HUNDREDS of hospital supporters will march through the streets in a bid to save a 24-bed ward from the axe.

Union officials are organising a rally through the streets of Melksham after holding a meeting with hospital staff who fear for their future.

News of the march follows hot on the heels of the Wiltshire Times' Save Our Hospital Beds petition, which this week broke through the 1,700-signature mark.

Roger Davey, senior steward at public services union UNISON, said Melksham Hospital was facing its greatest threat to date.

Posters and leaflets will be distributed across the town in the next three weeks calling for people to support the march on June 18. Organisers hope to start from the hospital in Spa Road and walk through the town centre.

The future of 24 beds at the hospital remains in doubt with no GP contract in place to provide cover.

Half the beds have already been axed and the ward is closed to new admissions.

Mr Davey said he believes even if GPs can be found to plug the gap, the beds could be threatened in the longer term.

"Staff are very upset and angry at what is going on. These people are threatened with redundancy," he said. "They are saying this is the greatest threat to the hospital for some time. There is no guarantee the GP contract will be put in place and if it is how many beds will be included.

"There is a major PCT review of all services underway. We believe the objective of this review is to cut beds at the hospital.

"We want to give people the chance to show their support."

In June 2004 500 people took to the streets of Warminster to protest about the closure of the hospital's minor injuries unit.

The axe was also looming over its 24-bed inpatient ward ,with similar doubts over the future of GP contracts.

The final number of people signing the Wiltshire Times' petition has broken through the 1,700 mark.

Petitions with 91 signatures arrived at our offices in Duke Street, Trowbridge, in the last few days and we have passed them on to West Wilts Primary Care Trust.

It means 1,776 people have backed our campaign in total. The petition is with the PCT and will form part of their Pathways For Change review, which was launched at Chippenham Hospital on Thursday.