A REDDITCH campaigner has organised a peaceful protest through the town, calling for maternity and children services to be returned to the Alexandra Hospital.
Kirsty Southwell is calling people to meet at 11.30am outside St Stephen’s Church tomorrow (Saturday, March 23) to make their voices heard and speak about how they have been affected since the service’s removal.
She said: “We need to make as much noise as we can.
“We want everyone to come and show support – this is vital to get us heard.”
Kirsty’s fight for the Alexandra Hospital services to come back stems from her own experience.
In 2017, a midwife in Redditch told Kirsty her baby was stillborn and that she had to travel to Worcester via bus to deliver him.
At the time she said: “It makes me so angry that they are playing with our children’s lives. I am going to fight this and make it the last campaign we have.”
In 2022, Kirsty set up a petition to bring the services back, and so far, it has reached more than 5,000 signatures. Campaigners met Redditch MP Rachel Maclean and she added her name to the campaign.
Mrs Maclean said: “I continue to believe a maternity and children’s service should be provided at the Alex.
“My Long-Term Plan sets out how this can be achieved, with a focus on recruiting even more doctors and nurses.
“We’re not giving up and we will continue the fight to return these services to our hospital.”
Kirsty added: “There’s a need for our services especially with our town ever growing.
“We will continue to be a thorn in the trust’s side.
“We’ve been without our services for years and people are struggling to get to Worcester and other hospitals due to lack of funds, traffic on roads and roadworks.
“What’s it got to take for our services to return?
“I don’t want anyone else to go through what I went through because losing a child is a pain no one should feel. Our lives and our children’s lives are at risk.”
