Campaigners from across north, west and east Cumbria are uniting to march through London in a bid to save the area’s NHS.

Groups from Carlisle, west Cumbria and Alston/Penrith are planning to join the national demonstration on Saturday, March 4.

The It’s Our NHS demo is a chance for people from all over England to join together and show their opposition to health service cuts, closures and privatisation. Activists will gather in Tavistock Square and march through London to Parliament.

The Cumbrian contingent will aim to highlight controversial Success Regime plans to cut services and beds across the county, including forcing women in labour to undertake a risky journey of more than 40 miles to give birth.

A Cumbrian branch of the national umbrella group Health Campaigns Together has been set up to unite trade unions, parties and other groups defending the NHS locally.

They are appealing to people who want to join the national demo to get in touch and offering places on buses.

A public meeting is also take in Carlisle, at the Old Town Hall, at 7.30pm on Wednesday, February 22.

Dr Helen Davison, a former public health doctor from Carlisle, is urging fellow Cumbrians to join them. She said: "The NHS is being destroyed at the moment. It's really important that we all stand up and say no. In London we will be joining lots of other communities who are facing similar cuts and closures."

Alix Martin, from Alston, said: "Lets make Cumbria count by turning up en masse, standing together to keep our services and beds."

Siobhan Gearing, from Whitehaven, added: "The Government is not listening to us here. Maybe they are not taking us seriously enough. It's time to take the fight to them."

Unison is supporting the event, with members from Cumbria joining the demo.

To join one of the buses contact Robert Charlesworth on 07518 056051 (Carlisle) or Siobhan Gearing at kgearing73@gmail.com