They need to show compassion to genuinely disabled and sick people

It is not glamorous and can sometimes be unpleasant but we do it because no-one else will. Community Furniture Aid (CFA) is a fine example of what can be done, on a local level, to help the poorest in society as it recycles unwanted furniture and household items, donated by the public. It works with over thirty agencies including SSAFA, Womensaid, Homeless charities and the local council so as to furnish homes for the poorest in society who have lost everything and cannot afford to buy new or even second hand. With over a million people using Foodbanks, in the last year in the UK, and millions more living below the poverty line, we are now seeing the need for help, not just with food, but with the general household items that many of us take for granted. Hidden poverty is not truly accepted in our society but this charity deals with it on a regular basis. In the 21st century we are still finding children sleeping on concrete floors, houses being flooded but the clients too poor to afford insurance, beds being re-possessed from finance companies and people running away from abuse and having to start afresh. In the last three years this tiny charity has fully furnished 275 houses which were all referred by agencies and saved over 150 tonnes from going to landfill. All this has been done by gathering up items that the local community were going to dispose of. Whether they changed their bed or ordered a new sofa, emptied a house of someone departed or just had a general clear-out, all the items were gathered and put into packs. In a throw-away society, by taking a moment to think “Could this be of use to someone else”, we could help end hidden poverty and reduce the amount of waste contaminating the country. One of the latest deliveries found us making up a bed and a five year old saying "what you doing mister?" I explained that I was putting feet on the bed so that it was not on the floor and the child dashed downstairs to tell his mum that he did not have to sleep on the floor anymore. Then we furnished a house for a lady who had suffered terrible abuse and it had taken two years for her to gain the confidence to live on her own again. Arriving with just a bin bag full of clothes, she looked at the bare walls of the empty property and started crying as she did not know how she could furnish the whole house. However, after we delivered all the essential items such as a bed and bedding, storage units, sofa table and chairs, curtains, pictures and kitchen items plus some extras, she was crying for a different reason. She could not believe that people would be so generous and she could start her life again. Another situation arose when an elderly lady had been discharged from hospital, after a long stay, only to find that her furnished flat had been re-let and she was moved into a totally empty property. On arrival we found the lady sitting on a chair, with her zimmer frame, in distressed state as there was no carpet or even light bulbs in the empty flat. Although a care plan should have been in place, for this lady, she had slipped through the cracks and we were there to help at the crisis point. And finally, SSAFA referred a gentleman who had been discharged from the army with PTSD. Shut down and not knowing what he needed, the charity provided everything that makes a house a home, so that he could start his rehabilitation, without the worry of having to source everything himself. In the current economic climate and the increase in the use of Foodbanks, a network of dedicated storehouses for household items would help ease the burden of the poorest in our society from suffering in silence.

The services they provide is very important to the people of thurrock, and closing Orsett will put even more pressure on Basildon Hospital which is under immense pressure already not helped by the proposed closure of the A&E at Southend Hospital. With thousands of new homes planned for the borough, it would be better to save Orsett Hospital and expand some other services, to help cope with a rise in demand in the area.

The fox family currently live on a large derelict site, which has been vacant for years, consequently growing into a beautiful wildlife haven. The two adults made their den under a hedge and the wildflower meadow that has grown on the re-wildered garden has become the cub’s playground. Many local people have watched and admired this beautiful fox family from afar over the years. It has been a thrill to observe wildlife on our doorstep. There are now plans to completely destroy their well established home and build an 11 storey block of 36 flats with underground parking. Building is imminent. Overnight, this fox family of three (a bonded pair with their six month old cub) will lose their safe haven with nowhere to go. The “best” case scenario will be that the fox family will bolt and try to find a new territory, but this will not be easy as the few nearby gardens are most likely the territory of other urban foxes that will fiercely fight to protect their space. Also, not many humans welcome foxes into their garden and there have been cases of humans attempting to poison foxes. The worst case scenario is that some or all of these foxes could be hurt or killed by the demolition or could be classified as “vermin” and killed by “pest” controllers. Foxes are a native species and play and important part of our ecologic system. They do not harm us and it is humans who take more and more of their habitat away, actively persecuting them as if we had a right to own every inch of Planet Earth. Foxes have as much a right to live here as we do and as compassionate human beings it is our duty to protect them and all other wildlife. All they want is to be allowed to live their short lives in peace. They cannot speak up for themselves. Please be the voice for these beautiful, intelligent and sociable animals, so they will not be killed and are given time to find a new home. Thank you for speaking up for these beautiful animals.

On the 22nd of June 2017 the High Court found the governments benefit cap to be illegal. That's because we took them to court to say that as four women in single parent families the cap will have severe and disproportionate impact on us. The Judge agreed, ruling the cap illegal and saying “Most lone parents with children under two are not the sort of households the cap was intended to cover... Real misery is being caused to no good purpose." We were being pushed further and further into poverty due to the benefit cap, which was making our lives unmanageable and unaffordable. Two of us fled from domestic abuse, to find that we were financially penalised by the Government’s benefit cap for doing so. We’ve started this petition because, we know that we are not alone in this struggle. We have been shocked to learn through our involvement in this Court case that tens of thousands of children under two years old have been affected by the cap. Single parents have real difficulties finding work they can combine with caring for children single-handedly. As a result, they can’t easily escape the cap. We hope the public will support this petition and join us in calling on the Government to provide the financial security that one parent families affected by this cap need. This campaign is supported by: https://files.38degrees.org.uk/items/files/000/000/741/original/logos.gif

Tenant's living in rented housing in the UK shouldn't need to set up protest sites to have their voice heard. This type of site is not effective and serious concerns can be missed, as often the message will never be seen by the intended recipient. Tragedies like Grenfell Tower might have been avoided had the residents had a direct line of communication, that delivered their concerns directly to the desk of the relevant housing team. The majority of housing staff are doing everything they can to make a difference, however, reduced budgets, staffing and available resources are having a significant impact. A system needs to be deployed immediately to provide 360 degree protection. The system needs to free up valuable staff time, whilst providing protection to all sides and a complete record of all communication between connected parties (provider and tenant). Every event and communication (on both sides) throughout the tenancy must be logged, date stamped and digitally signed. This will ensure, in the event of a dispute, or worse, ALL the facts and supporting information is available...signed, dated and in complete chronological order.

“This puts lives at risk unnecessarily. As lifeboat crew members, we are happy to give our time voluntarily; all we ask for is the right equipment for the job.” - Volunteer RNLI crewman Huw. To give you some background, the RNLI has decided to downgrade New Quay Lifeboat Station to an Inshore Lifeboat when the service life of its current All-Weather Lifeboat expires in 2020. The proposed new lifeboat will not be able to launch in bad weather (over force 7 in daylight or force 6 at night) whereas the current lifeboat can launch in any weather. This doesn't just affect New Quay: The All-Weather Lifeboat also covers Cardigan, Aberporth, Tresaith, Llangrannog, Aberaeron, Llanon, and Aberystwyth. After 2020, there will be no All-Weather Lifeboats in the whole of Ceredigion, leaving a gap of 70 miles between the All-Weather stations of Barmouth and Fishguard. What this means is that the nearest All-Weather Lifeboat, even travelling at 25 knots, will take an hour and a quarter to reach some parts of Cardigan Bay. We, the undersigned, call on the RNLI to retain the All-Weather Lifeboat capability of New Quay Lifeboat Station. (Photo credit: Emyr Rhys Williams)

Barry is the 5th largest town in Wales (after Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, Wrexham and Merthyr) and could easily support an Aldi store. This would give local people access to the two budget supermarkets and widen the choices available to the people in Barry. Using Facebook as my measure, I believe that there is a significant majority of people in Barry that would welcome the addition of an Aldi store and that the Vale's planning department should respect the wishes of the people in Barry

DWP are allowing companies that are assessing disabled people for PIP to classing the ability to push ones self in a wheelchair or the ability to control a powered wheelchair the same as being able to walk more than 20 meters. They are doing this to stop disabled people from getting the High Rate Mobility PIP This means disabled people are losing their Motability cars and scooters-powerchairs, taking away their interdependence and leaving them housebound. Over 60% of assessments are overturned on Appeal, but the Appeals can take up to 1 year to be heard. DWP are saying they are doing this to save money, When in fact they are spending more money on dealing with Appeals. Disabled people have the rights to be treated with respect and dignity and not like 3rd class citizens. Disabled people rely on their cars and powerchairs to have the ability to lead a normal life as much as they possibly can. Many have had to give up work and go back on benefits because of it. I am asking David Gauke MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to do the right thing and put a stop to this barbaric act of injustice against disabled people..

Since 2012, when the Conservatives came into power, funding to children and teenagers mental health care has drastically decreased. Now only 0.6% of NHS budget goes CAMHS, who give help to these people. This is not a beneficial way of spending the money as children and teenagers mental health is a growing problem. These cuts mean charities like Young Minds and Mind have to fill the gaps and help vulnerable kids who don't get the help they need from CAMHS.

It has been about 5 years now since course fees rose to £9000 and so Students who are leaving university now with degrees have debts of around £40,000 ( £50,000 plus if they've done a 4-year course such as an Integrated Masters degree which are especially common in science) Students will barely be paying off the interest when they work as this will be £200 to £300 per month. Presumably their debt will grow further if they are unable to pay back even the interest because they are in low-paid jobs.

Cae is a valued member of our community and has contributed a great deal to Bentley House Estate and supported many of its tenants/leaseholders over the last 20 years. City South Housing Assocation, now part of One Manchester, describes its purpose as: Creating opportunities · Transforming communities · Changing lives · Providing quality homes · Ambitious · Connected · Trustworthy A recent move by the company unfortunately calls most of these into question - apart from “changing lives”. Making a long term resident homeless and destitute would certainly be life-changing for him. Please follow the link below to the video of Cae explaining his desperate situation. Please don't delay! Watch the video today. We've got 11 days to challenge this decision to save Cae's home and future livelihood. We urge you to take 10 minutes to watch this. We are running out of time to help Cae get justice! https://youtu.be/9rwlO9DzDvk