STAFF at a rural GP practice have been nominated for a national award following their successful campaign to save their surgery.

The future of Slaidburn County Practice was thrown into doubt in the summer last year after NHS England announced the potential withdrawal of the 'minimum income guarantee' for the surgery.

If the funding had been cut for the Townend surgery it would be forced to close, resulting in more than 1,000 patients facing journeys of eight miles or more to see a doctor in Clitheroe.

A public meeting was held in Newton Village Hall shortly after the announcement where residents and community leaders vowed to fight the cuts.

The Minimum Practice Income Guarantee was introduced in 2004 to protect rural practices whose patient lists were significantly smaller than the average 6,000.

The payment equated to the entire profits of the practice.

Now, after the East Lancashire Medical Services took over the practice and secured it's future, the team has been named as a finalist for the General Practice Team of the Year award at the General Practice awards in London on Thursday, November 20.

The practice said that five of the seven members of staff would be making the journey down for the glittering event.

Dr Karen Massey, of Slaidburn Country Practice, said: "We are thrilled and we are keeping our fingers crossed.

"This surgery is at the heart of the community and it can take up to 45 minutes to get a blue light ambulance out here.

"There are times in the winter when we are completely cut off so this practice is absolutely vital.

"It's brilliant that we have been named as finalists and we are going to really enjoy the night itself.

"It's nice to get recognition on a national scale for the fight that we have been through over the last year or so."

Dorothy Person, chair of the Friends of Slaidburn County Practice, said: "I'm very pleased that they have been named as finalists for this award.

"They deserve it because they put an enormous amount of work into fighting to save the practice.

"The staff at the surgery worked very hard and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they win."

Revd George Darby, of St Andrew's Church, said: "Everybody had got used to having the facility in the village and fought very hard to make sure that it was not lost.

"The strength or opposition to the funding cut which would have led to the practice being close was huge.

"The fact that it survived was down to the strength of character of the residents or Slaidburn and the surrounding areas."

Coun Stuart Hirst, leader of Ribble Valley Borough Council, said: "I would offer my sincere congratulations to the team and wish them all the best for the night.

"To be named as finalists after the trouble that they have gone through is great news for them."