SAVE OUR MATERNITY UNIT: THE campaign to save Devizes and Malmesbury maternity units from closure is about to enter a crucial stage with the public consultation beginning in January for three months.

The Gazette & Herald is joining forces with campaigners, including DASH2 (Devizes Action to Save Our Hospital), to launch a letter writing campaign to convince the Kennet and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust that both Devizes and Malmesbury maternity units must keep their 24 hour birthing, ante natal and post natal care facilities.

The trust wants to close Malmesbury and keep a day time ante natal clinic in the town. Women will be given the option of transferring to Chippenham Maternity Unit.

The trust plans to transfer the activity at Devizes to Trowbridge although women will be offered the opportunity to go to Chippenham. An ante natal facility would be left in Devizes if the trust's plans go ahead.

Letters don't have to be long but the most important thing is to tell the trust that you want Devizes and Malmesbury maternity units to stay open with the same facilities they offer now.

Perhaps you gave birth at one of the units or would like the option to do so in the future.

Maybe travelling further to Chippenham or Trowbridge is not feasible for you because you do not have a car.

We need as many people as possible to write letters to the trust to show them the weight of opposition to the plans.

We know that there is a large number of people against the closure of both units.

Remember the protest march in Devizes in February was attended by 500 people.

And the petitions we handed in at the conclusion of the march were signed by more than 10,000 people.

We need people to demonstrate again their strong feelings to save the maternity units.

The more letters that are written the better.

We ask that letters are addressed to the board of the Kennet and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust but sent to the Gazette office in Devizes or emailed to the address shown and we will ensure that they get to the trust by delivering them ourselves.

If you are unsure about what to write please call Paula Winchcombe on 07740 543510.

Mrs Winchcombe, the mayor of Devizes and who is chairman of DASH2, said: "It is very important that people write letters to the trust explaining that they want the maternity units to stay open.

"They need to say in the letters how wonderful the maternity units are and that they don't want to travel to Chippenham or Trowbridge.

"The trust board need to understand the great difficulties that will be faced by pregnant women and their families if they should have to travel further to give birth.

"We need to show there is a demand to keep the units open and we would urge women who have booked into the units to continue and other women who are interested in going to the units should contact the units."

Both Devizes and Malmesbury maternity units have had more births so far this year than they did in the whole of last year. Women who would like to give birth at either unit should call the units and talk to the midwives.

DASH2 is appealing for a trained statistician to volunteer their time to examine and report back on statistics produced by the Kennet and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust and the West Wiltshire Primary Care Trust. Contact Paula Winchcombe.