We see hope in every cup of tea poured in a community centre and every friendly voice on the end of a helpline, in every kids’ football ref and in every helper at the local toddler drop-in, in everyone who donates to food banks when they do the weekly shop and everyone picking litter from our beaches and parks. Life is hard for a lot of us right now. Just getting by week to week is a struggle. But we also know our communities are full of hope and care. In fact, they’re built on it. But too often these acts of hope, and the people doing them, go unnoticed.  That’s why as part of the A Million Acts of Hope, we want to create the UK’s biggest ever thank you card: a huge, collective tribute to the people in our local communities who make life a little easier and the world a bit brighter. To prove that kindness is the quiet majority. To say, “we see you”, and to show that despite what we see in the headlines, together we can make hope louder than hate.

The telephone boxes in Epping High Street are a historic and cultural asset within Epping. They serve value to our historic town and we wish to see them retained and not sold. On the occasion that they are to be sold, we call on Epping Town Council to purchase them to be used as a community asset and therefore protected from removal in the future. 

Following an incident at The Council House on 24/03/2026 we are asking Nottingham City Council to remove anti-bird netting from this building and ALL Council run buildings in Nottingham  On 24th March, a pigeon (now affectionately known as Duncan) became trapped behind netting on The Council House, this resulted in Nottingham Fire and Rescue attending to attempt to free the pigeon. In this instance, the fire team were unable to rescue the pigeon, they also said they may have to reseal the hole they made for Duncan and leave him to die, however after a visit to the building this evening, Duncan could not be seen, we will however continue to check over the coming days for him.  This follows on from another recent incident at Nottinghams Mercure Hotel, documented by Humane Wildlife Solutions, where we saw multiple pigeons dead and dying in netting, showing the dangers to both animals and human health that this netting can cause. They thankfully agreed to remove the netting going forward.  With regards to Fire and rescue call outs for birds trapped in netting, while free at point of use, this can cost in excess of £450 PER HOUR for non emergencies. Managing incidents that are caused by these nettings are directly costing the taxpayer; Nottingham residents and businesses are paying their council tax to pick up the bill for unnecessary costs caused BY the council choosing to use bird deterring netting that, clearly, doesnt deter birds.  Further holes, that Duncan must have got in via, were seen in the netting today, meaning this needs to be addressed as soon as possible before more birds get trapped and suffer unnecessarily and more public resources used.  A government petition to ban this type of netting has reached nearly ten thousand signatures in recent months, we are asking Nottingham City Council to get ahead of the game and show the rest of the UK they are taking initiative on this issue and will pledge to remove netting from ALL council run buildings across Nottingham.

Children walk and cycle to primary and secondary schools next to a 50mph/70mph road, along a shared use footway/cycleway that is sometimes only separated from this traffic by a narrow verge. An email from the County Council Highway Schemes says that they will only take action to install a vehicle restraint system (barrier) if "vehicles have left the carriageway and have come into contact with pedestrians or cyclists".  It is unacceptable to promote Active Travel and advertise "Park and Stride" along this recognised route to school before first making it safe. There should not have to be an "injury collision" before a barrier is put in place, as is current policy.  Encouraging people to take to their bikes or walk only works when the routes in question are safe. The council's Active Travel Strategy July 2022 notes 5 core priorities, one of which is a “promise at all levels…to treat walking and cycling as a policy priority”.  Many people avoid cycling this route because of safety concerns; adding a barrier will also contribute to the Council's priority of increasing cycling and reducing car use. We are calling for Oxfordshire County Council to install a vehicle restraint system along the A40 London Road from where it turns to 50mph heading East, along through the 70mph by Thornhill P&R to the Holton turn. This stretch incorporates direct routes to school for Sandhills Community Primary School, Bayards Hill Primary School, and Wheatley Park Secondary School. Please sign and share this petition widely, and leave comments if this personally affects you or those you know.

This issue is very personal to me. I am living with the long-term effects of viral encephalitis from childhood, which left me visually impaired and paralysed, along with a brain injury and multiple complex health conditions. While I live with these challenges every day, I focus on staying independent and contributing where I can. I am unable to work, so I dedicate my time to voluntary work, supporting charities across Devon and helping others in my community. It gives me purpose and allows me to support people who may be facing their own difficulties. Through this, I have seen how vital charities are—but also how much they are struggling. On one occasion, I spent a full day fundraising and didn’t receive a single donation. At the same time, I am personally trying to raise funds for a suitable wheelchair to maintain my independence. NHS provision is very basic, and accessing grants is extremely difficult, if not impossible. This means people like me are left relying on charity and public generosity for essential equipment. I find it very hard to accept that while people are struggling to access basic support, individuals can receive tens of millions of pounds through lotteries and competitions. I believe this highlights a wider issue about fairness and priorities, especially when the NHS, ambulance services, and charities are under so much pressure.

To advance amateur dramatics, dance and music performances in particular but not exclusively, by providing facilities suitable for public performance and other community uses such as for example celebrations, exercise & wellbeing classes, home school hub, youth club, cinema club, AA meetings and art & craft activities. The facilities – including a full size stage - will be housed at Meeching Hall in Newhaven Town Centre for which the Trustees will be fundraising in order to retain and improve this hall for the public benefit. Charitable Objects * A place for performances * A place of celebrations; party packages * A place for passion projects; cinema club * A place for wellbeing practice; yoga; pilates; dance; AA * A place for pop up themed Cafes; repair cafe, seed exchange, crafting * A place that can be a hub for home schooling * A place to be used for Adult Education such as U3A courses Meeching Hall will be open to all Newhaveners: established, recent, young and old. Our Mission: Affordable – Welcoming – Can Do We like to say ‘yes’ to the community

Medical students in the UK face significant financial hardship during compulsory clinical placements, which are full-time and often require long travel, relocation, and additional living costs without any pay. This disproportionately affects students from lower-income backgrounds and risks widening inequality within the medical profession. We call on the Government and Parliament to introduce paid clinical placements or, at minimum, a standardised national stipend that reflects living costs and recognises students’ contributions to patient care within the NHS. In addition, a consistent system to fully cover travel and accommodation expenses should be implemented to eliminate regional disparities in support. Without action, financial pressures may force capable students to leave their studies, worsening workforce shortages. Ensuring fair financial support during placements is essential to widening access to medicine, supporting student wellbeing, and securing the future of the NHS.

The Moseley Road Friends institute building is a valued and vital community asset, serving the local and wider community since its opening in 1897, commissioned by Richad Cadbury – first as a home to the Quaker community, then from the 1980’s onwards as a community centre – continuing the original objectives of the building, which are enshrined in a covenant of use: “for educational purposes, for purposes of recreation and other leisure time occupation [with the object of improving the conditions of life] and for other Charitable purposes” When Richard Cadbury died, the building was held in trust and transferred to his children, and then in the 1980’s transferred to Birmingham City Council to manage and maintain. Once a thriving incubator of community activity with a café, function halls which hosted weddings, parties and meetings, music, arts and crafts, youth clubs and so much more, for the last twenty years it has experienced a consistent lack of maintenance and care via managed decline.  The building now faces closure, with Birmingham City Council issuing short notice to the tenants and users. There are currently four organisations using the building: The Moseley Road Community Conservation Trust (TMRCCT), Centrion Care, Dunamis Birmingham, and Live Art Life-drawing.  Between us, and in the case of TMRCCT supported by National Lottery Awards For All funding, we provide arts and crafts, music and music therapy, and therapeutic writing activities, carers training and provision, advice and support services, sales of donated goods, and Church services.  It is one of 23 landmark Birmingham buildings that feature on Historic England's at-risk register, highlighting their architectural significance and the challenges they face. There has been a lack of transparency or willingness to find alternative solutions – citing health and safety concerns for the users of the building, when no such concerns had been presented over the previous decade, despite there being no heating, a broken boiler, the kitchen removed so the café had to be closed and a small leak in the roof escalating to major damage, meaning space can’t be hired.  As Custodian Trustees of the Charity, Moseley Road Community Centre no 516602, Birmingham City Council are responsible for “the provision and maintenance of an Institute or centre for the benefit of the inhabitants of Birmingham” at the Friends Institute. By their lack of maintenance of the building over the last 20 years or so, contributing to the deterioration of the building, they are, and have been for many years, in breach of these responsibilities. Owing to The Friends Institute’s Grade 2* listed status,  Birmingham City Council are in breach of their legal responsibility to maintain the building. We see a continued lack of maintenance, and in particular wilful neglect of the building by allowing the roof to continue to leak since 2018  - a contravention of the Planning (Conservation Areas and Listed Buildings) act 1990. The Friends Institute has been in continual use as a Community Centre since 1897, providing opportunities for local people to improve not only their health and well being, but also wider life chances through social and recreational activities, and education and training opportunities. All of the above offer, and have offered in the past, invaluable opportunities for the community of Birmingham to engage in learning and training, self-improvement, information and advice, therapeutic and recreational activities and social support that provide considerable mental and physical benefits to participants, amongst whom are individuals with physical disabilities and mental health issues, as well as a range of other social and societal disadvantages.  Participants originate from a wide variety of social backgrounds and ethnic groups, and they include recent immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees, and those returning from prison or homelessness, as well as longstanding residents and their families and friends. The Friends Institute is therefore a place of huge potential educational and social value, offering opportunities to develop the potential, and improve the well-being of not only the Highgate community, but the wider community of the City of Birmingham.  As a significant historic building, and as a vital resource for the local community, it is essential to retain the Friends Institute as a community resource, and to enable it to be restored and revitalised as a thriving community hub as it has been through much of its previous history. We are urging Birmingham City Council to reconsider the closure of the building, and to work with us and the inhabitants of the City of Birmingham or some part of it, who are the stated beneficiaries of the Charity, to explore alternatives whilst continuing to deliver our vital services. We believe communities need space and meaningful provision, and that the Friends Institute can continue to do this, with support whilst we explore fundraising options and alternative models of management.  Please sign this petition and share amongst your networks. Thankyou Friends of the Friends x  

Bethnal Green Gardens is a rare open space in London that supports free, informal community use. The recent construction of padel courts has reduced the area available for people to gather, be active, and socialize. Losing this space would affect a wide range of people who rely on it for exercise, leisure, and community connection.

Everyone should be able to afford to hope. But across the UK, millions are barely staying afloat. Energy bills are bursting family budgets, childcare costs are washing away wages, and home ownership has become a pipe-dream for most. Meanwhile, the super‑rich keep getting richer and richer, faster and faster. We all built this country together, yet only a tiny handful are reaping the rewards. And they know it can’t last. That’s why they’re trying to distract us: funding the far right, scapegoating migrants and refugees, and pushing us to fear the people beside us. They want us to hate our neighbours instead of questioning the tiny handful, picking our pockets, and hoarding the wealth we all create. A 2% tax on extreme wealth on fortunes over £10 million would raise £24 billion every year and make sure those making millions from stocks and shares in fossil fuels would help insulate homes and cut heating bills for the rest of us; that those who’ve inherited private art galleries and classic car collections keep public art alive and trains and buses running for the next generation; and that those living in mansions, bought from the profits from our rents on their massive property portfolios, chip in to make affordable homes an aspiration not a fantasy.  We can’t afford to hate. But if we tax wealth properly, we can afford to hope again. 

It matters to everyone who feels anger or even unease at the chaos and loss of life resulting from the war being waged by Israel & the US.  The involvement of other states is more likely to prolong than shorten hostilities.

I am one of the students at risk