Keeping a useful and needed facility in the town for everyone

The Fire Brigade Museum is established as a not for profit organisation, run by volunteers, ensuring all revenue supports the objectives of the Museum. The Museum exists to deliver 7 social objectives: 1) Support 999 workers suffering mental illness such as PTSD by support groups & use of revenue to pay for psychological treatment required which isn't readily/quickly available to prevent suicide and loss of career and help in times of financial hardship caused by such events. 2) Support young people 12-25 who have severe confidence issues, additional learning needs or mental illness as they transition from education by offering a safe and supportive environment where they can access Apprenticeships, work placements & jobs among the many different tasks in a museum from restoration trades, catering, marketing, administration, conservation & education. This will prevent suicide & give young people a chance to develop into a career that may have not been open to them due to their conditions, in an environment where they are understood & supported to thrive at their pace. 3) Combat social isolation through volunteering programmes in the Museum from guides, to outreach, to fundraising. To hold a 'person library' where those who are lonely can book some time to chat with a volunteer. 4) To become the National Museum of Firefighting, recording and preserving all aspects of the Fire Service, supporting National Curriculum subjects such as the Great Fire of London and the Blitz. We will provide an immersive experience of these historical occurrences, handling the equipment and uniforms that were there or building modern replicas of historic Firefighting equipment which can be used and demonstrated as accurate portrayals and displays. 5) To champion diversity, inclusion and anti-bullying within the emergency services by educating on the past and by demonstrating inclusive behaviours. 6) To educate on safety through a range of learning experiences, that support the safety and prevention campaigns of Statutory bodies, Governing organisations and the emergency services to prevent injury and to aid these bodies in delivering safety messages across the UK. 7) To actively seek technology and practices that reduce carbon emissions and make this available to partner organisations across the UK. We will educate on the impact of fire and other incident types on the environment, encouraging prevention and environmental protection. We have been given notice by TVBC and our Landlord to vacate our current premises by the end of May 2023. We are urgently fundraising for an alternative premises to prevent closure. Hampshire County Council and Test Valley Borough Council have funds that can be used to help us.

Families who bury their loved one in the new Muslim burial section at a Blackburn cemetery may be expected to sign up to a new set of rulings and conditions. These new rulings and conditions being proposed by Blackburn with Darwen Borough council will have detrimental effects on the Muslim community when burying our loved ones. We need to stand together and object to this as a matter of urgency otherwise these proposed changes will see the end to Muslim burials being performed in the traditional ways they have been carried out over the generations before us.

How would you feel if you were dying for the toilet and couldn’t go? On top of that to hold it in can make you very ill. You would get arrested or fined if you did it on the street and not everyone can hold it in!

Boris Johnson has announced he is joining GB News and will be hosting a show during the UK elections. Our media regulator, Ofcom, has rules that TV stations can’t use their broadcasts to influence viewers to vote for any party or person. A former Prime Minister on a channel that has breached impartiality rules before could be a recipe for disaster for our democracy. We don't have to agree with everything GB News does or says, but we should expect them to be held to the same high standards that other UK news outlets have to follow. Instead we're seeing a slippery slope where GB News could become the Fox News of the UK. A huge petition signed by thousands of us calling on Ofcom to make sure their rules are strong enough to hold ALL news stations to account and make sure that GB News doesn't drag down the standards of news in the UK would show Ofcom that we expect them to do their job properly and stop UK news sliding down to the sorry state it is in the USA.

We live in an ever advancing technological world; without consistent access to devices that work and have access to the internet, a young person's education, development and opportunities to learn are adversely impacted. Would you consider a young person for a job if they brought in a hand written CV instead of applying online? Digital access is now one of the basic necessities, like food, shelter and an education! All young people have the right to the basic equipment and tools to allow them a fair chance to succeed and not be left behind. Digital poverty in young people exists where a person doesn’t have access to the online world and therefore doesn’t have access to the vast amount of information and opportunities that exist within it. An estimated 11.7 million (22 per cent) people in the UK are without the digital skills needed for everyday life; 9 million (16 per cent) are unable to use the internet and their device by themselves; and 3.6 million (seven per cent) are almost completely offline. Basic digital literacy skills are needed by every citizen to become ‘digitally literate’ to participate fully in an increasingly digital society. - ‘Tackling the digital divide. ‘House of Commons, 4 November 2021 Digital poverty has increased since the coronavirus pandemic. It has also been shown that the lack of access to suitable devices or software, reliable and affordable connectivity, suitable learning spaces has affected a higher proportion of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) learners. In a young person, it can result in a poorer education, poorer health, increased loneliness, isolation, an adverse effect on job prospects and even a lower life expectancy. The impact of digital poverty is that it intensifies the class divide keeping the poor in a cycle of poverty with no means of escape. This cause is important because after lockdown we saw the effects on young people without access to devices and the effect it had in their mental health as a result. The impact of the pandemic on learners’ mental health has been considerable with a significant increase in requests for mental health support reported by the providers we spoke to. Mental health issues are impacting learners across the board including those from more affluent backgrounds. Figures show15 that as many as 10 million people in the UK, including 1.5 million children, are thought to need new or additional mental health support as a direct result of the pandemic. However, we know that the pandemic is having a disproportionate impact on BAME groups who have suffered a “triple whammy of threats” to their mental health, incomes and life expectancy16. Children and young people from BAME backgrounds are showing greater increases in depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicidal thoughts than white peers during Covid-19 pandemic and Black males are more than twice as likely to experience mental health issues than their White counterparts. Exploring the impact of digital and data poverty on BAME learners , Charles Hutchings and Marianne Sheppard, 2021

Please do sign this petition now. As a local city and county councillor, I have not yet been able to secure a guarantee, the store will remain open trading as Co-op and there are real concerns it will cease trading as a co-op. Retail can move fast. It is vital we let the Co-op Board and Directors know how important and successful this store is, how valued and treasured it is, a flag ship for the co-op brand and very much part of the Claines community.

This petition is important because it calls for a review of the community governance structure in Penrith, with the aim of improving transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in decision-making. It also suggests the creation of smaller parish councils serving the diverse range of distinct communities across Penrith, which would bring more local-focused councils for the communities and likely lead to substantial reductions in costs and parish precepts for households on the annual council tax bill. The petition highlights the fact that the community's voices have not been heard, and their needs have not been adequately addressed by Penrith Town Council. The community must have a say in the governance of Penrith, and a community governance review would provide an opportunity for the community to be heard and have a meaningful say in decision-making.

Britain is a very choral and orchestral country: vast numbers of people participate every week in choirs, orchestras and bands. The presence of top professional ensembles gives a lead to people's activities, as well as providing listening pleasure, and growing a knowledge and love of music throughout people's lives. Anyone who understands this will feel the losses the BBC proposes.

Save the Walled City Market The traders at the Walled City Market have been given notice that the long standing city market will be closing, with the last market on April 1. Some of us have been trading here for over 16 years. This is not only a financial blow for the traders, around 40 in total, but also a loss for Derry. The market adds a community and uplifting spirit to the city once a month, with a great variety of local produce on offer. We want the market to continue so Please sign our petition

The Woodman Pub on Battersea High Street is one of the few remaining pubs in the area. In 2012, after a tireless campaign, we lost the Castle pub on the same street. That site is largely apartments above a nursery. The Woodman is an important community space that contributes to reducing loneliness and isolation, and ultimately to improving the mental health of many local people. This petition has the full backing of the London Region of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).

The safety of residents and drivers who use this stretch of road should be a top priority for everyone given the increase in roads linking into Shireoaks Common.