The People's Park Preservation Association was officially launched at a packed public meeting at Sudbury Town Hall on Monday.

Chairman Lord Andrew Phillips called on people to join the committee and donate money for the "tough legal battle ahead".

The aim is to stop West Suffolk Hospital Trust from selling People's Park, off Waldingfield Road, for housing.

Lord Phillips said: "The hospital trust promised us a hospital which we never got and now they want to sell the land for housing, which means we lose a valuable piece of open land.

"This is a double whammy against the people of Sudbury which we must fight."

Promises of donations were made by many of the 120 people at the meeting, including one woman who pledged a week's wages from her job at Tesco.

John Sayers, Sudbury's mayor, said the town council would donate £1,500 to the campaign.

A five-day public enquiry will be held at Suffolk County Council headquarters, in September, to determine the fate of the park.

Campaigners have set up a website at www.savepeoplespark.co.uk

For more on this story see Thursday's Suffolk Free Press.