FROM: CLLR. ALEX PERKINS (Lib Dem Leader Canterbury City Council)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Huge Convoy Success

The Convoy to London was a MASSIVE SUCCESS! Everyone at CHEK (Campaign for Health in East Kent) can be hugely proud of everything that was achieved! The protest was huge. The size of the convoy was a tribute to the massive local support that the campaign to save Canterbury's hospital still commands.

At the heart of the convoy was the open-top bus, which acted as a focus for the vocal protest and as a mobile media centre. Crews from several television companies, both national and local combined with radio journalists and press photographers to make full use of the mobile media studio. We are really grateful to local Canterbury firm The Roger Wenn Partnership who arranged and paid for the bus to take part.

Local Canterbury MP Julian Brazier was among those who made brief appearances aboard the bus and other MP's, including the LibDem Health Spokesman Dr Evan Harris MP, came aboard to add their support to the campaign.

Local Councillors Maisie Seager, Fred Whitemore, Nick Eden-Green and Council Leader Alex Perkins rode on board from start to finish and took turns to address startled onlookers through megaphones. The convoy halted several times outside 10 Downing Street and The Department of Health where Alex Perkins demanded that The Prime Minister and the Health Minister come out and offer support for the community campaign.

"It was absolutely fantastic to see the whole of Parliament Square filled with CHEK protest vehicles" said Cllr Nick Eden-Green. "We really brought Westminster to a standstill and dozens of MPs came out to see what all the noise was about!"

"It was a fantastic day", said Cllr Alex Perkins. "I think the most brilliant part was the finale! When we got back to Canterbury we loaded up the bus with all of the remaining campaigners and did a trip around the City. I was using a megaphone to ask all of the motorists to honk their horns to show their support for the hospital. Absolutely everybody joined in and the noise was amazing. Hundreds and hundreds of pedestrians waved and shouted to us and it was just a fantastic feeling for all of us who were, by then, really exhausted!"