On the wet, chilly afternoon of Saturday 14th June 1997, more than one thousand people congregated at the Norfolk & Norwich Hospital and made a human chain around it to demonstrate their commitment to keeping the hospital on its present site. It was a truly overwhelming sight as hordes of people streamed up St Stephen's Street from the city centre and traffic came to a grinding halt.
The event was reported in the Evening News and on Radio Norfolk, but, alas, there was no television coverage and neither of the city's MPs came. However, the event did elicit a response from the Health Care Trust - their spokesperson Louise Zucchi attempted to play it down by claiming that 'only 450 people attended' - in fact there were more than double that number.
The distance the chain had to cover was just under 1 km and this we did, with the only gaps being at the entrances and exits (we had no wish to disrupt the hospital's work) and at Crookes Place for safety reasons. The young and the old came, from babes in arms to the frail and elderly in wheelchairs. Many who couldn't come owing to prior commitments or illness sent messages of support. Matthew Williams sped round the route by bike, aided by others acting as stewards on foot, ensuring that gaps were filled and the pavement wasn't blocked. As 3 p.m. approached the question was asked anxiously, "Have we made it ? Is the chain complete ?" and the answer "Yes" was greeted with a cheer.
All was done peacefully and the event showed the strength of feeling for keeping our city centre hospital.