Campaigners fighting to save Alston Community Hospital will rally support in the town tomorrow, with help from an MP.

Helen Goodman, who is MP for Bishop Auckland, will join members of the Alston branch of the Labour Party at the Market Cross at 10am to canvass support.

Alston is one of three hospitals earmarked to lose all of its beds in proposals put forward by the Government-appointed Success Regime.

The others are Wigton and Maryport.

This has attracted widespread opposition, including the launch of a strong local campaign urging decision-makers to think again.

At the rally, campaigners will oppose the closure of Alston Community Hospital beds and call for funding to support the NHS and social care in next month's budget.

Mrs Goodman, who is also a member of the Treasury Select Committee, said: "Labour is calling for a sustainable funding package for health and social care to be brought forward in the March budget, so that the NHS has the funding it desperately needs to keep community hospitals open in rural areas like Alston.

"It is outrageous that a lack of funding has led to proposals to close all beds at Alston Community Hospital."

People living in Alston oppose the plans.

The closure of the hospital could mean families facing travelling for an hour or more to Carlisle to visit relatives, including those receiving end of life care.

Labour members will also be encouraging people to join them on a coach from Nenthead and Alston to a national NHS demonstration - opposing cuts and privatisation - in London on Saturday, March 4.

Health bosses say increasing pressure in social care and staffing shortages prompted them to launch the Healthcare for the Future consultation.

Thousands of readers, many who attended public meetings, called on bosses to think again over controversial health reforms and find a way to tackle staffing shortages without cutting services.

The Government's Success Regime set out its plans in September, proposing cuts to urgent health services, including maternity and paediatrics, and hospital bed closures.

But the consultation attracted huge opposition from all parts of north, west and east Cumbria - and prompted The Cumberland News to launch its Save Our Services (SOS) campaign.

The consultation ended just before Christmas, with 10,000 people backing our campaign calling for a rethink.

NHS Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group's governing body is set to make a decision in the spring.