THE campaign urging George Osborne to agree to help fund a new children’s accident and emergency department at Southampton General Hospital is gaining more support, in the form of another Hampshire MP.

Eastleigh MP Mims Davies has joined politicians supporting the Daily Echo’s Say Yes George campaign calling for Mr Osborne to use public money to help pay for the new centre at the Tremona Road hospital.

Together with Southampton General and celebrities Sarah Parish and James Murray from the Murray Parish Trust, we are spearheading £4.8 million plans to create a children’s accident and emergency trauma department providing tailored care for youngsters instead of them having to use adult A&E services.

Before we can raise the funds, those behind the project need the government to agree to match-fund cash locally.

We have launched the campaign to persuade the chancellor to “Say Yes” and invest £2 million from the government.

Tory MP Mims Davies, a mother of two daughters, said: “This unit will benefit children across the south. In my Eastleigh constituency residents have to travel out for acute services and that is an added worry when a child is ill.

“To have this centre just down the road will be great news for a growing area like Eastleigh and I wholeheartedly support the campaign.”

As previously reported, Mr Osborne told parliament there was a “strong case” for the new department last week, following a question from Southampton North and Romsey MP Caroline Nokes asking him a question in the House of Commons.

The new department, hoped to one day be part of a complete multi-million-pound children’s hospital, would feature a state-of-the-art, eight-bed observation area, 11 glass fronted and soundproofed cubicles, and on-hand X-ray facilities.

Our campaign aims to follow the example of an appeal that raised £3 million for the Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) for children in London. The GOSH campaign saw the Treasury match-fund £1.5 million raised by Londoners to hit a £3 million target.

What you can do to help:

To help persuade Chancellor George Osborne to agree that the Treasury should match fun money raised locally towards a dedicated Children’s A&E Department at Southampton, you can make a difference by: • Write or email your MP calling on them to support the campaign.

•Send the Daily Echo a video of you, your family and friends saying ‘Say Yes George’ for us to include on our website appeal to the Chancellor: newsdesk@daileycho.co.uk or upload via our site.

Email us at the Daily Echo with your stories of how you have had to use the Accident and Emergency Department at Southampton General Hospital – perhaps as a child patient yourself or to help your own children – and why you believe a dedicated Children’s Department is a must.

•Contact the Daily Echo’’s health correspondent Maxwell Kusi-Obodum with your story and comments at: maxwell.kusi-obodum@dailyecho.co.uk