THE Trowbridge community's reaction to the death of Jordan Taylor is focusing on calls to restore 24-hour hospital cover and support for his family.

A petition to keep Trowbridge Hospital open 24 hours a day has been already signed by nearly 3,000 people, while fundraising events are being organised to support the popular 25-year-old's family in the wake of his death.

Jordan, 25, collapsed and died in Seymour Road, yards from the main entrance to the hospital, after being stabbed in the early hours of Sunday, March 12. The minor injuries unit was shut at the time, after its opening hours were cut to 7am-11pm in November last year.

Melanie Jones, 29, who started the petition, said: “If the hospital had been open he might have been helped and the death might have been prevented.

“He needed medical attention there and then but couldn’t get any. It’s ridiculous and so sad.

“I know the NHS is under financial pressure but to have no medical care in the county town after 11pm is crazy, especially at weekends when it’s lively in the town centre.”

The support worker, who was a friend of Jordan's, said she has been "blown away" by the response to the petition, which she started with her cousin, Kayleigh Jones.

“It reached 1,000 signatures in just three hours, which was amazing,” said Melanie, of Sleightholme Court, Trowbridge.

"Jordan was such a bubbly person and always a good laugh so it doesn’t surprise me that people want to show their support.

“Lots of people have commented on the petition agreeing with me so hopefully this acts as a wake-up call for the NHS.”

The decision to reduce the 24-hour service at the minor injuries unit to 7am-11pm was put down to a lack of patients overnight and difficulty in maintaining appropriate staffing levels.

A separate petition started by another friend of Jordan, Sar Phillips, has been started with the aim of raising £2,000 for the Chelsea fan’s family and has so far raised £400.

A Facebook group which was set up after his death, called Justice for Jordan, has since been renamed Memories of our Jordan Taylor, in which people have been sharing their favourite pictures and leaving tributes.

This week Jordan's family said they were not able to say when his funeral would be held.

To sign the petition, visit: https://www.change.org/p/nhs-following-the-death-of-jordan-taylor-let-s-get-the-community-hospital-open-full-time


A teenager from Trowbridge has been charged with the murder of Jordan.

Hayden Maslen, 18, was arrested on Friday and charged on Saturday. He attended Swindon Crown Court on Monday.

At court, where he dressed in a dark grey suit, he entered no plea and was remanded in custody until Wednesday, when he appeared at Bristol Crown Court.

Here, he was charged with murdering the 25-year-old Trowbridge man and was remanded in custody until a further hearing in May.