Can people power save Shrewsbury's Riverside Medical Practice?

I had a letter from my doctor's surgery the other day inviting me to go to an asthma clinic to check on my progress writes Dave Burrows.

Now, the fact that I haven't been to my docs in about three years and hardly ever have breathing problems (although I am technically asthmatic) is neither here nor there.

It was nice to know they were thinking of me and, more importantly, that they were still there if I needed them (although the last time I needed them, the end result was having a needle shoved in my eye, so maybe it's not such a good thing after all).

My surgery is the Riverside Medical Practice, slap-bang in the middle of town. I signed up when I first moved to Shrewsbury many years back as I was renting a room just off the Square.

The news, some time back, that it could be bulldozed to make way for the New Riverside Shopping Centre was most unwelcome. Apart from anything I wouldn't trust anyone in Ann Summers to inject my eyeballs (not that I shop at Ann Summers, you understand).

But now it looks as though people power may save the day.

Last week 200 people got together to form a human chain around the medical centre in a bid to persuade health bosses to ensure funding is put in place for a replacement town centre GP surgery. Some wore Santa hats. Presumably they were looking for some sort of Claus.

The doctors want to keep serving the 11,500 patients on their books. The patients want to keep going there.

This week, following the demonstration, Shropshire County Primary Care Trust announced it would try to secure the investment needed. Officials even say they are 'cautiously optimistic'.

A couple of weeks back I bemoaned how the strength of feeling among parents and pupils had not been enough to save the Wakeman School. So it is refreshing to know that making your feelings known CAN still make a difference.

And who knows - in a little over a year I might have a shiny, new doctor's surgery to not go to. Unless I feel the need to have my eye abused.