THE battle may be won to re-open Petersfield's birthing centre after Christmas – but the fight is still on to win the war to ensure it stays that way.

Used by expectant women from Petersfield, as well as further afield in Liss, Liphook and Haslemere, the unit was closed suddenly in September and its midwives relocated to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham because of a baby boom in Portsmouth.

With promises that the town's Grange maternity unit at Petersfield Hospital in Swan Street will definitely re-open as planned on January 9, the pressure is now on to safeguard its long-term future.

For full story, see this week's Petersfield Herald.