SUPERHEROES will be out on the streets of Dorchester this weekend as they join the fight to protect services at Dorset County Hospital.

Campaigners are due to march through the county town in a show of support for services at the Dorchester hospital.

It comes as the Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) considers the future of areas such as maternity and paediatric as part of its Clinical Services Review.

This will be the third march campaigners have staged in the county town, with previous events attracting hundreds of families and supporters.

Campaigner Naomi Patterson said she was hoping for another strong show of support on Saturday, with anyone taking part asked to gather at the Top O’Town car park from 1pm before the march sets off at 1.30pm.

She said: “We will be making it a superheroes theme so people can dress up in anything from nurses and doctors to Spiderman.”

Speakers on the day will include mums from the campaign group, local councillors Ros Kayes, Dr Jon Orrell and Paul Kimber and singer and songwriter Billy Bragg.

Mr Bragg will also perform some music before going on to open the Dorchester Cider Festival, which follows the march in the Borough Gardens,

The route will take the marchers down High West Street and along South Street before heading up to the gardens.

There will be road closures in place as the marchers pass through and the organisers have been in contact with the police.

Naomi said that with the CCG due to come up with proposals for the future of paediatric and maternity services later this year, she was hoping for a strong show of support to send a clear message to the CCG about the importance of keeping services in Dorchester.

She added that the Campaigners will also be attending a meeting of the CCG’s governing body on Wednesday, September 21 at Vespasian House in Dorchester and they were keen for another strong turnout at the meeting and welcome support.

Naomi said: “It would be good to pack that meeting out on top of the march.

“We need to keep the pressure on.”