Campaigners to kick cans down road from King's Lynn's Queen Elizabeth Hospital in protest over lack of funding announcement

Campaigners are set to kick cans down a road in a protest over the lack of announcement on the future of Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

It is the latest action to be taken by the Save the QEH group, who have been campaigning for a new hospital to replace the current crumbling building at the site on Gayton Road.

It had been expected that the government would make an announcement on the future of the QEH, and which hospitals would be funded for a rebuild, before the new year, but this was delayed.

And now, campaigners have said time is running out for the hospital - the roof of which is being held up by more than 3,000 props - as a new building “must be running by 2030 if we don’t want to lose services there”.

Jo Rust, secretary of Lynn and District Trades Council and independent borough councillor, said the Save the QEH group’s kick the can protest will take place next week.

She said: “On Wednesday, January 25, starting at 1pm outside the hospital the local campaigners will be kicking a can down the road to the local Conservative Club, as this is what the Tory government have effectively done for the last year in respect of their failure to make an announcement about the funding of a new QEH.

“You are invited to join us as we walk the one mile from the QEH to the Gaywood club. Bring your own can.”

On Saturday, February 4 at 11am, campaigners then plan to take to Wisbech Market to get letters asking for a new hospital, signed by local residents. They will then visit health secretary Steve Barclay’s March office to drop them off.

Their theme for the event will be based around “Where’s Wally”, wearing the distinctive red and white striped tops and a mask of Mr Barclay.

The group want to highlight the fact that Mr Barclay has been noticeably absent about making an announcement regarding the funding of a new QEH in Lynn.

The following week, on Saturday, February 11, the community action group, funded and supported by Lynn and District Trades Council, will be in Lynn town centre asking residents to sign a valentine’s card to Lord Markham, the minister in charge of the New Hospitals Programme.

People will be able to use a QR code on the card to generate an email to the peer, calling on him to give funding for a new building.

Cllr Rust added: “The decision about which hospitals will be funded for a rebuild has been delayed time and time again. Although the Tories trumpet the fact they’re building 40 new hospitals, the reality is only eight have been started years after the announcement was made.

“More Tory manifesto promises broken by a government of the rich, seeking to impose hardship and misery on the masses.”