WELL I don t know about you, but I m feeling most uncomfortable about all this hospital business. The Comet has, you may have noticed, launched a high-profile campaign to try to save acute services at Lister hospital. For a number of reasons, either Liste

WELL I don't know about you, but I'm feeling most uncomfortable about all this hospital

business.

The Comet has, you may have noticed, launched a high-profile campaign to try to save acute services at Lister hospital.

For a number of reasons, either Lister or the QEII in Welwyn Garden City will retain its services and get £200m of investment while the other will keep only scaled-down acute facilities.

To be fighting to save such services at one hospital, to the detriment of the other, goes very much against the grain.

I intensely dislike the trend across the country to move towards larger, centralised A and E departments, whatever the spin on that concept is.

In my ideal world, every town of a reasonable size would have the most fantastic A and E department in the most up-to-date hospital.

Clearly, seeing as I'm not a multi-millionaire with Orlando Bloom for a husband, this isn't my ideal world and we have to get with the real, slightly more unpalatable world we do have.

We are told that to have acute services at both Lister and the QE II is not an option, and I think we really do have to accept that.

I've heard talk of campaigns to try and save both but in all honestly I think it is a waste of time and energy.

We are simply not going to get services at both and we have to pick our battles and this time, fight for the most suitable hospital.

There are many reasons why we should back Lister but my particular concern is for the people of Mid Beds.

That we need acute services at Lister for residents of Hitchin, Baldock and Letchworth GC probably seems obvious, as they sit right on Stevenage's doorstep.

But us lot out in Mid Beds use Lister too, and, trust me, Welwyn Garden City seems a whole world away from Biggleswade and its surrounding towns and villages.

From up there in the north, down to Hatfield in the south, Lister is a straightforward drive down the A1.

Choosing is awful but choose we must and Lister is the most logical option.

It only takes a minute to register your support for our campaign, and I urge you to do so.

* To sign our petition, cut out and fill in the coupon in The Comet and return it to: SOS Lister campaign, The Comet, Bank House, Primett Road, Stevenage, Herts, SG1 3EE.

Alternatively, add your support online at: www.thecomet.net, www.barbara-follett.org.uk or www.stevenage.gov.uk