March to remember schoolboy Callum Cartlidge, aged eight, who lived just 2 minutes from the Alexandra Hospital, who died after being taken to Worcestershire Royal Hospital

The event, in the town centre this Saturday, will celebrate the life of Callum Cartlidge and highlight controversial health care changes for Redditch and Bromsgrove families.

Callum, aged eight, tragically died following a cardiac arrest on Friday, March 3.

He lived just two minutes from Redditch's Alexandra Hospital but was taken to Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester- a journey that took 23 minutes.

The event entitled 'March For Callum' is a non-political family-friendly occasion that will start at 11.30am with a silent march from Trinity High School to the town centre bandstand, where there will be music, activities and a speech.

Part of the festivities will feature heart templates, which will be decorated by children and adults alike and displayed on the bandstand and the railings around St Stephen’s Church.

As the centrepiece to the event, Matchborough First School, where Callum was a pupil, has created a large mosaic art piece using handprints.

To ensure the safety of those taking part, there will be road closures in operation for 30 minutes during the march, this includes Access 1 off Redditch Ringway, Archer Road, and access out of the Lidl car park will be restricted.

Neal Stote of our NHS Worcestershire said the day would provide an opportunity to reflect on the death of Callum and the loss of services at the Alexandra Hospital.

"Families felt they were promised that in an emergency a child would be taken to the Alex to be stabilised but this case brings that into question," he said.

"We want to make people aware and for them to reflect and choose what they do."

He added: "It is going to be a respectful march.

"It is really for families who want to reflect on the loss of Callum, an eight year old boy, or any other loss, and also to reflect on the loss of services at the hospital."

He added that no politicians had been invited and that an investigation into Callum’s death has not yet been concluded.

Redditch MP Karen Lumley confirmed she would not be attending as she believes it would not be "appropriate".

On safety grounds, bosses at Worcestershire Acute Hospital NHS Trust transferred all children’s services, including emergency care, maternity, neonatal and gynaecology to Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

Recently, campaigners held a protest in Bromsgrove calling for a halt to a consultation on the future of Worcestershire's acute hospitals following Callum’s death.

They argued that the tragic death of Callum has changed the situation and that assurances that children in an emergency could be stabilised and resuscitated at the Alex before being transferred elsewhere appear to have been broken.

One of the most significant proposed changes involves permanently moving all hospital births, inpatient children’s services and emergency surgery from Redditch to Worcester.