SIR,

I would like to thank everyone who attended the public meeting titled 'Together we can improve the ambulance service' last Wednesday (11th January).

It was a heart warming event which witnessed the passions and concerns of local people, which quite rightly exist in regards to the ambulance service in Monmouth.

I am sorry if some people were not aware of the meeting. However, after writing in the Beacon's letter section a couple of times and delivering a couple of hundred leaflets, I had neither the resources nor time to let everyone in the town know.

Last Monday I was happy to hear that David Davies MP had a meeting with the directors of the Welsh Ambulance NHS Trust. And that they were planning to increase the ambulance provision for Monmouth, in the form of a high dependency unit, and a cross-border agreement.

Unfortunately, the meeting last Wednesday confirmed what I suspected. If sources are correct, the cross border agreement is not new. Secondly, and confirmed by the representatives of the Welsh Ambulance NHS Trust, the high dependency unit will be based in Abergavenny not Monmouth.

Therefore, I launched a petition at the meeting calling for a scrutiny inquiry and for the Health Minister to call for uniform ambulance provision across Wales, in addition to a dedicated ambulance for Monmouth.

The petition can be signed at the Robin Hood Pub, St David's Hospice charity shop or the Spar at the bottom of town. Alternatively, you can sign it online on the National Assembly for Wales' official website.

Mathew Davies

(Monmouth)