My concerns for the futures of the birth centre and college site
As covered in last week's Melton Times, I recently joined campaigners and local people on the ‘Save St Mary’s’ march and demonstration in Melton, in support of the St Mary's Birth Centre.
With the ‘temporary closure’ announced by the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust now into its third month of what was stated as a six month closure due to staffing shortages, we are still yet to see the Trust's plans to deliver the improved staffing, and improved promotion of the centre, that are needed to ensure it does reopen after Christmas.
Speeches at the demonstration, led by Helen Cliff, focussed on the huge value of the centre to mums and expectant mums and their families locally here in Melton, but also from further afield, and the importance of the Trust listening to local people and recognising the clear wish to see the centre reopen.
From the start I, and local campaigners, have been concerned that a temporary closure risks morphing into a longer-term closure if the Trust doesn't actively use this time to develop a clear plan to lead to a reopening.
As Melton Times readers will know, I have pressed the Trust chief executive to produce that plan, and crucially to share it with me and local people.
The very large turnout on the demonstration, and the message from everyone to the Trust, was clear in showing the strength of feeling, and in saying to the Trust ‘hear our voices, respect our choices’.
I will continue working with campaigners to call on the Trust to reopen St Mary's as soon as the six-month pause is over.
Readers of the Melton Times will also be aware of recent speculation about the future of the Melton campus of the former SMB College, and Melton Theatre site, following the former SMB College Group merging last month with Loughborough College to form the Loughborough College Group.
While I can appreciate the challenges of ensuring the newly-formed college group is financially sustainable in the long term, I am also very much aware of community concerns about what the future might hold for this important site, and the importance of both the college and theatre to the community in Melton.
I have written to the new CEO of the Loughborough College Group, Corrie Harris, asking for a meeting to discuss with her and the merged group's plans for the Melton campus and theatre, and it's plans, more broader, for the colleges it now runs. I will keep Melton Times readers updated.
And finally, huge congratulations to all those who entered the Hoby and District Horticultural Show, which I had the pleasure of attending last weekend, in what was the centenary year of the show.
The quality of the entries was extremely high, and the event, as such events do, brought the community together for a fun, and slightly competitive, afternoon!
As always, such events take a lot of organising, so I want to also pay tribute to all those volunteers who gave up their time to put on such a popular event.