Sep 1st, 2014

The People’s March for the NHS

By Amy Lockwood

“Used by us, owned by us, loved by us. Now the NHS can only be saved by us.”

These are the words of a group of mums who desperately want to protect our country’s most treasured service, the NHS. So they’re taking to the streets. Can you join them?

‘999 Call for the NHS’ is a group of mums from Darlington who love our NHS and want to protect it. They’re walking a massive 300 miles over three weeks, through over 20 towns and cities in England.

They’re being joined by thousands of people on the way – some for an hour’s walk, some for a whole day, and some are just coming out on the street to greet them along the way. Can you join them as the march approaches London? Click here to find the nearest place to join.

The march is the perfect opportunity for people who love the NHS to stand together in solidarity. The marchers will be publicly reminding the government that the NHS belongs to all of us – and not to private companies.

At a time when NHS funding is being cut, services are being privatised and our hospitals are being closed it’s easy to feel powerless. But together, we’re a force to be reckoned with.

By going on the march, or coming along to cheer the march on, we can make a noise – and make politicians sit up and notice.

There are loads of ways you can get involved. Rehana, one of the group’s organisers, says:

We’re asking 38 Degrees members to join us; walk a mile, walk ten miles, come along to a rally or donate a pound or two to make sure we have the resources we need! Every mile we cover will unite people behind our NHS.

Are you free to join the march? Or come along to the final rally in Trafalgar Square, 3.30pm on Saturday? Click here for details and to join.

Or if you can’t make it, could you chip in a few pounds so that we can buy t-shirts, flags and banners for the final march into London? We want our impact to be as powerful as possible. Click here to make a secure donation.

At some point in our lives, all of us have used the NHS. Now it’s time to stand up for it.