The numbeR of people who have signed the Journal petition to save Evesham's Community Hospital has more than doubled over the past week with more than 8,000 people now calling for plans to close two wards to be scrapped.
And the first batch of more than 120 letters of protest will be sent off to Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt as the campaign intensifies.
This weekend, visitors to the Vale will be met on two fronts by protesters as the momentum builds towards next Sunday's protest march in Evesham.
Tourists attending the popular Evesham River Festival will be greeted by the Friends of Evesham Hospital urging them to sign the petition during their stay.
And in Fladbury, a team of volunteers headed by local doctor, Dr Martin Ounsted will be manning a stall during the two-day Fladbury Walkabout. "We will be urging people from Birmingham and the surrounding areas to return again next weekend and join in the demonstration," he said. Meanwhile, Wychavon District Council have condemned the plan by the South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust to close two wards at the hospital as "a knee-jerk reaction" .
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