PUBLIC spirited William Burroughs has booked Marlborough Town Hall for an open meeting to rally support for an appeal to raise money for a new £8.9 million Savernake Hospital.

Mr Burroughs, of Great Bedwyn, has hired the town hall for Tuesday December 11 at 7.30pm for the meeting that he hopes will launch a drive to raise all or some of the money for the proposed new hospital.

The move was welcomed this week by the new hospital project manager Peter Williams who only last week told a public meeting that the replacement buildings at Savernake could be completed by 2004.

Current plans are to raise the funds by selling off part of the hospital grounds for housing and getting the developer to build the hospital under a private finance initiative and lease it back to the health service.

That meeting was told by Mr Williams money raised by subscription would give the public a greater say in the way the new hospital is run.

Former Wiltshire Health Authority chairman Alastair Service voiced doubts that an appeal would succeed.

But Mr Burroughs said this week that he believed the public in the Savernake Hospital catchment area, which includes Marlborough and Pewsey, would rise to the challenge.

He said: "I hope your readers rather resent the opinion of the former chairman of the Wiltshire Health Authority who doubted there is much reality of raising the money through public subscription to improve Savernake Hospital."

Mr Burroughs hopes for a big turnout on December 11 to show support for the concept of an appeal. He said: "I believe the community spirit is very much alive if it can own and influence its vital health service."

Mr Williams said: "The primary care group would welcome any help from the people of Marlborough and the surrounding area and we will do everything we can to help such an appeal if it is seen to be appropriate."