Dear Sir Neil McKay ,
This is your first visit to Maryport and we hope you will see the strength of feeling here and also how well our cottage hospital is run.
Look around and see all the ribbons. They are not just in Maryport but in Crosby, Dearham and Flimby – places that will be affected by the removal of any services from here. Nearly every single one of those ribbons represents someone whose life has been touched by our hospital service.
You might also notice the infrastructure of the area and may have already established for yourself that this is not the most easily accessible area.
The campaign to keep all hospital services has been fought across this community. Schoolchildren, the elderly and the infirm have supported marches, attended meetings, tied ribbons, signed petitions and written letters. This fight has no age barrier. Residents are all in it together.
We are not asking you to leave our hospital alone for sentimental reasons – although it is at the heart of our community – but because there are valid and vital reasons why it must remain open.
Deprivation: Are you aware that parts of this community are among the most deprived in the country? There are far fewer cars here than the national average and public transport is sparse. Relatives wanting to visit people in Cockermouth hospital after work face a four-hour journey for just a 20-minute visit. This includes an hour wait for connecting buses and a half-hour walk up a steep hill.
Finance: Almost everything in our hospital, apart from wages and food, has been paid for by the community. Despite the poverty, in excess of £200,000 has been raised here over the year – and fundraising will continue.
The hospital was running within budget until the budget was slashed.
How will removing services from Maryport have any great impact on Cumbria’s NHS debt? What do you think will be achieved? More importantly, what do you think the impact will be on our community?
Decisions: It has been suggested that the decisions have already been made and that Maryport will lose all its beds.
We are grateful that you agreed to come and see the town and the hospital for yourself. We hope you can tell us it is not a foregone conclusion and that the special circumstances of this small town will form a serious part of your decision making.
Maryport’s Save Our Beds campaign group
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