Battlelines have been drawn and Maryport townsfolk have spoken. 

Proposals to remove beds from the town's hospital have sent shockwaves through the community and have united key groups in a common goal. 

The Times & Star has joined forces with the hospital's league of friends, Ewanrigg Local Trust and Ewanrigg and Netherton Tenants' and Residents' Association to tell health bosses "hands off our hospital". 

Organisers of the Save Our Beds campaign want everyone to tell government chiefs that Maryport demands and deserves a fully operational community hospital. 

A petition has been launched and hundreds of people demonstrated outside Victoria Cottage Hospital on Ewanrigg Road on Wednesday. 

Fears for the future of West Cumbria's community hospitals were raised when the Success Regime, set up by the Government to tackle deep-rooted problems in the county's health service, said it wanted to review them. 

Two early ideas mooted would see all beds removed from cottage hospitals including Maryport and an expansion of inpatient services at units including Workington and Cockermouth.

The other would see all cottage hospital inpatient facilities closed.

The Success Regime has said community hospitals would still play a key part, but it wants to review how it uses them. 

Removing all inpatient beds from cottage hospitals would require significant investment in community care, focused on keeping people out of hospital, it said.

Cottage hospitals would become community care hubs focusing on outpatient appointments. 

Around 500 patients are admitted to Maryport a year. The Success Regime said those patients would be admitted to Keswick, Cockermouth or Workington.

Campaign leaders are currently drawing up plans for the coming weeks to make Maryport's voice heard. 

And the campaign already has the backing of Workington MP Sue Hayman. 

Mrs Hayman said: "I know how important the hospital in Maryport is and I will support this campaign in any way I can." 

She added that she would be meeting Sir Neil McKay next week. 

She said: "You can be sure I will be explaining the concerns of residents in this area."

At the demonstration on Wednesday, ribbons were tied to the hospital's railings as a display of the strength of feeling. 

Trust chairwoman Sharon Barnes has urged people to get a ribbon, write their names on them and tie them to the railings. 

T-shirts have also been printed for anyone who wishes to show their support. These are available at West Lakes Embroidery. 

People are being urged to write to the Success Regime to make their feelings known. Letters should be sent to WNE Cumbria Success Regime, 4 Wavell Drive, Rosehill Industrial Estate, Carlisle, CA1 2SE. Schools have been asked to write letters to show why young people are concerned about the removal of hospital beds.

Anyone needing help with access to the internet can call into Ewanrigg Community Centre, where the trust and association are also offering to help people put together their letters and the petition can be signed. The trust has also offered to post or deliver letters for residents.

Meetings will be held at the centre every Wednesday at 7pm to ensure that no momentum is lost.

Bill Barnes, association chairman, said: "It is 10 years since this community rose to fight the closure of the cottage hospital. We will rise again and we are determined that, once again, we will win this fight."

Kate Whitmarsh, trust development officer, said the Ewanrigg ward of Maryport was given a £1 million lottery grant to fight deprivation and ill health in the area. She said the removal of beds and possible closure of the cottage hospital would be a disaster for the ward and the town.

She added: "Maryport Health Services has been rated as outstanding. The acute hospitals have had ongoing problems and it seems that places like Maryport are going to be penalised because of that."

Joan Risely, chairwoman of the league of friends, said the organisation had given the hospital over £200,000 since its inception.

She added: "That is all money that has come from the community and shows the level of commitment to our hospital." 

You can sign the petition on our website at www.timesandstar.co.uk