TRAFFIC came to a standstill as 2,000 people marched into Bury on Saturday to protest against plans to close Fairfield Hospital's maternity services.

Parents, children, councillors, MPs, and members of the Fairfield Baby Lifeline Society (FBLS) walked from Clarence Park, along Walmersley Road, and into the town centre.

Along the route, parents and grandparents chanted: "What do we want? Babies first. No cuts to Bury!"

They also spoke of their concerns for the future of Bury's children. Alison Chapman, whose triplets Chloe, Joshua and Sam, were treated in Fairfield's special care baby unit (SCBU), said: "The hospital saved my triplets, and now I want to help save the hospital. "It's easy for pregnancy and labour to go wrong, and it could take hours to get to another hospital, especially in rush hour.

"I certainly didn't have time to go to another hospital."

Grainne Charlton gave birth to daughters Sophie (5) and one-year-old Abby at Fairfield. She said: "I live in Rochdale, but I still came to Bury to have my children because it's a good hospital.

"I don't want to go to Oldham or even further away. I was born at Fairfield, as were my children, and I think the hospital should stay."

Grandmother Maureen Howarth visited the SCBU when two of her grandsons were treated there.

She said: "If the baby unit closes, then I'm worried other services will be taken away from the hospital too. We will end up with nothing.

"The SCBU has tiny babies and wonderful staff, and I don't know what will happen if it closes. How many children will have to die before they realise a mistake has been made?"

The peaceful but noisy protest was the second to be held by the FBLS to object to controversial Making it Better proposals undergoing public consultation, which would see maternity services being replaced by a midwife-led service.

Mothers will not be able to give birth in their home town, unless they opt for a home birth, and instead will have to travel at least nine miles to reach the nearest hospital with suitable facilities.

The preferred option is to centralise maternity units at eight sites: North Manchester, Tameside, Wigan, Bolton, Oldham, Stockport, Wythenshawe, and St Mary's hospitals. But campaigners say this will leave a huge gap in the service and put lives at risk.

Sister Jackie Blease, manager of Fairfield's SCBU, said: "I am protesting against the proposals to close services at Fairfield because I don't think they are good for the people of Bury.

"I agree with the need for change, but not with plans to close two well-establised units at Fairfield and Rochdale and leave a hole in services in the area."

Sharron Entwistle, a member of FBLS and a mother of two children born on a SCBU, said: "I am hoping people will see the strength of feeling in Bury and take away these plans to close Fairfield's maternity unit.

"The proposals will compromise the health of both mother and baby, and we cannot let someone die because of them."

As the protesters marched along The Rock towards Kay Gardens, the heavy rain failed to dampen their spirits, and shoppers stood back to applaud.

From the Bury Times

Hundreds of placards and banners were carried by the passing crowd, displaying messages such as "Save our SCBU", "Bury Children in Need" and "My delivery couldn't wait, I didn't have time to travel."

When they arrived in Kay Gardens, the leaders of the march went onto an open-roof double decker bus.

This group included Dr Said Hany, chairman of the FBLS, Vera Stringer, acting chairman of the former Bury NHS Trust, Bury's two MPs, Ivan Lewis and David Chaytor, the Mayor and Mayoress of Bury, Coun Steve Treadgold and Mrs Jean Treadgold, and the deputy mayor and mayoress, Coun Barry Briggs and Coun Sharon Briggs.

From the top deck of the bus, Dr Hany addressed the waiting crowd: "We have done it once, we have done it twice, and we are willing to march 100 times until our message is heard: hands off Fairfield. This is not good for our future and we will be fools if we accept these plans. Whatever the outcome of these proposals, they do not benefit Bury. Fairfield is my hospital, it is your hospital, it is our hospital, and it is here to stay."

Members of the campaign then left Bury on the double decker bus and went to the offices of the Greater Manchester Strategic Health Authority to present a petition with 38,000 signatures to the director overseeing the consultation.

The consultation period is due to finish on May 12 but a final decision is not expected until late summer.