As a resident of the Aboyne and Dinnet community, I care deeply about the safety and wellbeing of our residents, especially our children and other vulnerable road users. Every day, I witness vehicles speeding through our town, creating unsafe conditions that deter families and locals from engaging in walking or cycling. It's time to take necessary action to make our streets safer and our community more active. According to the UK's Department for Transport, reducing the speed limit to 20mph can significantly decrease the likelihood and severity of accidents. In areas where such measures have been adopted, there has been a notable reduction in road casualties. This is a proven strategy to enhance road safety and promote active travel among community members. An adjustment to a 20mph limit would not only improve safety, but also encourage more people to choose walking or cycling. This shift towards active travel can contribute to a healthier lifestyle, reduce traffic congestion, and decrease pollution levels, resulting in a cleaner, safer environment for everyone. It is crucial for Aberdeenshire Council to recognise the importance of implementing this strategy across the whole of Aboyne and Dinnet for the benefit of the entire community. By taking a proactive stance on road safety, we can create a more welcoming and secure environment in Aboyne and Dinnet. Please sign this petition to urge Aberdeenshire Council to adopt these necessary speed limit changes. Together, we can make our roads safer and our community stronger. Thank you for your support!

We only have one planet and we need to protect this precious resource from corporations who want to profit from a land grab. At the present time rural communities are deluged by applications from power companies whose aim is to industrialise the countryside with their solar power stations euphemistically called “farms”.

Digital Privacy, data protection and identity theft. 

Craft Coop CIC brings craft-making and community together by running town-centre shops that showcase and support local artisans and makers, and by hosting art workshops and outreach activities in care homes and community groups. We also organise seasonal events and school partnerships, supporting local charities with in-shop fundraising, whilst engaging in broader community initiatives.

In these fragmentary times, when human rights are increasingly under attack around the world, it's more important than ever to show global support for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The rule of law is being eroded, not only by authoritarian regimes but also through the complacency of democratic governments. Without renewed commitment and enforceability, the UDHR risks becoming symbolic rather than transformational. Bringing attention back to the UDHR and working toward an enforceable International Bill of Rights is the only way we can restore respect for human dignity, the rule of law, and the original vision of a world governed by shared principles of justice and equality. But to do this, we need a global base of supporters and the backing of powerful governments, like the UK, willing to lead by example.

Sports Direct have been accused of using fake “recommended retail prices” to mislead shoppers into thinking they’re getting huge discounts. Consumer group Which? says this could be illegal.  Mike Ashley may no longer be CEO, but he’s still Chair of the Board and owns 70% of the company – so he’s ultimately in charge. His empire includes brands only sold through his own shops, making it easier to invent inflated prices. We deserve honesty at the checkout. Let’s show Sports Direct that shoppers won’t stand for being tricked.

Cancelling Neighbouhood Plan NP and technical support grants (via Locality) is a means to stop communities having the ability to foster community empowerment and self-help.   The loss of Neighbourhood Planning (NP) and technical support grants is a fundamental shift that risks shattering the core principles of Localism just as they have begun to bear fruit.   Without central support:   • Communities and their Town & Parish Councils, with limited budgets, will likely be unable to adequately fund, and provide the technical knowledge, to undertake a Neighbourhood Plan   • Communities in deprived or rural areas - most in need of shaping local growth - will be disproportionately disadvantaged   • Developers will gain disproportionate influence, with local policy-making weakened, at precisely the moment that central and regional planning is being streamlined The implications are significant:   • End of equitable NP access: Wealthier or better-resourced communities may still produce NPs; others will struggle to start or update them   • Loss of technical advice: this is absolutely critical for navigating environmental assessment requirements, site assessments, and policy compliance — without this, many draft NPs would not meet required basic legal tests. This will have the greatest impact on communities trying to shape their own futures, because common sense and the democratic voice will be significantly muted.   • Organic developments - that would keep the life blood pumping in smaller communities - will now either not be allocated or will be determined strategically where the local voice does not necessarily prevail.   • It totally undermines the Localism (2011) Act’s intent: that communities should have a real say in where and how development happens.

Ancient woodlands are vanishing – and with them, some of our most loved and endangered wildlife. Forestry England manages over 100,000 acres of land that used to be ancient woodland - that’s bigger than the Isle of Wight. But instead of flourishing as rich, native forest, much of it has been turned into sterile plantations of fast-growing, non-native trees – choking out the life that once thrived there. Buried in these Ghost Woods are the seeds, fungal networks and surviving species which cling on from centuries-old ecosystems. If we act now, we can bring them back. But if we miss this window, these precious seeds will die and these woods will be lost forever.  According to data published in the Guardian, at current rates of progress it will take Forestry England a lifetime – over 80 years! – to merely start seeing meaningful progress for all of these precious woodlands. If restoration isn’t sped up, will there be any ghosts left to bring back to life? Forestry England manage our public forest estate - it is their job to protect and restore our woods for us, the public. They must work faster if we are to save these vital habitats.  Join the thousands of people across the country who are calling for our lost woodlands to be brought back from the dead! 

Recently at St Clements Lake in Greenhithe, wildlife was senselessly attacked by youngsters with catapults. This is sadly not a one off in this borough and animals have been cruelly targeted causing injuries to birds, water fowl and other wildlife. From a duck being left with half it's beak hanging, a heron with a shattered wing and a squirell with a bloodied eye 💔 I was sickened to read about an online trend that has evolved where people are posting the maimed creatures after harming them. These injuries often prove fatal, either drawn out in the wild or one of the wonderful recuse groups making the awful decision to put them to rest. I am in awe of the wonderful volunteers in Dartford who have done so much to highlight this appalling wildlife crime and giving their all to try and protect innocent creatures. Catapults are weapons and it's not only animals that are being targeted, with property and even walkers by being hurt by launched missiles. However, shockingly catapults currently have no restrictions and are easily available to buy, with anyone being able to own one! The government responded to a recent petition calling for them to be banned on May 2025 👇 "catapults are also routinely used by members of the public, enjoying legitimate pastimes...the Government has to balance the entirely legitimate objective of the petitioners to see catapults and catapult ammunition kept out of the hands of individuals who will misuse it....we therefore do not intend to accept the petitioners’ proposal at this time, but we will continue to keep this issue under review" In my opinion this simply isn't good enough and the situation can not continue, with the police only having limited powers under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to deal with this! I am now pushing, not for an outright ban, but to make catapult ownership licensable and to stop under 18s purchasing them. This will strike a balance and ensure that there are restrictions - only adults with licenses can have them in public for genuine leisure activities and anyone else will be breaking the law. I implore authorities at all levels to stop tinkering around the edges and bring in legislation in now to protect our wildlife and communities. Let's use our collective voice to say enough is enough! ✊️ Please sign and share widely! ✍️🦆🙏

The Prevention, Action and Treatment initiative is a groundbreaking programme, giving our children, including the poorest people in our community, access to an NHS dentist, providing daily supervised brushing, twice yearly fluoride varnishing and treatment of dental issues to the children and the families of our children who otherwise would not the means or access to a dentist. Thirty two thousand children from 143 schools in our area currently benefit, increasing their life prospects, self confidence and general health while reducing tooth decay, illness and time off school ill.  Our school is the only school to have withdrawn from the dental programme and our children deserve more.

Sir Keir Starmer is considering a mandatory digital ID scheme called “BritCard” that would make us all reliant on a digital pass to go about our daily lives. Mandatory digital IDs give the state enormous control and treat the population with suspicion. Introducing one in Britain would fundamentally change the nature of our relationship with the state, eroding our rights and freedoms. We all want to be able to prove who we are safely, privately, and conveniently but while digital ID can be helpful for some people in certain situations, it is not a magic solution for all scenarios. People in marginalised, vulnerable and minority groups are more likely to have reduced access to online services (e.g. people with disabilities, low income or the elderly), particularly where digital identity is a requirement. That is why we’re fighting to protect your privacy rights by calling for this dangerous proposal to be scrapped. Britain has a long and proud history of rejecting proposals for mandatory ID, and we should reject this one too. We can win this fight again, but we can only do it together. If thousands of us sign this petition, we can make Starmer reject the “BritCard” proposal.

This Is a Moment of Moral Clarity This is not about politics. This is about humanity that's why over 50 MP's have already signed an open letter to you requesting an emergency medical evacuation scheme for injured Palestinian children.  We ask you, Prime Minister, not to look away. Let the UK be remembered as a country that stood on the side of life.  We request an urgent meeting with your office to explore the practical steps needed to make this vision a reality.  With resolve and hope,  [Add your Profession before your first name eg Consultant, Nurse, Dr, Paramedic, Phlebotomist]