I read in the Guardian of May 10, Save A&Es, the letter to the editor by Ken Callanan.

I have met Ken Callanan and, in my view, he deserves thanks, absolute gratitude and support from the citizens of Surrey for his tireless efforts to prevent the closure or downgrading of the Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford and St Peter's at Chertsey.

For many months he has spent up to 18 hours each day visiting towns and villages across Surrey obtaining signatures, which are now well over 100,000. He has the support of the Royal College of Nursing and other medical associations. He is the organiser of the Surrey Petition and I have attended his rallies at Chertsey and Woking, which were well attended but he needs many more concerned citizens to support his efforts.

Mr Callanan is a retired paramedic and knows full well the importance of the distance between an accident or medical emergency and an accident and emergency department. The distance can be absolutely critical when a desperately ill or injured patient is on board the ambulance - not only minutes but seconds count as to the patients' survival. I worked for many years in association with the ambulance service and am fully aware of the decisions over life and death of both young and old ambulance crews face in their daily lives.

I have endeavoured in a small way to assist Mr Callanan. A friend of Mr Tom Wilson, a retired long service chief petty officer of the Fleet Air Arm and World War II veteran and myself managed to obtain over 300 signatures outside Debenhams in Staines and elsewhere.

Not one of the members of the political parties, either local or county or our MP David Wilshire appear to oppose the closure or downgrading of the Royal Surrey at Guildford or St Peter's and I sincerely ask the citizens of Surrey to rekindle the Dunkirk spirit and write to their recently elected councillors demanding opposition to downgrading or closing of any hospitals.

The Government has behaved as the crooked bookmaker, taking large amounts of money from the punter in the national health contributions and taxes. When it is time to pay their debts and provide medical care, they will scarper claiming there is no money left in the kitty.

Denis Bond Penton Road Staines