SAVE the Alex campaigners are banking on residents' support at a major rally being held later this year in looks like being a last ditch attempt to salvage the Redditch hospital.

Group leader Neal Stote says he would like to see at least 2,000 residents join the demonstration, which is being held at the Alexandra Hospital on October 5.

"Previous rallies have seen about 50 or 60 people turn out, which has been great but for this one I'd really like to see a couple of thousand residents come and show their strength of feeling," he said.

"Just imagine how fantastic a sea of 2,000 or so people would look to trust board members," added Mr Stote, who also held a protest outside last Tuesday's public meeting in Studley which was attended by health chiefs.

He hopes local MPs Julie Kirkbride, Con-Bromsgrove, and Labour's Jacqui Smith, Redditch, will put aside their political interests and join the rally.

The protest will start at 11.30am and will co-incide with a meeting of Worcestershire Acute Hospital NHS Trust board, which is being held there at 2pm.

It is expected to be the last board meeting before the new proposals, which include the loss of the Alex's maternity ward, are put out to a three-month public consultation.

A final date for the consultation has not yet been decided as it will not start until the launch of the newly-amalgamated Worcestershire Primary Care Trust (PCT).

However, Mr Stote has asked for the start of the consultation period to be delayed until February while the new PCT establishes itself.

The former Redditch and Bromsgrove PCT was against the loss of services at the Alex and Mr Stote wants to ensure the central based PCT takes the same stance.

He is also worried that if the consultation period starts in late October or even November, it will run through Christmas - when family's minds are least on hospital services.

However, a Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust spokesman said that if the consultation period does run through December it would make allowances for the Bank Holidays and continue into January, if necessary.