WHILE we appreciate your concern and are grateful for the support that your paper is giving to ensure that the local community hospitals are not lost in the attempts of the South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust to balance its books, we do not feel that your headline of last week - 'Cottage Hospital to Close' - is helpful to anyone.

It is also misleading. No one has proposed, or even suggested, that the Pershore Cottage Hospital will close. The only proposal that has been made, to our knowledge, is that the community beds should be relocated at a newly built facility and other clinical services provided elsewhere in Pershore.

As a result of your article, energy that could be better spent on considering this and other options has had to be expended in correcting the false impression you created. The League of Friends of Pershore Cottage Hospital remain absolutely committed to the retention of hospital beds and other vital medical services in Pershore, but recognise that for many reasons we are facing change. This we are doing in a positive and constructive manner with the best interests of local people at heart. You can best help us in our efforts by reporting accurately and fairly what is happening and not resorting to scare tactics.

A difficult period faces us and we need your support, but would ask that your reporting be more precise and that you feature what is good as well as what is bad. If it does turn out to be bad, you can be sure we shall be first to man the barricades!

Thank you for helping us in our attempts to resolve this important issue.

PATRICIA FREEMAN, Chairman, Pershore Cottage Hospital League of Friends, Defford Road, Pershore.

Editor's note: We stand by what we have written in our campaign to protect local services. Pershore Cottage Hospital WILL close and some services transferred. Our job is to let the public know all the facts. Whereas lipservice is often given to public consultation, we the local press hold great store by serving our readers.