MORE than 50 people who were born at Bicester’s community hospital turned out to put their mark on a campaign to save their birth place.

Campaigner Les Sibley urged anyone born at the Oxford Road hospital before the maternity unit closed in 1980 to sign a petition and add their voice to his protest.

Mr Sibley said: “I was surprised how many people took the time and trouble to come down with only 48 hours’ notice.

“We heard many interesting tales from the ‘Bicester babies’, one of the oldest being Michael Nelson, who was born in 1931 in a matron-led Cottage Hospital, but at a time when his mother had to pay for her confinement.

“This was before the Welfare State came into being in 1948, and free maternity treatment became the norm.

“Another was Maureen Ayris from Norfolk, who tells the story of when the cottage hospital was used during the First World War as a convalescent home for wounded soldiers returning from the battlefields in France.

“We also had a visit from a ‘1966 World Cup’ baby, Clare Burgess, as well as a visit from one of the youngest ‘babies’ so far to attend our stall, Jessica Daniels, who was born in 1978.

“I’m really enthused by this, there were lots of stories. I’m hoping we can find the last baby born there.”

Mum-of-one Jessica, 30, of Germander Way, said: “It was nice to see some of the people born there, but they were all a lot older than me.

“Certainly when I was at school I didn’t know anyone else who was born there.”

The Save our Community Hospital campaign will be in Sheep Street tomorrow, from 10am-1pm, collecting signatures for its petition which will eventually be presented to the chief executive of Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust.

bicester@oxfordmail.co.uk