School backs Marlborough hospital fight

10:27am Thursday 15th May 2008

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MAYOR of Marlborough Peggy Dow will be heading a delegation from the town going to the Appeal Court in London on Wednesday to show support for hospital campaigner Val Compton.

Hundreds of pledges of financial support have poured in towards Mrs Compton's legal costs in her fight with the Wiltshire Primary Care Trust.

On Wednesday Mrs Compton and her barrister Guy Opperman - who is giving his services for free - have to appear before the Court of Appeal in a hearing to clear the way for the judicial review in July of the decision to close the Day Hospital and the Minor Injuries Unit at Savernake Hospital.

Hundreds of pledges have been pouring in offering cash sums towards the £20,000 of the PCT's legal costs that a judge has ruled Mrs Compton stands liable to pay should she lose the fight.

Many of the promises have come from parents of pupils at St Katharine's School, Savernake.

Headteacher Donni Blackwell has written letters to the 70 families at the school asking them to support the pledge campaign.

"Being a small school we have always relied upon the Minor Injuries Unit being just down the road at Savernake Hospital," said Mrs Blackwell.

"If we had an issue at the school it was there but now we would have to whizz a child off to Swindon."

Val Compton and Coun Dow will be accompanied by up to ten other town councillors as well as the Mayor of Hungerford, Coun Peter Harries, as the coachload of supporters travels to the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand on Wednesday.

Coun Dow said: "It is only right that I should be there as Marlborough's leading citizen to show the judge that the town is right behind Mrs Compton.

"I know we can only sit in the court and will not be allowed to say anything but we can show the court that the whole of not just Marlborough but the entire district including Pewsey and Hungerford is behind this fight."

Mrs Compton said she has received so many pledges of support, ranging from £1 to £1,000, that she has exceeded the £20,000 target.

She said: "I have received the kind of support I knew I could expect not only from Marlborough but from much farther afield as well.

"I am getting phone calls from people in Devizes and Calne who say they prefer to go the Savernake MIU because its closer to get to."