AFTER 60 years of supporting Westbury Community Hospital and the health needs of the town, Westbury and District League of Friends is to close.

With four longstanding trustees retiring in the last year and many failed attempts to recruit new members, as well as no plans to develop health facilities in the town, the league have decided closure to be the best option.

Chairman of The League Erica Watson said: “With only nine trustees left we find it very hard to sustain any meaningful fundraising. Despite many attempts to recruit new members to our committee nobody has been able to help us.

“The Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group has recently announced that they plan to build a new hospital in Trowbridge.

“Westbury League of Friends feel saddened that our long record of supporting health needs could not influence their decision to deny Westbury’s need for a second health care facility.

“We wonder how the cost of renovating Westbury’s existing hospital can be more costly than the planned new build.

“However we can say very positively that we and the community did try our very best to keep a hospital which was much used and served both Westbury and the surrounding districts with efficiency, professionalism and expertise for almost 60 years.

The League was formed in the early 1950’s to support and fundraise for the Westbury Community Hospital which was closed in 2012.

The League and the community fought very hard to save the hospital which had received over £1million in donations from the Westbury and area, and since its closure the League of Friends has continued to fundraise to support identified health needs in the area.

Mrs Watson said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those loyal supporters and many local businesses who have generously donated monies year after year, and secondly the committee members both past and present who have given up so many hours of their free time over many years. Without them the League could not have survived for so many years.”

Over the next few months the trustees will meet and with the advice of the charity commission, they will make decisions about where the remaining remaining funds will be donated.