Our local Brighton & Hove campaigning group, Sussex Defend the NHS, has launched a brilliant new locality-based project, Neighbourhood Groups. You may have noticed blue and white posters put up in windows around the area urging us all to Join the Fight for Our NHS. These are part of Sussex Defend the NHS taking their campaign into local communities all over the city. They want enable those of us who don’t find it easy to get to central locations for events for one reason or another in busy lives, and who are keen to learn about the devastation that is happening as a result of this government’s policies, to be able to join the discussion and spread the information around the neighbourhood.

The new 7Dials Neighbourhood Group had its first meeting at the Duke of Wellington in Upper Gloucester Road in mid-February. As a result, some were inspired to get up to London on March 4th for the big march and rally Our NHS. On 5th March some went down to the Duke of York’s for a special Our NHS showing of Ken Loach’s Spirit of ’45. The film was followed by a Q&A session and resulted in loads more people coming forward to join or start up a local neighbourhood group to follow up with local activities.

Thinking to the future, our 7Dials group organised themselves for a lunchtime leafletting session for BHASVIC students on their lunch break by the Dials. This was a first time for members of the group, and they were very good at it, sparking a lot of conversations with the students and passers-by, raising awareness of the threats our health and social services are under. More poster distribution, doorstep conversations, stalls and other activities are planned. All are welcome to come along and find out more. The NHS has always been there for us. But, as Aneurin Bevan said back in 1946, ‘The NHS will last only as long as there are folk to fight for it.’ We have to be those folk!

If you’d like a blue poster for your window, contact Sussex Defend the NHS on defendthenhs@gmail.com or even better, come along to 7Dials Neighbourhood Group on Monday 27th March, 7.30pm upstairs in the Duke of Wellington, Upper Gloucester Road, collect a poster and tell us your ideas for action!