MORE than 400 people squeezed into the Elizabethan Suite at Bury Town Hall on Monday to voice their anger at proposals to shut Fairfield Hospital's Special Care Baby Unit.

There was standing room only and many were forced to listen from the balcony as Fairfield Baby Lifeline Society officially launched a campaign to retain the town's, women's and children's services.

Under controversial proposals put forward by the Children's and Young People's Network, Fairfield Hospital could lose its special care baby unit, and maternity services would be reduced to a midwife led unit.

Mums and babies requiring specialist care would be transferred to other hospitals. Children would no longer be cared for overnight at the hospital.

But the proposals stated there would be an increase in children's day surgery; money would be invested into community-based children's services; and a special children's observation and assessment service linked to accident and emergency would be established.

Monday's meeting organised by Fairfield Baby Lifeline Society (FBLS) -- a charity which has so far raised £750,000 to help maintain a "state-of-the-art" special care baby unit in Bury-- was held to gain support for its campaign.

The meeting was led by a panel of five: FBLS chairman Dr Said Hany; Mrs Jo James and Mr Colin Lambert whose children were treated in the special care baby unit; Mr Paul Reynolds, chief officer of the former Bury Community Health Council and chairman for the evening Mrs Vera Stringer, who was the acting chairman of the former Bury NHS Trust.

In attendance were members of the public from Bury, Rochdale and Rossendale as well as managers of Fairfield Hospital, local councillors, hospital consultants, family doctors and Bury North MP David Chaytor.

The gloves were off from the start when Mrs Stringer said: "We are disappointed not to welcome more staff from Fairfield Hospital. But management of the trust made it clear that it would not be appropriate for them to be here."

This suggestion was later denied by the Pennine Acute Trust, which is responsible for managing the hospital.

Dr Hany told the audience: "We are not against modernisation but why has Bury been singled out?

"I was told that we could not argue against the proposals on emotional grounds.

"I am not emotional but passionate about Bury. There is a time to stand up and be counted. This is the time."

Mrs Jo James, a trustee of the lifeline society, and Mr Colin Lambert of Heywood, both made emotionally-charged pleas not to close the unit based on their own experiences.

Mrs James, from Rochdale, said: "Without the staff of the special care baby unit my daughter Gabrielle would have died.

"I cannot bear to think what would have happened if she had been born on a midwife led unit. She would have been too ill to have been taken by ambulance.

"It is the best special care baby unit in the country and we need your support to make sure the services stay here before it is too late."

She added: "The changes will not just end with the special care baby unit. Other services are sure to follow."

Mr Lambert's daughter Ellie was cared for on the special care baby unit. She was rushed into the unit after complications arose just hours after her birth. He said: "If these proposals were in place, our baby would have died. I will not apologise for saying this -- it was our baby's life. I am a very concerned and worried parent.

"There are practical difficulties with transporting sick babies by ambulances, which have to try and get through traffic."

He concluded: "The most important people here are parents. We need our voices to be heard."

Mr Reynolds said the case put forward to close the special care baby unit "was crumbling".

He said: "Fairfield General is accessible to 80 per cent of the people it is meant to serve, Rochdale Infirmary is only accessible to 20 per cent.

"Bury was chosen because it was seen to be politically the weakest. But they are wrong. Bury is entitled to the best health service."

Mr Reynolds added that he was working on a case to fight the proposals on legal grounds.

MP David Chaytor said: "The proposals deal with serious issues on children's health care, some of which would benefit constituents. But no reason has been given as to why the Bury hospital has been selected for this change in services.

"I will do my very best to support and strengthen the case and may be able to obtain information that has not been made available."

Concerns raised by the audience included the knock-on effect the proposals would have on the hospital's status as one of the best training hospitals in the north west.

Bury GP Dr Pat Fletcher, training organiser for paediatric doctors post graduate studies, said: "What about the training for future GPs and nurses? We have one of best training grounds at Fairfield Hospital and many who train stay. By closing the unit we will lose some future doctors and nurses who train here."

Coun Gladis Sandiford said Rossendale Borough Council was "100 per cent" behind the campaign.

She said: "It takes ten miles to travel to Fairfield and 20 miles to North Manchester."

Mum Amanda Symes, of Sandhurst Close, Bury, told how there would have been no time to transfer her baby, who was cared for on the special care baby unit, to another hospital.

Mr John Hutton, former FBLS chairman, told the meeting: "The money raised by the society is money that the people of Bury have given to look after their babies."

Concluding, Mrs Stringer said: "The unit can be saved, you can do it. Lobby your councillors, write to you MPs and attend consultation meetings."