• Keep Barwell Sure Start Centre open.
    Barwell Sure Start Centre plays an important part in our local community. It provides help to families who need it, access to books for young children (especially important after the closure of the village library in 2016), a place for parents (new or experienced) to connect with others and form peer support networks, and opportunities for both children and their parents to learn and develop relevant skills. There are also many parent volunteers who have been able to build up skills and training that have helped them, or will help them, return to work when their children start school. This can be a real issue for parents (particularly mothers) who have taken time out of the workplace to raise children, and we feel that our local Sure Start Centre plays an important role in tackling this. Our Sure Start Centre also plays host to Health Visitor clinics and other medical professionals - these services are also now at risk of being moved out of the village stranding those families for whom transport is an issue and increasing barriers to access. Closing the centre would be a heavy blow to our village. Barwell has already lost it's library and post office, now we face the closure of the Sure Start Centre and the loss of all but one of the village's parent and child groups with it. If this closure goes ahead the nearest centre to our village will be a walk of an hour and half - far too long for families with small children and pushchairs. A large proportion of our village do not have access to a car and cannot afford to take yet another bus on a weekly basis. Travel will pose a serious barrier to accessing early years services and will prevent families with young children from getting the help that they need. We are also concerned that the proposals indicate a move to online advice rather than in person guidance from staff. We feel that this ignores the many families in our village and across Leicestershire without internet access at home. As previously mentioned we have already lost our library - there is nowhere in our village for those without computers to access the internet. Again travelling to do so involves taking another costly bus trip or walking for 90 minutes. Barwell needs it's Sure Start Centre to remain open. Parenthood can be very isolating and overwhelming, and the connections made with other parents through the Sure Start centres help to prevent issues growing and becoming worse. If we lose our Sure Start centre we run the risk of leaving parents, particularly new parents, in a vulnerable and lonely position with no obvious way to get help - and that is how problems get worse. As recently as 2014/15 (while deciding whether to close our library) the Council themselves described Barwell as an area of deprivation within Leicestershire, and noted that 1 in 5 children did not have access to books at home. Barwell is exactly the kind of community that Sure Start centres are there to help - and we refuse to let the County Council take this vital service away from us! The public consultation currently taking responses can be found here. Please have your say and tell the Council to keep the 24 Sure Start centres under threat open! https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/earlyhelp
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    Created by Emma Knowles
  • Stop the proposed closure of Leicestershire Children's Centres
    Under current proposals Leicestershire County Council want to close 24 Children's Centres and one family centre and merge their services with all other family and young people’s services. These would be Supporting Leicestershire Families (SLF) scheme, Early Help Information Support and Assessment (EHISA) and the Youth Offending service (YOS).* Vulnerable families and children in need will be forced to make extended (and in some cases prohibitively expensive) journeys to the remaining centres. In addition they may feel stigmatised for going to a building that also houses Youth Offending. It will undoubtedly be children of the most vulnerable families who will be the ones least likely to attend the new centres. In addition to the council's own services many other agencies operate out almost exclusively out of Children' Centres, for example Health Visiting services, Breastfeeding Support, Child Health Events and many volunteer led groups such as Breastfeeding groups, Parent Carer Well-being, Sling (babywearing), Multiple-birth (twins etc) support groups, Childminder groups, singing and music groups. Finally the centres are also well used by the council's own GO LEARN service providing valuable education programs for parents in need. This will shift a sizable financial burden on to the NHS, while other services will often not be able to afford the rent on alternative accommodation and most of the groups will close. The Children's Centres and other buildings under threat of closure are: • Cobden, Loughborough, • Shelthorpe, Loughborough • Warren Hills in Coalville, • Mountsorrel • Barwell • Desford • Hinckley Westfield • Hinckley West • The Cove, Melton • The Edge, Melton • Ashby • Ibstock • Moira • Thringstone • Braunstone Town • Countesthorpe • South Wigston • Anstey • Broughton Astley • Fleckney • Bushby • Bagworth • Vale of Belvoir • Fairmead • Market Harborough Young People's Centre Finally the council's own report, Early Help Review, details the risk of Capital Clawback under this proposal, meaning that the council may have to pay back up to £5.8 Million in previously awarded grant money if the closed centres are not used as per the wording of the grant award. Children's Centres (formerly known as Surestart Centres) have transformed the lives of young children and their parents across Leicestershire. The important role that children’s centres play in providing effective multi-agency working is widely recognised both locally and nationally. Children's Centres are a lifeline to these families and others, providing support and services to those in need. We cannot allow these services to be cut from the lives of the most vulnerable and we must defend the jobs of the people who have dedicated their careers to assisting our most vulnerable young children. . . . . . *The consultation details can be found here https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/earlyhelp please read the report and complete the on line survey. You can also email the consultation with any additional information that you couldn't get in the survey. Email - [email protected] or you can give your views over the telephone on 0116 305 3416 The consultation closes at midnight on Sunday 22nd April.
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  • Supporting the UCU strike at Newcastle University
    As staff and students of the university, we are calling for an end to these measures. We will not allow attacks on workers' rights to divide the university community. Members of the general public are also welcome to sign to show their support. This petition is an open letter to the Vice Chancellor, and is a show of solidarity in support of strike action.
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    Created by Support the UCU strike Newcastle University
  • Replace the rotting Primary School in Broadford, Isle of Skye
    There are health implications for Teachers and Pupils being in the damp, slowly rotting classrooms. The plasterboard is crumbling, there have been many incidents of water running down the walls inside the school and the roof having to be fixed yet again.....and that is only the beginning. There are children who have asthma learning in that environment, this is an unacceptable condition for a Primary School to be in. Broadford needs a new Primary School built.
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    Created by Caroline Langlands
  • Make Childcare Work
    The childcare system in England isn’t working for families. Parents need childcare that helps them choose whether to go back to work. But hundreds of thousands aren’t getting the help they should be. It’s a battle for mums, dads, and caregivers to get the support they’re entitled to – and their children deserve. When the sums don’t add up, and parents end up worse-off than if they didn’t work at all, it can feel like the odds are stacked against them. And the financial pressure and stress that creates at home isn’t good for parents or children. This campaign is about making childcare fair and easy to use. Right now, our broken childcare system isn’t giving families the support they need - at the most important time in their children’s lives. Photo credit: Clare Hewitt / Save the Children
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  • Install Pedestrian Guard Railings at Northgate/Leeds Road Pedestrian Crossing, Wakefield
    Please sign this petition to safeguard the young children that use this crossing and to prevent near-misses turning into a tragedy. Railings will prevent cars and buses from mounting the pavement, and children stepping into traffic. 1. This is a very busy, main trunk route through the city of Wakefield, heading south into the city centre, and north to the M1 and M62. At rush hour, the three-lane main road is used by cars, buses and HGV's, travelling at speed. 2. The pavements on either side of the road are not wide; the curb directly outside Centenary House is low and buses using the bus lane travel past very close to the pedestrians. 3. This section of road is used by very young children during the busy school runs, as it is directly outside Centenary House which provides for children aged 4 - 7. This crossing is also regularly used by large numbers of girls from the Wakefield Girls' High School, as their playing fields are situated at the end of Blenheim Road. Children of various ages at the other schools in the QEGS foundation and other local schools, such as St.Johns CE Junior and Infant School, all use this crossing. 4. This crossing and the roads in this area will become even busier with the new Redrow housing development that has been granted outline planning permission, on the site of the old Bishopgarth Police Training Centre. 5. I understand the School has requested railings in the past, but no response has been forthcoming from the Council. 6. On 19 July 2017, I approached the council requesting consideration be given to installing railings, and if this was rejected, what was the risk assessment that had informed that rejection. I was given a reference number: RS-002855. I have, in the intervening months, chased this issue numerous times, but have been unable to get a response. 7. I have written to the relevant councillors, and the deputy Mayor, to progress this matter. I am awaiting their response. 8. With the support of Mrs Gray, Head of QEGS Junior School, the time has come to press for a response to this issue from the council. The current non-response from the council is unacceptable. 9. If funding is the issue, consideration can be given to fundraising to safeguard the children using the local schools now, and in the future.
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    Created by Victoria Robinson
  • Save Braunton Marshes from being lost before it’s too late
    Apart from being an example of prime pasture land, the marshes contain a concentrated diverse range of protected British wildlife that is equalled nowhere else in the country. Many of the identified creatures that thrive there are protected by law. Braunton Marshes are a prime example of how traditional farming methods have sustained wildlife for over a century. Grazing Marsh is identified as a priority habitat within the Devon BAP (Biodiversity Action Plans). It is part of our history and heritage, and arguably a habitat of national importance. There are various buildings that are Grade 2 listed on the Marshes. Safe public access to the iconic Crow Point Beach (AONB and SSSI) will be eradicated. This situation has been allowed to escalate to a point where immediate action must now be taken or we lose it forever.
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  • Help bring back Potter’s Raffle Page
    We have been running the page since October 2017 raising money for Milestones School. Both of our children have special needs and attend the school. We opened the page to give back to the school who has done so much for us as a family and we are gutted to have been shut down. We had already raised £2,025 for the school which was going towards a much needed update of the sensory room for the early years department. We’d done everything by the book and we’ve got a license as well so we’re quite shocked the page was removed.
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    Created by Christina Potter
  • Irish History Month
    Other countries had advanced industrialists, inventors and scientists but did not have the labour to match Britain's economy. In addition, the Irish in Britain played a pivotal role in politics in order to ensure social justice and improving our level of equality! The Irish, also, had a prominent role in the British Trade Union movement and it is the very reason to educate society on the role of Migrant Workers and Refugees within Britain, today! It is, also, important to ensure that the British public has a greater understanding of Irish culture and our own neighbouring country, Ireland. Through education, we can achieve a far greater peaceful relationship at grassroots level for both the isles of Britain and Ireland.
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    Created by Austin Harney
  • Save Mayfield and Newtongrange Community Facilities
    Residents in Newtongrange and Mayfield were promised that community facilities would be retained. We call upon Midlothian Council to honour this commitment.
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    Created by Owen Thompson
  • Icy playgrounds =broken bones!
    As a Granny of 3 children at Kelty Primary School I was shocked to see text sent out by Fife Council informing parents that only the entrance to school will be salted..the playground today is like a sheet of Glass and 1 wee girl took tumble landing fully on her face..yesterday a wee boy broke his wrist after slipping on ice ...It is Fife Councils policy to make pupils go out in all weathers at break times so therefore it falls upon them to make the playground a safe environment, Surely!
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  • Help Inclusion Ventures Find A Secure Space on the Percy King Estate
    As many of you know, at Inclusion Ventures we offer a range of support to young people aged 7+ and their families. We run a number of our sessions from Coppins Hall Community Centre in the 'Base' room, in the last six months alone we have been running up to six sessions a week from the centre supporting around 15+ children in each session. We had a re-launch of the Inclusion Ventures space back in March this year, where the staff and the children took on the task of making the room into a safe, welcoming and home from home type environment. Being at the centre of this estate our sessions have been used to meet the needs of the community, we have offered from these sessions a variety of support. Support includes: -Emotional Support - Mentoring -Sports Activities - Arts and Crafts - Drama - Music - Relationship Building, -Health eating -Restorative justice -Employment -Family Support -We also know that healthy eating is a big concern of many of the parents of our young people so we also use these sessions to provide healthy meals free of charge. For the time being we will continue to support our young people as we know they are the most important people in all of this and will unfortunately be the most affected by this change. We will be providing out reach services and offering trips to local organisations at the times when sessions would have been on whenever possible. This petition will be a vital way of showing funders and the local council that Inclusion Ventures needs a space of its own within the Percy King community in Clacton to fully meet the needs of our young people. So we need your help! Please could you sign the petition and leave any feedback you have about the services and the need for Inclusion Ventures to continue being a part of such a fantastic community. We are so sorry that this is happening and for the inconvenience it will cause. Please be assured that all of the Inclusion Ventures team are working hard to get this issue resolved. You can contact us on 01255 688685 for any further information or concerns.
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    Created by Inclusion Ventures