Farron welcomes new Ambleside Dental Surgery: New surgery is a victory for local campaigning!

1.56.28pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 23rd Sep 2008

Local MP Tim Farron and district councillor Vivienne Rees will take part in the opening of the new NHS dental surgery in Ambleside this Friday.

The new surgery opens following a campaign headed by Tim Farron and local councillors David Vatcher and Vivienne Rees to persuade the Primary Care Trust to replace the former surgery which closed earlier this year.

Originally, the Trust planned to leave Ambleside without a dentist and force patients to travel to Windermere or further afield. However, following the campaign which won the support of around 2000 local people, the Trust conceded and agreed to bring a new dentist to Ambleside.

Speaking in advance of the opening Tim said, "This is an important victory for local people. I am delighted that people in Ambleside and the surrounding villages will continue to have access to good quality, local NHS dentistry. It's further proof that when communities stand together and campaign hard, they can win!"

Vivienne said, "I'd like to thank the Primary Care Trust for listening to the voice of the people and allowing an NHS dentist to remain in Ambleside, but even more I'd like to thank the many people who helped us to make that voice heard. Thanks to Tim for printing the questionnaires and paying for the postage; thanks to the people who went from door to door pushing those questionnaires through letter-boxes or encouraging people to sign them in their shops. But above all I'd like to thank the people who filled them in and wrote such moving comments. It often seems as though the government and those making important decisions affecting our lives have no idea of what conditions are really like in rural areas. Well, this time the people of Lakes Parish spoke too loudly to be ignored. We really did see democracy in action."