WESTBURY Area Health Forum, a group which had previously raised funds in an effort to save Westbury Hospital, has closed.
The group says that with the legal fees required to proceed with any fight way out of their league, they can do no more.
The group was formed in 1994 to allow representatives from various parishes to come together and talk as a group. Three years ago, the group split into a steering group for a new health centre in the town, and a group that would continue to try and save the hospital.
Mike Pearce, secretary of the Westbury Area Health Forum said, “Eddie Bridges [who has been fighting to save the hospital] says he has been unable to come to any agreement with the town council to go to the barrister. To that end, a meeting of the forum was called and we’ve reluctantly accepted it will go.
“Donations to the fighting fund will be made to Westbury Link to assist people in getting to the new surgery, and a donation to the Four Villages Link Scheme.
“We want people to understand that their pennies are going somewhere helpful.
“We tried the legal idea years ago, and we did [recently] offer the money to Eddie in case he could take it any further. But we’ve realised £1,000 an hour [for a barrister] is out of our league.”
£528 has been presented to the Westbury and District Link Scheme and £264 has gone to the Four Villages Link, which covers the villages of Bratton, Edington, Coulston, and Erlestoke. Both Link schemes provide volunteer drivers to help others, particularly the elderly or disabled, with tasks that often include taking people to doctor or hospital appointments.
