MORE than 130 names were put forward by New Forest residents for four wards at a new £36m hospital.
In the end the names of Forest inclosures were chosen for the state-of-the-art building in Lymington.
New Forest Primary Care Trust, through its Patient and Public Involvement Group, invited the community to come up with names for the wards late last year.
A shortlist of 12 was whittled down to Knightwood Ward, Wilverley Ward, Deerleap Ward and Longbeech Ward.
Project manager Tracy England said: "The hospital has a special place in the hearts of many local people, and it was only appropriate to ask the community to name the hospital wards.
"We can now start working on the wayfinding signage to ensure everything is in place by the time we open."
The privately-financed NHS hospital is expected to be built by December and open for appointments in January 2007.
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