Let's work together to better our town!

I see I am mentioned on page 4 of last Thursday's "Leatherhead Advertiser" (20th November) in connexion with the closure of Leach Ward. There is, I understand from Streetlife, a petition about the closure making the rounds including in the hospital itself near the League of Friends shop. It has been claimed that the petition is a waste of time; indeed, it is almost certainly too late to stop the temporary closure on the 1st of December. But do sign it if you can; it will, at least, show we do not want 'temporary' to become 'permanent.'

Indeed, some postings on Streetlife seem worried about the future of Leatherhead Community Hospital itself - and, in my opinion, not without reason. If you have not yet read the CSH page about the closure, do read it. Am I the only one to be concerned at reading "The decision means that people living within the three main Surrey Downs localities will still have access to a local community hospital: Molesey Community Hospital will continue to serve people living in the Elmbridge area, Dorking Community Hospital will continue to support those in Mole Valley, and NEECH will continue to serve Epsom’s local population"? Is the intention that we eventually have just one community hospital for Mole Valley and that it will be in Dorking?

Do sign the petition and show the powers-that-be that Leatherhead counts.

Do also use every opportunity being given to make your views known about the future of Leatherhead. There was a very good turn-out at the November meeting of the LRA where the main focus was on the address, with slides, by John Howarth, Chairman of the Leatherhead Area Partnership (LAP) and former Director of Action for Market Towns. This address provoked some lively discussion. Both a summary of this address and of the questions and suggestions that followed can be found by clicking here, where you will also find the time table for the "Plan L Project."

To find out more and/or make your ideas and suggestions known come to the joint meeting of the LAP and the Leatherhead & District Forum at Park House on Wednesday, 3rd December (I expect it will start at 5.45 pm - but I will post the time when I know it definitely) and/or the open meeting of the LRA on Monday, 8th December at 7.30 pm in the Letherhead Institute. That meeting will be a short business meeting followed by a Christmas social. At both meetings I am sure there will be a report back from the Launch Event (by invitation only) on Monday, 1st December.

Make your voice known and, for everyone's sake, let us all work together to improve Leatherhead. This town, in my opinion, has suffered too much in the past from the factionalism of competing groups, with the result that little or nothing gets done. Don't let's squander another opportunity. Let's work together!