Dressed for Action

With representatives from NHS Highland and the Scottish Ambulance Service on their way along the road to meet with West Ardnamurchan Community Council tonight, the people of West Ardnamurchan are gearing themselves up for the first demonstration that has ever happened on the peninsula.

Demonstrators will be lining the road as our visitors come in. A huge amount of time and imagination has been spent preparing placards and 'fancy dress' to press the point that, without adequate emergency provision to deal with accidents and medical emergencies in this remote area, there are likely to be dire consequences for us.

For those Diary readers who do not know this beautiful area, we are many miles from the nearest hospital. Even getting an ambulance down our single-track road takes about an hour - on a good day - and many hours on a bad. The prospect of the loss of our District Nurses, who have always dealt with emergencies out here, in February, and the failure of Health Authorities to find a sensible alternative, has united the 250-strong community.

We are all hoping that something good will come of this evening's meeting. If it doesn't, this is not a community which is accustomed to giving up a fight.