FELIXSTOWE: A protest petition to save the Blue Cross centre was 600 signatures longer today after a successful campaign in the town.

FELIXSTOWE: A protest petition to save the Blue Cross centre was 600 signatures longer today after a successful campaign in the town.

Supporters of The Evening Star's Save the Blue Cross appeal were out in force in the Co-op Great Eastern Square shopping precinct in Hamilton Road on Saturday.

Volunteers also made their views known to the charity's chief executive Kim Hamilton that morning when she visited the under-threat animal adoption and welfare centre in Walton High Street.

Tom Crowley, one of the 65 volunteers at the centre, said: “It was an interesting meeting. We exchanged ideas and views.”

Mr Crowley said Ms Hamilton has agreed to reveal the data which she is using to justify the planned closure of the Felixstowe centre to shift resources to the north of the country.

“She keeps quoting figures that say the charity could help 56 per cent more animals in the north-west than they do in Felixstowe,” he said. “We will be able to see how she arrived at those figures.”

The campaign will continue apace this weekend with a planned 'Protest on the Prom' along the seafront.

Supporters will be meeting at the Spa Pavilion at 10am on Sunday before parading to Manning's amusements, where they be collecting more signatures.

The petition, which already has thousands of names, will be handed in to Blue Cross chiefs on February 26.

More than 40 vets, shops and businesses now have the petition in their premises, while scores of people have been displaying posters around the county and posting messages on The Star's website.

A Facebook page set up in support of the campaign now has more than 7,200 members.

Mr Crowley said: “I am overwhelmed with the support that we have been given. That is an army of supporters that the Blue Cross would lose.

“We appreciate very much the campaign being run by The Evening Star. Without that, we would not be able to get the message across as we have.”

The charity has promised to take into account all views before it makes a final decision.

n Send us your messages of support for the Save the Blue Cross campaign - write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.