A COUPLE living in the remote moorland beauty spot of Farndale believe their baby would have been born in the family car had they been forced to make an hour-long journey to Scarborough General Hospital.

Instead, Joanne Loggie had only 15 minutes to wait after being admitted to Malton Hospital before Ruben, who had been due about five days later, arrived weighing in at 7lb 11 oz - further proof, she says, that Malton's maternity unit must be retained.

She and her husband George, who run the famous Daffy Cafe in Farndale, made the journey just hours before the last heavy snowfall in northern Ryedale, causing deep drifts and making many of its lanes impassable.

"I thought it was another false alarm when I called the hospital and the midwife advised me to get in straight away," said Joanne.

Because of her condition, George had to drive their four-by-four vehicle with great care along the undulating lanes, a journey which took nearly three-quarters of an hour to the hospital.

"I can't give enough praise to the staff at Malton Hospital - they were marvellous" said Joanne. "I had been to the maternity unit previously and asked a lot of questions and been given assurances. They are a very highly-trained team and they were extremely kind and caring."

Because baby Ruben had some feeding problems in his first few days, Joanne was able to be kept in hospital for five days until he began to feed normally.

"I just cannot see how I could have got the same level of care and attention at Scarborough Hospital, which is so much busier. More people ought to be aware of the service which is offered at Malton Hospital - it's fantastic."

Now, Joanne has organised a petition in Farndale to press Scarborough and Ryedale NHS Trust to keep the maternity unit open and not transfer all births to Scarborough General.

"It is a vital service and we proved that it is essential because the hospital serves such a remote rural area. Scarborough is a long way when time is of the essence."

She feels that new mums, especially those who may have had a Caesarian section birth, should be able to recuperate at Malton Hospital, even though they may have had their baby at Scarborough.

"I was given assurances on my previous visit to Malton Hospital that if there were likely to be complications, I could be transferred to Scarborough."

The campaign to save the maternity unit is gathering pace, with town and parish councils in Ryedale pressing the NHS trust to re-think its proposal.

Updated: 10:06 Wednesday, February 12, 2003