As usual, our steering committee was positive and action-focussed.
 
Key issues:
 
Confirmed speakers on the panel for our film showing and discussion next Thursday at the Riverhouse Barn Arts Centre in Walton are Aislinn Macklin-Doherty, a Junior Doctor and Cancer specialist working at the Royal Marsden - see her promoting the sequel to SELL OFF here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ab4fyqCKStE
Dr Bob Gill, a GP and health campaigner (who appears throughout the film) and Stephen Fash (ex-Chief Executive of Ashford ad St Peter's Hospital Trust) who is campaigning to save the Blanche Heriot Unit at St Peter's. Matt Clarke (SOSiS Chair, will preside)
Tickets are still available (although half the seats have been sold) at just £5 each at the box office:
https://thelittleboxoffice.com/riverhouse/event/view/69220
 
Put Tuesday 26th September at 1pm in your diaries. We will be lobbying the SCC Cabinet before presenting our 2,500 signature petition to save Spelthorne's fire services. More nearer the date.
 
Notes from the meeting
Attendees - Helen Couchman, Paul Couchman, Liz Mansfield, Steve Trafford, Jon Button, Roger Bowen, Fiona Corr, Veena Siva and Karen Lyons.
 
Apologies from Matt Clarke, Thelma Snelgrove, Ginny Eaton, Iain Raymond and Mick Dawson.

• Ashford Childrens Neurological service - will be re-commissioned in September so we need to keep our eye on this.
• Tickets are selling well for the SELL OFF film on 31st August. See above for confirmed speakers and link for tickets. Walton Labour Party has plans for a 'Radical Cinema' project at the same venue and will promote our film night. It was agreed to give out the last of the flyers in Walton on Saturday (26th) from 11am in Walton outside Sainsbury's. As usual, we will have a stall where any SOSiS-supporting political groups can sell/give out their materials. Helen will coordinate getting people's names and contact details.
• On 4th September at 10am the SCC Adults and Health Select Committee will be discussing the Blanche Heriot Unit (BHU) and SOSiS activists are asked to attend in support of the campaign. Stephen Fash will be asking questions at this meeting.
• There is also a second public meeting on 9th September at 10.30am in Chertsey House, St Peter's Hospital, regarding the future of the unit. The last meeting was very angry and upset - the BHU has a great deal of support.
• National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) Scrap the Pay Cap rally at TUC Congress in Brighton at 1pm on 10th September at the Holiday Inn. Contact Paul if you want to drive down with him.
• Save Spelthorne Fire Services - we counted all the paper petition signatures and we have nearly 1,200. If we add these to the online signatures (1,350) then we have over 2,500 signatures! The online petition is now closed but we will still collect any full petition sheets and add them to the total. We will be presenting the petition to a full SCC Cabinet meeting at 2pm on 26th September. UNISON Branch Chair and SOSiS supporter, Andy Pattinson, will speak to the Cabinet and present the petition. We are asking all supporters to come to a lobby outside from 1pm on the day.
• Liz gave an update on the Truth About Zane (TAZ) campaign. Everyone agreed that the turnout and banner on the national demo in July was excellent. The campaign for an independent public inquiry is not going away and SOSiS will continue to support the family in their fight for the truth. Zane's father, Kye, is writing a book and looking for a sympathetic publisher.
• Liz recommended that people read Naomi Klein's latest book - No is Not Enough.