Midwives will take to Oxford city centre this weekend to demand immediate improvements to maternity services.

The demonstration will take place on Sunday (November 20) in Bonn Square.

It will begin at 2pm with various speakers expected to address the crowd with their own experiences, short stories and poetry.

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A one minute silence will be observed at 3pm to pay respect to “staff and families, who have suffered as a result of failures in the system”.

The March with Midwives’ campaign is a grassroots collective of doulas, midwives and parents who want the maternity care system to be fully functioning and funded.

A spokesperson for the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) said: “Not a day goes by that we don’t hear of a maternity service having to close temporarily, suspend services or divert women to other maternity units just because there simply aren’t enough midwives.

“This can’t continue because we know it compromises safety and means women don’t always get the safe positive pregnancy and birth experience that they should.”

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This story was written by Sophie Perry. She joined the team in 2021 as a digital reporter.

You can get in touch with her by emailing: sophie.perry@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @itssophieperry

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