Calls to reinstate Shropshire ambulance hubs gathers pace as more people join campaign

Some of them took to Ludlow Market on Friday to gather more signatures for the petition and with the castle in the background on a sunny day, they had a warm reception from shoppers.

Although a people's rebellion against a decision to close ambulance hubs got going in Ludlow, it has now spread to Oswestry, Bridgnorth, and Bishop's Castle, and campaigners want more people to join in at Craven Arms and Church Stretton, too.

Darren Childs, who is the driving force behind Ludlow and South Shropshire Needs Ambulances, said: "We held a meeting last week in Ludlow Scout Hut where people came from everywhere to help with the petition and leaflets, and to hold a stall at Ludlow Market today.

"More groups are now getting involved in North Shropshire and Oswestry, in Bridgnorth. In Oswestry a few people are starting to rev it up a bit. We are trying to get it all joined up."

Mr Childs, who started a petition after waiting more than 40 minutes for an ambulance for his 12-month-old daughter, said the campaign would keep up the pressure.

"We are not going away," he vowed.

He said the plan is to get to 10,000 names on the petition by the beginning of May. Before then, they are hoping to have the issue raised in Parliament, and to have a public meeting.

On Monday Mr Childs is set to meet with leading councillors.

He said he has heard many other examples of danger from ambulance delays. Many of them have been caught up in waiting for patients to be admitted to hospitals.

"Even if those are sorted out, the fact remains that it still takes an ambulance 40 minutes to get to Ludlow from Shrewsbury," he said.

West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) closed its stations in Oswestry, Craven Arms, Bridgnorth and Market Drayton, in October 2021. All Shropshire crews start and end their shifts at one of the ambulance hubs in Shrewsbury and Donnington.

WMAS has consistently said that the number of ambulances operating in South Shropshire has increased over the last few years as chiefs have invested additional money in more staff and more ambulances, replacing "seldom used buildings with "staff and vehicles that save lives".

They say that re-opening four community ambulance services them would "only make patients wait longer for an ambulance, not improve services".

A spokesman added that ambulances spend around half their time in the communities around the county only going back to Shrewsbury and Donnington when they take patients to one of the two hospitals.

For more information there is a Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/462986001990206

And the online petition is here: https://www.change.org/p/nhs-a-south-shropshire-ambulance-hub-and-rapid-response-vehicles