I cannot imagine sleeping rough in biting winds, snow, ice and winter rain, It's inhumane. Also it's inexcusable when we have so many empty buildings in greater London.

To plead to the Council to open its empty buildings to the homeless in winter. I cannot imagine sleeping rough in driving, biting winds, snow, ice and winter rain. It's inhumane. It's also inexcusable when we have so many empty buildings.

To plead to the Council to open its empty buildings to the homeless in winter. I cannot imagine sleeping rough in driving, biting winds, snow, ice and winter rain. It's inhumane. It's also inexcusable when we have so many empty buildings.

To plead to the Council to open its empty buildings to the homeless in winter. I cannot imagine sleeping rough in driving, biting winds, snow, ice and winter rain. It's inhumane. It's also inexcusable when we have so many empty buildings.

To plead to the Council to open its empty buildings to the homeless in winter. I cannot imagine sleeping rough in driving, biting winds, snow, ice and winter rain. It's inhumane. It's also inexcusable when we have so many empty buildings. I'm not asking for permanent shelters; just somewhere warm and dry for our homeless to sleep in winter.

Do I really even need to answer this? I'll just tell you about a man I befriended a few years back, let's call him John. He was homeless. I got taking to him whilst waiting for the Gosport ferry after work one day. John was selling the big issue, he was clearly unwell. When I questioned him on his health he said is was "just a cold." I'd bump into John at least once a week and as the weeks went on his health deteriorated. One evening I pretty much ordered him to get a bus to QA. I watched him get on the bus. I didn't see John for the rest of that winter, then around April I saw him in North End. He was unrecognisable, he was a different colour, his eyes where shining, his hair was fuller and he was standing up straight. He had a girlfriend. He told me he that when he go to QA they all panicked over him. He had got pneumonia. I am quite certain if John hadn't gone to hospital AND if he hadn't had a roof over his head whilst he recovered, he would have died. It is also much less likely that he would have had pneumonia if he was not exposed to the brutality of a British winter. If there is shelter in the form of empty or unused buildings, is it humane to deny it to those who need it the most? This year 2,744 are estimated to be sleeping rough in the uk on any one night. This is up 14% from estimations on rough sleepers in 2013 and a staggering 55% from 2010! Let's try and change that for the better!

For people in one of the wealthiest societies that has ever existed to be sleeping in the open in winter is inhumane. It's also inexcusable when we have so many empty buildings.

The new UK passport design supposedly celebrates the British 'cultural pantheon' but in 16 pages features only 2 women, despite finding plenty of space for men, as well as everyday objects such as the postage stamp and telephone box. British history contains countless inspirational women such as Jane Austen, Emmeline Pankhurst, Charlotte Bronte, Barbara Hepworth, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, Laura Ashley, Boudicca, Queen Elizabeth I, Elizabeth Fry, Florence Nightingale, Mary Wollstonecraft, Marie Stopes, Agatha Christie , Beatrix Potter, Maggie Smith and Amy Winehouse - and many, many more besides! It is wrong that in 2015 men and women do not have equal representation on this important document - a document that will be in the hands of every man, woman and child for years to come. We are constantly hearing about how we must encourage women and girls to become engineers, doctors, company directors and much much more, but this sends the message to our women and girls that their contribution to society does not count. Is the contribution of inspirational women such as Emmeline Pankhurst or Jane Austen really not as important or interesting as a postage stamp or telephone box?

Andrew and Claire Stoddart have been farming in East Lothian for 22 years. During this time they have invested heavily in infrastructure and buildings on their farm at Colstoun Mains, creating a profitable and well-managed business. The Stoddart family are an integral part of the community. Andrew and Claire are well liked, and their 3 children go to the local school, as do the 4 children of their employees. The Stoddarts have been asked to leave the farm by the end of November. Once evicted, the Stoddart family will be forced to move from the local area, laying off their two employees, and taking their children away from school and friends. They are to be given very little recompense for the investments they have made over their lifetime, leaving them both homeless and unable to buy a farm elsewhere. I urge you all to show your support by signing this petition to ask the Scottish Government to intervene and stop the forced eviction of the Stoddart family. I address this petition to Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, and Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian. Some of the issues around this eviction are highlighted in the channel 4 news item below. You can see what Andrew Stoddart has to say at 6:33 minutes. https://youtu.be/E-6DzKzmFtA Thank you for your support.

Rob Lawrie is facing a jail sentence after attempting to reunite four-year old Bahar, who is living in the refugee camp in Calais, with her family in Yorkshire. He tried to take Bahar to relatives in Leeds after her father pleaded with him to do so, but was caught and arrested at the French border. The current refugee crisis has affected millions of people and by showing solidarity by helping those in The Jungle, Calais, Rob's life has been changed forever. Knowing that a four year old girl could be reunited with her family just 20 miles from where he lives, where she could be warm, fed and safe meant he took drastic action. Rob shouldn't be treated as a criminal, but as an ordinary man who trying to do the right thing in extraordinary circumstances.

The conflict in Syria has resulted in the greatest humanitarian crisis in a generation. It has led to millions of displaced people living outside the borders of the country, including appallingly high numbers of children. The figures are truly shocking: More than 4,000,000 refugees from Syria (95% of the total) are in just five countries: Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt (Amnesty International September 2015). This influx is having a devastating impact on these countries (UNHCR 2013). Around 220,000 people have been killed and 12.8 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance inside Syria. More than 50% of Syria’s population is currently displaced. In total, 104,410 resettlement places have been offered globally since the start of the Syria crisis, which equates to a mere 2.6% of the total population of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt and Turkey (Amnesty 2015). 1,168,996 children were living as refugees outside Syria in 2013, the figure is likely to be far higher now. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres has said: “Syria has become the great tragedy of this century – a disgraceful humanitarian calamity with suffering and displacement unparalleled in recent history.” When history looks back on what we did to assuage this terrible crisis, let's show Britain as a compassionate nation that doesn't sit back and watch a tragedy unfold, but one that holds out its arms and shares its resources with the Syrian people.

Since the refugee crisis in Europe began the people of the UK have united in a sterling effort to provide aid in the form of clothing, shelter, food and heat. These donations come from their own pockets, bank accounts and a deep sense of personal duty. There are somethings however that the everyday person cannot provide in sufficient amounts and this includes basic medicine. GSK and Astrazeneca are respectively the world's sixth and seventh largest pharmaceutical companies measured by 2014 market share: Last year Astrazeneca announced profits of $26.6 BILLION, an profit increase of 32% on 2013 and the GSK annual report 2014 announced profits of £23.0 BILLION, placing them in the top 2% of pharmaceutical companies world wide according to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. These types of profits mean that GSK and Astrazeneca are in a privileged position to give something back to the very people who have funded their operations for so long. This is our message: To Sir Witty and Mr Soriot, I ask you - how much is a life worth to GSK & Astrazeneca? Will you help ensure the survival of refugees of war? Will you stand with the people who have purchased your products and funded your empires or will you put profit before people? We know you can help - you have the resources and the means to ensure that basic medical care, such as antibiotics, pain relief, basic first-aid, cold and flu treatments can be delivered where they are needed most. If the people of the UK, where the average salary is £26,500 (down £164 since 2012) can sacrifice their time, goods, money and expertise to do the right thing, then is it really too much to ask for a multi-billion pound corporation, who profit from sickness and death, to dedicate just a tiny portion of its profits towards providing basic lifesaving necessities to those who have escaped oppression, torture , murder and rape only to succumb to colds, flu and hypothermia? According to my calculations (in my life, I deal in hundreds not billions so please correct me if I am wrong!) but just 0.12% of £26 BILLION is approximately £32.5 MILLION, a figure that would go a long way to providing basic health care - even more so if they would provide the equivalent in the required medical goods to be administered by the small army of healthcare providers and medical volunteers in camps across Europe. These are unthinkable figures for the average person;, and there are many who oppose big pharma for just this reason. However, this tragic situation provides both GSK and Astrazeneca with an opportunity to show their humanity and demonstrate the same values and common decency as those who are providing aid, fundraising and standing in the muddy rain drenched camps wondering how long the medicine will last now the winter is coming. If you truly value life as your corporate mandate should dictate we urge you to prove it. Help us to help them. We have trusted you with our lives, now we, are entrusting you with theirs. Please don't let us down. Sources: http://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/features/featurethe-top-10-biggest-pharmaceutical-companies-of-2014-4396561/ https://www.gsk.com/media/603031/annual-report-2014.pdf https://www.astrazeneca.com/our-company/investor-relations.html http://www.icalculator.info/news/UK_average_earnings_2014.html