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MANDY Ratcliffe and Gill Morrison out collecting signatures.
Pair sign up to help
2/ 2/2006
THE Advertiser's Hands Off Our Hospital campaign has been given a massive boost thanks to the efforts of two women.
Gill Morrison and Mandy Ratcliff have been busy collecting signatures at Salford Shopping City and Eccles town centre and have so far gathered more than 4,000 names - bringing our total so far to 10,000.
The two mothers decided to brave the cold weather, wearing their own campaign T-shirts, to help spread the message about our campaign to keep maternity services at Hope Hospital.
Both have given birth twice at Hope and Gill's son Lee, now 17, spent the first few weeks of his life in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit after he was born at 26 weeks weighing just 1lb 9oz.
They are devastated by plans to close the unit.
Gill, 50, of Heywood Road, Prestwich, said: "I agree there's a need for change - to make a super centre so to speak. I think all the mothers and babies should receive the best care, but not to the detriment of Salford.
"It's not just the maternity that would go but also the intensive care unit and it could have a knock-on effect to other departments.
"The care I got at Hope was brilliant.
Mandy, 42, of Lower Monton Road, Eccles, added: "A lot of people we've spoken to have been concerned about the fact there could be no more Salfordians and are saying they can't be expected to travel to Bolton or St Mary's.
"We live in a deprived area and some of these women just won't be able to get to other hospitals."
Kersal councillor George Wilson joined the women to help collect signatures.
He said: "I think these plans are terrible. It's a unit that serves the people of Salford and it should always be there. Nobody has come forward with any details to show how much it's going to cost to close the unit and move elsewhere.
"The people of Salford are very angry about this."
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11/04/2007 at 17:50