularly need those services.
"A lot of them have grown up on the wards there being treated regularly."
The march will end in the field surrounding Stafford Hospital where a host of activities are planned to entertain the children.
There will be fairground rides, bouncy castles, slides, face-painting, a teddy bears' picnic and a live DJ and music for the teenagers.
A giant mural will be created on the day using children's hand prints to create a collage aimed at representing the support of the community for the services threatened by the administrators' plans.
Mrs Porter added: "The children of today are the people of tomorrow and that's why we need to protect their services now."
Campaigner Helen Simkins added: "The children that are with their families are going to be affected if these proposed changes go through. We want to tell the country – and the Trust Special Administrator – how precious Stafford Hospital is."
