Disabled people would really suffer if Huddersfield Royal Infirmary was massively downgraded and its A&E closed.

Charities attended an event at Moldgreen United Reformed Church to vent their frustration at the massively controversial proposals.

There were people present at this event who suffered from ME, epilepsy, Down’s syndrome, partial-sightedness, blindness, cerebral palsy, learning difficulties and other major conditions.

Christopher Dronsfield, publicity representative of Let’s Save HRI Campaign, said: “We heard some very moving speeches and it provided our campaign with the valuable opportunity to learn from them because it raised awareness of the specific difficulties for many disabled members of the local community who will have added problems of getting to Calderdale Royal Hospital in Halifax.

Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, Acre Street, Lindley, Huddersfield.

“The strength of feeling, and obvious worry, was so high that one disabled person had taken three buses to get to the event while another person, who was blind and also had ME, travelled from Dewsbury by train.

“This demonstrated just how important the event was to the disabled in that it gave them the opportunity to voice their concerns. And, as the “Let’s Save HRI” Campaign, the concerns, worries and fears that we heard did not fall on deaf ears.

“They will feature very much in our communications during our fight to save Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and its A&E."

Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, Acre Street, Lindley, Huddersfield.

Christopher added: “As a Campaign Group, “Let’s Save HRI” has a much broader role and purpose than just raising money at every opportunity.

“We want to engage fully with local residents and listen to them, in order that we can express their concerns during our opposition to the unsafe and ridiculous proposals from the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust and the Clinical Commissioning Groups for Greater Huddersfield and Calderdale.

“Proposals that would radically change the hospital and A&E provision in Kirklees and deny Greater Huddersfield with a fully-functioning hospital and emergency provision. Such changes would not merely be an inconvenience, they would put the lives of people at great risk.”

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