TO CHANTS of "save our services," and "save Helme Chase," hundreds of parents, grandparents, children, midwives, farmers, politicians and concerned local people made their way through Kendal's main street.

An estimated 2,000 people - some observers calculated there could have been as many as 3,000 - marched with placards and banners to get their point across.

The marchers had spared no effort.

They had fixed signs to prams with messages like, "me and my sister say don't close Helme Chase," or dressed their children in protest vests.

They all knew why they had come.

Brigitta Philipson from Kendal had brought her two-year-old son, Jay.

Her three children had been born at Helme Chase.

"What ticks me off are people not from here taking decisions about Kendal," she said.

"I wanted to give full support to Helme Chase that it should stay open.

Nobody wants to travel all the way to Lancaster to have their baby."

Jenny Riley from Patton Bridge, near Grayrigg, was with her son, three-year-old Thomas, and daughter, one-year-old Freya.

Freya was born by planned Caesarean section at Helme Chase.

"They were just excellent," she said.

"Nothing's too much trouble for anybody, the auxiliaries and all the staff, and it would be such a shame to have to travel all the way to Lancaster.

"I'm chairman for Sedgwick and Crosscrake playgroup and I don't know of anybody who wants to go to Lancaster."

Sarah Platt, of Kendal, who had brought Faye, aged three, agreed.

For people living in places like Grange-over-Sands, the journey to Lancaster would be an even longer distance, she said.

Nicola Kaye, who started the petition supporting Helme Chase, had handed out leaflets in Kendal publicising the march, which she said had been "well worth it" because of the turnout.

She said: "Personally I think it's going to be a midwifery-led unit, and no matter what anyone says I think we are going to lose services."

However, a long-term commitment to Helme Chase would go a long way towards helping, she said.

"We have got to have proof that the midwifery-led service isn't going to change in five years time."

Marjory Martindale, Norma Peet and Peggy Troughton had turned out on behalf of the League of Friends of Helme Chase, who have provided more than £43,000 worth of equipment for the unit since 1995.

The worries and questions about the future were the same as when the unit moved from its Burton Road site, they said.

Heversham Toddler Group had turned out in force.

Carolyn Moses said the group believed that a 40 per cent reduction in births proposed in the consultation process was "very significant".

South Lakeland district councillor Barclay Stainton was marching, and had spotted plenty of other people from his home town of Kirkby Lonsdale.

"I think people in Kirkby would welcome the choice," he said.

"A lot of them in Kirkby were born in Kendal as well, and would like their children to be born where they were."

Mayor of Kendal Tom Clare said: "From the point of view of Kendal, we are in danger of losing out in being a regional centre, by having services like that reduced.

"Why is Kendal losing out? Why can't the service be left open in Kendal to serve other areas? We have not got the traffic problems for the ambulances that Lancaster's got."

County councillor and farmer Jim Bland said he believed the whole future of Westmorland General Hospital was vulnerable.

"My worry is this is the thin end of the wedge," he said.

"You start with maternity and end up with WGH as an old people's hospital."