A campaigning couple from Whitehill & Bordon have brought the fight to keep The Chase Hospital open to a regional audience.

Erik and Tina Birkett have been congratulated by their compatriots after the BBC highlighted their “You Know the Chase Hospital Makes Sense” campaign on South Today.

The future of the underutilised hospital off Conde Way remains unclear with the NHS and the Whitehill & Bordon Regeneration Company pushing ahead for a centralised health hub in the “new” town centre.

But many think it would be madness to close The Chase given the town’s growing population and lack of room for expansion at the hub site next to The Shed.

The report highlighted the “vocal campaigners” who “want their community hospital upgraded instead of being closed down” with both Eric and Tina both speaking during the three-minute report.

The latter dubbed the health hub a “glorified doctors surgery” before an NHS statement highlighted a ten-year decline for a demand in services at The Chase.