Members of the public can show their love for the children’s heart centre at Leicester’s Glenfield Hospital tomorrow (14 February) by signing a giant Valentine’s card.
The Valentine’s Day event which has been organised by Deputy City Mayor Cllr Rory Palmer aims to urge NHS England to reconsider its proposal to close the children’s heart centre at Glenfield.
The 1.8m x 1.2m card will be set up in the Haymarket shopping centre from 10.30am tomorrow (Tuesday), giving shoppers the chance to show their support for the campaign to save the centre on a day when matters of the heart are uppermost in people’s minds.
Deputy City Mayor Cllr Rory Palmer said: “On Valentine’s Day, when many people will be reflecting on matters of the heart, we’ve got an opportunity to remind NHS England and the Government that there’s a lot of love in Leicester for the Glenfield children’s heart centre.
“Nearly 130,000 people have signed a petition to save the unit, hundreds of primary school children have taken part in a day of action to show their support for the campaign, and more than 1,000 people joined the latest protest on Saturday. I hope that hundreds more will show their love for the unit by adding their names to our Valentine’s card tomorrow.”
The giant card – which bears the ‘Hold on to our Hearts’ logo, developed by the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust – will be in the Clock Tower mall at the Haymarket shopping centre until 4pm tomorrow. It will then be moved to the entrance hall at Glenfield Hospital.
NHS England launched a national consultation on the future of congenital heart disease services last week. The online survey can be completed at www.engage.england.nhs.uk
