The cross-party Hospital SOS Taskforce promised that any money left over following its 2007's campaign to save services at the QE2 would be donated to the Vicki Adkins Breast Cancer Unit.

On Friday MP Grant Shapps joined staff and volunteers at the diagnoses centre to hand over a cheque for £3,000 to Vicki Adkins, whose vision and determination is responsible for the existence of the world class Breast Cancer unit at the QE2 bearing her name.

Receiving the cheque, Vicki Adkins said, "Even though A&E, Maternity, Surgery and so much else is to be stripped away from the QE2 Hospital, they can't remove our Breast Cancer Unit because we raised the funds and own the equipment. I'm therefore delighted to receive this cheque from the Hospital SOS Taskforce because it will help to improve the experience of women from across Welwyn Hatfield and beyond."

The Hospital SOS campaign ran in 2007 and attempted to protect hospital services in Welwyn Hatfield. The Taskforce was chaired by Grant Shapps MP, but received cross-party and cross-community support from right across the Borough and beyond.

In the end the decision was made by NHS bosses to downgrade the QE2 Hospital into what they term a Local General Hospital and move all the acute (high-end emergency) services to the Lister Hospital in Stevenage.

When funds were raised to fight the campaign, which included the Hospital SOS Rally held at KGV Playing Field in WGC, the decision was taken that any money left over would eventually be handed over to the Vicki Adkins Breast Cancer Appeal.

Talking at the cheque presentation on Friday, MP Grant Shapps said, "Although our campaign to keep acute services at the QE2 was not ultimately successful, the way in which the campaign was fought with cross-party support showed what we can do as a community when we put our minds to it. I pay tribute to everyone involved at the time and am pleased that this additional money raised will be used to good ends at the excellent Vicki Adkins Breast Cancer Unit."

ENDS