A group of campaigners staged a demonstration to show their support for keeping Hinchingbrooke Hospital running full services within the NHS on Saturday.
The 20-strong team handed out leaflets with the ‘Hands off Hinchingbrooke’ message and managed to secure about 300 signatures for their petition in Huntingdon town centre.
There were also performances of a show which was a dramatisation depicting the privatisation of the NHS to grab the crowd’s attention.
It follows the withdrawal of Circle - the first private company to manage a hospital - three years into its 10-year franchise. Control of the hospital will be handed back to the NHS tomorrow (Tuesday).
Julia Mansbridge, administrative assistant at Huntingdonshire Trades Union Council, said: “We had a really good response from the public, we got lots of signatures - possibly the most we have ever got in one hit.
“A lot of the people that stopped and signed the petition were either having treatment at the hospital or had been previously and they made it quite clear that they were all desperate to keep their local hospital functioning and in the NHS.”
INFORMATION: A public meeting to discuss the campaign will be held at Huntingdonshire Community Church, Huntingdon, on Wednesday, April 8, from 8pm-9pm.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here