CROWDS packed into a village community hall in Wootton in a bid to save their doctors’ surgery.

The future of the Besselsleigh Road surgery in Wootton, near Abingdon, was cast into doubt when an NHS Oxfordshire building inspection branded the building “unfit for practice” in April.

Consultation was promised before further action but no date has yet been set.

More than 80 people crowded into Wootton and Dry Sandford Community Centre on Thursday to organise opposition to the plans. They formed the Wootton Surgery Supporters’ group and launched a petition against the closure.

Chairing the meeting, Wootton patient Sue Srawley said: “It is time we did something to save what is a vital asset to our community. There is a definite and growing need for it.

“There is a high population of elderly people and our community is growing.

“The number of people here shows how important an issue this is.”

The Wootton surgery is a satellite surgery run by Botley Medical Centre in Elms Road.

It currently runs two sessions a week, on Tuesday afternoons and Thursday mornings.

Boars Hill resident Julia Horsnell said: “The services have been progressively withdrawn and there are a lot of elderly people who cannot get to neighbouring GPs. We want a better service.”

People overfilled the room and sat on the floor and stood at the back of the room during the meeting.

The group, which is hoping to collect hundreds of signatures over the next two weeks, is meeting again on Thursday, June 20, at the community centre at 7.30pm.

Oxford West and Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood is due to meet members the following day.

Ms Srawley added: “We have had a brilliant surgery here for 60 years – with excellent services and the best clinician.

“It is not like we are asking for anything new.

“All we are asking for is what we used to have, a surgery we can count on.”

She said the group wanted a surgery independent of the Botley surgery.

If this is not feasible the group suggested bidding to transfer the Wootton surgery out of Botley Medical Centre’s control to become a satellite of the Abingdon or Marcham surgeries.