Campaigners trying to prevent service cuts and job losses at The Horton Hospital in Banbury are urging residents to attend two crucial public meetings.

The first is a protest rally in People's Park on Sunday, at 3pm. The event is being organised by the Keep the Horton General action group and Banbury MP Tony Baldry, who hope that at least 5,000 people from the town and surrounding communities will turn out to support the campaign.

George Parish, the chairman of the action group, said: "This is intended to be a show of strength when people from Banbury and surrounding villages and towns can come together to let health bosses in Oxford know how much opposition there is to proposals to reduce services at the Horton."

The Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust has announced plans to close the Horton's special care baby unit, reduce services at the maternity department, and shut the children's ward.

Children will still attend the Horton as day patients, but those needing to stay in overnight will have to travel to Oxford.

Mr Parish said: "For more than 10 years, The Horton has survived proposed cutbacks to services, thanks to pressure from local people. The situation now is more serious than ever before with essential services those that affect sick children and pregnant mothers under threat of closure."

Mr Baldry said: "It's important for this growing town that people turn up and show their support for our hospital services not just for the hospital's dedicated staff, whose jobs are threatened, and for current patients who depend on its services, but for the next generation who will need a full range of vital hospital services on their doorstep.

"Local people must make their voice heard to ensure that the Government listens to why we won't lie down and watch our hospital be downgraded."

The second meeting is a public consultation on the future of The Horton. This will be at St Mary's Church on a date to be arranged, and not in Banbury Town Hall on June 22, as announced last week. The ORH trust decided to change the venue after complaints that the town hall was not big enough and had poor acoustics.

Mr Parish said: "Previous public consultations have had excellent turnouts and people have asked meaningful questions. We must keep reminding the ORH trust that Banbury is a growing town the second biggest place in the county."