THE doomed Bolton Community Health Council is continuing to fight for its future.

The council, which is due to be abolished under new Government NHS legislation, has received hundreds of letters and calls of support.

The CHC, which makes health bodies publicly accountable for their decisions, has been sending out fliers to businesses and individuals.

Vice-chairman Jane Harrison is hoping Bolton people will put pen to paper and write to their local MP to stop the proposed legislation which goes before Parliament in the New Year.

An Early Day Motion to amend the new NHS proposals and reinstate 204 CHCs nationwide has already been tabled.

But Bolton CHC is hoping its supporters will put further pressure on its three MPs.

The CHC launched a flier campaign, which has a tear off slip at the bottom for supporters to fill in and send off to an MP, at a voluntary services open night at Mere Hall on Thursday.

The CHC says it is being abolished because they have done their job too well "always putting patients first".

Bolton's office is staffed by 24 volunteers and three paid staff who have successfully campaigned for better mental health care, community care and ethnic health.

In addition, staff say they have helped thousands of Bolton patients to complain about unsatisfactory treatment by the NHS.