Hundreds of healthcare campaigners from Mid Wales gathered outside the headquarters of Powys Local Health Board to show their support for threatened village hospitals.

People from Llanidloes, Knighton, Builth Wells and Bronllys linked up to show their determination to keep their hospitals open despite plans to cut back on services.

They gathered at the board’s Bronllys headquarters to release 100 heart-shaped balloons as part of a We Love Our Hospital event protesting against plans to end hospital in-patient care at Builth Wells, Llanidloes, Knighton and Bronllys.

The noon meeting was the climax of a morning of rallies in the three other towns affected by the board’s planned cuts. Events began in Knighton, where Knighton Town Council organised a walk from the clock tower to the hospital at 9.30am, for the presentation of two flower baskets – one to the hospital and one to Cottage View, the hospital’s residential wing.

More than 200 people took part in the walk.

Christine Brandford, Knighton mayor, said: “We organised this march to keep our hospital. We have got to look after it and we’re very pleased with the turnout.”

And Julia Roberts, of the Tref-y-Clawd Women’s Insitute, said: “We’re just not willing to sit back and let them close our hospital.”

About 150 people gathered at Llanidloes Hospital where campaign group members presented Valentine’s cards to hospital representatives at 10am, before boarding a coach to Bronllys.

Campaigner John Wilder said: “We want to step up our campaign now. It’s important we keep exerting as much pressure as we can on the local health board and the Welsh Assembly.

“We are going to press forward and try to convince the health board its ideas are fundamentally flawed. Decisions should be made on health grounds and not for financial reasons.”

David Rudge, a resident of Llanidloes, said: “The hospital is a vital asset to Mid Wales. I cannot see how the politicians and local health board can claim it would be an improvement to services to close it.

“Travelling to larger hospitals will cost people a lot of money they can ill-afford and it means more traffic on the roads which is environmentally unfriendly.”

At Builth Wells 110 heart-shaped balloons were released, one for each year since the hospital opened in 1897.

The health board unveiled plans to cut services at Llanidloes, Builth Wells, Knighton and Bronllys as part of its Doing More, Doing Better strategy last September, sparking fears the hospitals could be closed.

A public consultation has been delayed until September at the request of the Welsh Assembly, which did not want the public consulted before the Assembly elections in May.