Ben Ashworth is a hero and an inspiration. I was so sad to read that he passed away earlier today. Despite being diagnosed with ‘Terminal’ bowel cancer, Ben did not give up but fought it all the way – raising well over a quarter of a million pounds for cancer charities. Not through sympathy but through sheer bloody determination. In his last few years Ben ran over 24 marathons – he ran round the Guild Wheel in Preston twice in one day and for three years he organised ‘Cheeky Santa Dashes’ in Preston – persuading all and sundry to do a lap of the Avenham and Miller Parks wearing special shorts that had plastic backside cheeks protruding from the rear. All this to not only raise a fantastic amount of money, but also to raise awareness of this cruel disease. Read the blog - https://bensbowelmovements.com/

What about working to keep mental health services in Perth rather than centralising all services to Dundee? You can't expect someone with a mental health issue to get better treatment miles away from their loved ones!

Today, following a Freedom of Information request, it was revealed shocking statistics that show that hundreds of addresses in the UK are considered 'dangerous places' for paramedics to go into. It is a sad state of affairs when it is unsafe for men and women, seeking only to help people in need of urgent medical attention, cannot enter a property without police escorts in place to protect them from harm. The homes have been blacklisted by the Ambulance Service because of previous incidents in which paramedics have been physically assaulted, (including being stabbed and beaten), subjected to verbal abuse or been attacked by dangerous dogs. The ambulance service is right to take every precaution to ensure the safety of its crews, but it is depressing that so many incidents are occurring. The tide of attacks on mercy crews is sadly still on the rise nationwide. Let's hope that this shameful tide turns soon and that the paramedics, who do such good work, will no longer be at such risk.

Weston Super Mare General Hospital A & E needs to stay open 24 - 7 as the population in Weston and the surrounding areas are growing all the time! With loads of new houses being built and thousands of tourists that visit weston every year!

This is important to millions of citizens in the United Kingdom as tampons are an essential and necessary item for women of all ages. It is not a 'luxury item' that can only be bought by people with the money to spare for them as tampons have been called on numerous occasions. They are essential to the natural process and function of a woman during puberty and later on in life that helps boost their confidence and prevents them from feeling anxious about needing to go buy tampons. Condoms are handed out for free to people to protect them and keep their healthcare in check, so why aren't tampons handed out for free to boost the health of millions of women?

Patients need to access GP and nurse services. They should not have to buy products from Lidl to allow them to park.

There might already be a petition circulating about this but I haven't seen one - I don't know if it will ever reach Netflix but I feel compelled to do something rather than nothing! *ps sorry I'm not the best with words If you haven't seen me voicing my opinion on twitter yet - I believe the recent trailer released for the film 'To The Bone' starring Lily Collins shows an extremely glamourised & romanticised portrayal of an eating disorder. First of all the fact it's being marketed as a Comedy is extremely worrying. I've seen so many people who've struggled with an ED saying how badly it's affected them. This includes close friends of mine. It's only a minute or two long, has only been out a few days & the impact is already huge. Hundreds have voiced how it has triggered them, made them feel they have to watch it, encouraged thoughts of relapse, and copying the self destructive actions. Some tweets have reduced me to tears. Did Netflix stop to think about these repercussions? Did they involve MH professionals & follow their advice? Because it is SO brutal and damaging to show such extreme ways of losing weight without so much as a trigger warning! It's not a realistic portrayal in many ways e.g. inpatient doesn't equal a nice house in the countryside, or visiting a waterfall to contemplate life. You are in a hospital with other people who are desperately struggling. Fighting for their lives. There is nothing romantic about it. There is no such thing as 'calorie aspergers' and constant jokes aren't made about your disorder. You don't meet the love of your life or have a sudden epiphany which means recovery is inevitable. Recovery is long, intense and debilitating. It takes up all your energy. This film is supposed to raise awareness, but where are the 'ugly' real life consequences of ED's? Yellowing teeth, hair falling out, losing your period, developing numerous other physical health problems etc etc. This film is not even close to reality. It's insulting and I'm devastated for all the lives it's going to affect in a negative way. All the people it's going to badly influence. We should be taking steps forward to reduce the stereotypes & stigma around MH issues, not backwards 🌹 If you feel the same at all I urge you to sign this petition & share it if you can - we may not get anywhere but I sincerely hope it gets taken down to make way for REAL awareness projects. I know there's probably things I've missed out so PLEASE message me if there's anything you'd like me to include! Thank you for taking the time to read x

It will encourage people to live within cycling distance of their work. The net effect is less people commuting in cars, less cars on the road, less pollution, more bikes on the road, healthier people. With Apps like Strava and a bike registered to the App. journeys can be recorded and information uploaded. HMRC would be able to see that the journeys are from home to work from uploaded information. We have to create strategies to have less cars on the road and this one.

The maternity unit is an excellent (and essential) local facility - it should be held up as an example of excellent, local, dedicated care to the rest of the NHS, not closed. Please sign the petition to raise awareness of the plight of the maternity unit and hopefully draw it to the attention of the Prime Minister.

CAMHS stops at 18. No matter your state/need/condition/where you are on your road to recovery. There is now no continuity to your care with people you trust. Your support network is suddenly gone. You are referred to the adult mental health service. Due to patient confidentiality and now being classed as an adult no-one will give parents/family any information. The adult mental health service is so over stretched and disjointed. There are massive waiting lists so you are left in a big black hole with no proper support. Even after a further crisis point/hospitalisation, constant chasing up, you wait a year to be told it will be another 2 years before you can access CBT/counselling/therapy. There is nothing!! There is no funding to support the dire need of our kids when they are most vulnerable! It couldn't be more cruel and critical. 1 in 4 will have mental health problems. No-one is immune. We need to act NOW and make a change before it is too late! We're talking life and death. Literally!

During the heatwave, everyone is becoming very uncomfortable with the heat. Often finding that they become ill. Currently there is no set maximum working temperature, however i think this should change. Not only do i think this is unsafe for children in schools and nurseries, but adults working in poorly airconditioned workplaces too. It is important because workers and young children are at risk of becoming dehydrated and unfocused. Equally staff are feeling uncomfortable.

It is both unfair and unsafe to expect students to wear the prescribed uniform which includes black blazers, ties and tights, in spells of hot weather. The relaxing of these items is In order to promote health and wellbeing and to maximise concentration levels amongst students. This is practiced within all major uniformed associations such as military and emergency services. Guidance should also be observed by NHS England http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Summerhealth/Pages/Heatwave.aspx After a short and frank discussion this morning with the Headteacher on this issue, my suggestions were met with a degree of negativity. Whilst a decision was made to relax the uniform with an impending high of 29 degrees C, comments were made to suggest there have been no complaints from either Parents or Students, one which I aim to prove is not the case. Therefore, I would like to call on all Parents and Guardians who have children at this school to support this petition and ensure a fair and safe policy is adopted. Contrary to comments posted on social media by the school, yesterday is believed to be the first time the uniform was officially relaxed through a notification to all staff from the Head Teacher, bizarrely this was after pressure on FB and my face to face conversation with the Head. I am not in search of glory, but it needs to be made clear this was down to pressure, which this petition further enhances. Thank you all in advance😉