I never have scissors that work

Our green spaces and play areas are a disgrace. There is no care being taken, grass is not being cut and rubbish not collected

It’s important because we are sick and tired of being last. It’s our time to shine.

It's been a while since we won...

As parents we are worried by reporting in the media of children’s mental health problems, obesity, screen time use and them having fewer opportunities to socialise. Whilst schools teach children academic subjects they are also required to promote opportunities for children to make friends and be inclusive. This is evidenced in many Education Health Care plans. Many schools are curtailing or removing playtimes as a punishment. Not only is this affecting children’s opportunities to socialise but it also deprives them of time to rejuvenate and compose themselves. Schools promote children’s health by issuing guidelines on healthy lunch boxes, internet safety and inviting parents to attend workshops on subjects such as anxiety, mental health and Adolescent Brain Development, yet at the same time deny children fresh air and exercise. This seems counterintuitive. The report highlights that play times have decreased on average by 45 minutes per week over the past 20 years and the majority of schools no longer have afternoon breaks. Children in urban areas are more affected, and those who have free school meals. Another group of children who may be particularly disadvantaged are those with disabilities. Amongst them, children with ADHD and autism need play time to use up excess energy and socialise. There are many families who may not be able to access costly after school clubs, who may not have safe areas for their children to play outside and therefore have limited social opportunities for children outside of school. School maybe the only place these children can socialise. Most importantly the report shows that children valued break times. Secondary school pupils felt that in particular lunchtime was too short. This finding reflects our personal experience from having children in secondary schools where sometimes they don’t have enough time to eat what they have bought in the canteen. We are aware of the problem of academic pressure on schools, the reported funding crisis and possible staffing issues that may be argued over providing legal play times, however this needs to be weighed up against the potentially enormous health benefits to children and whether these children would be more healthy and better able to attend to academic study. Teachers are increasingly finding themselves dealing with issues that can be attributed to children’s mental health and behaviour that may be linked to this. Teacher unions have successfully implemented legal break times for their members but no one has done this for the children. To that end we are asking that children from infant, primary and secondary schools receive one hour minimum for lunch and at least a morning and afternoon break time of 15 minutes, in total 90 minutes break time each day. Children’s play time needs to be set in legislation, not determined by individual schools and certainly not removed as punishments. Every child matters, help children achieve more.

Neema was born in Burundi and after civil war broke out her family fled to a refugee camp in Kigoma. Her sister was killed in front of her and her mother raped. The refugee camp was very dangerous, families beaten, no food,medicine and people dying. Her mother was seriously ill and her father encouraged her to leave the refugee camp with some others and go to the nearest village and find work. Neema was brought to the UK when she was 23 years of age. Neema met a man and they had a son in 2003. The father left Neema when he found out she was pregnant. In 2010, Neema met another man who promised her a better life in Belguim. They moved to Belgium and she then was physically and sexually abused by the man so returned to the UK in 2012. Neema has had her final appeal heard at the Upper Tribunal hearing for asylum seekers and they have been declined. Even though her son was born in this country and he can claim British Citizenship on 7/12/19 in his own right. Nathaniel has nearly finished Year 10 in school and is doing extremely well. They are both church-goers and well integrated into their community. Neema has lived in the UK most of her life. The Home Office want to return them to Burundi despite the British embassy stating that Burundi is a dangerous place and do not advise visiting. It's a terrifying prospect for them. Please help Neema and her son.

- If women are given the facility to have segregated sessions, men should be given the same - Protects religious beliefs: Muslims do not consider mixed sessions to be permissible - Gives a chance for pupils to get active and stay fit - Brings community together

Even small things matter. If some stores offer facilities, why not all?

All star fans want it back.

The housing crisis has hit nightingales hard. A planned development near Suffolk coast demonstrates why The Countryside and Wildlife Act 1981 must be amended to protect endangered precious habitats throughout the UK. We call for the government to enact laws that will genuinely hold Developers and Local Planning Authorities to account when they plan to destroy habitats that need protection. In April 2019 The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government stated: "On 8 April, we wrote to developers to remind them of their legal obligation to consider the impact of any project on local wildlife and, where necessary, to take precautionary action to protect their habitats. Developments should enhance natural environments, not destroy them. It is vital that developers take these words on board and play their full role to make sure we can deliver new communities in an environmentally sustainable way. Any development project must consider the impact on local wildlife and take precautionary action to protect habitat…. wildlife habitat must be left in a measurably better state than it was before any development." This statement is probably made with good intentions, but there is still insufficient accountability in law. A recent planning application passed conditionally by the former Waveney District Council (now East Suffolk Council) makes an excellent case study as to how not to achieve the outcomes of the ministry statement above. The case involves a local private school, Saint Felix, Southwold, applying for planning permission to build 69 houses on their playing fields. This is the third development undertaken by the school in the last 20 years! The site involved is within the Suffolk Coasts and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. AONBs apparently receive the greatest level of protection in the National Planning Policy Framework. That is unless the Local Planning authority choose otherwise. The site is in proximity to a number of Special Protection Areas (SPAs). The planning applicants (Saint Felix School) are therefore required to construct a Mitigation Strategy for the avoidance of recreational pressure on these sensitive and important sites. In order to proceed with their planning application Saint Felix School commissioned consultants (Norfolk Wildlife Services) to devise such a strategy. This effectively creates a new circular walk around the development site. It involves cutting back large swathes of gorse and heathland, sanitising woodland and scrub and erecting signage to try to prevent the new residents from using the comprehensive network of public footpaths that abound in the area. What is not made clear in the strategy document is that the new circular footpaths are almost wholly within a designated County Wildlife Site. A major part of the clearance involves sanitising and fencing an area of broadleaf woodland and scrub that for the past few years has been the site of nesting nightingales. There are also a plethora of other flora and fauna, including a diverse variety of other bird species, reptiles including slowworms, adders, grass snakes and lizards, a variety of mammals including deer and stoats and many invertebrates. As well as being set within the Saint Felix School Grounds County Wildlife Site the proposed mitigation strategy closely borders several other County Wildlife Sites. The outcome of Natural England objecting to the scheme in order to protect nationally designated special protection areas and several SSSIs in proximity to the site has been the development of a strategy that destroys habitats that at present are biodiverse, perhaps most notably used by nesting nightingales. Natural England have since stated that they have no concerns regarding increased recreational pressure to the SPAs provided the developing mitigation strategy is implemented. How does this square with the requirement for developers to leave areas providing net gains for biodiversity and in a measurably better state than it was before any development? The current system is toothless and displays an errant disregard for precious habitats that are under increasing threat. Advice and guidance do not work. Legislation is essential if we are to leave any natural environments for future generations. Reydon Action Group for the Environment (RAGE) are campaigning against the St Felix School planning application. More information about RAGE may be found on our Facebook.

Fusion Lifestyle has a contract with Lewisham Council to provide leisure services at Glassmill Leisure Centre, as well as a number of other leisure centres in the Borough. However, as many Lewisham residents are aware, the standards of service at Glassmill at extremely poor, and are falling. Recently, swim school classes have been cancelled with increasing regularity - at the same time that Fusion has amended its terms and conditions so that refunds are no longer provided. This means that Fusion Lifestyle is keeping the money that Lewisham residents pay for swimming lessons, rather than providing the service for which they receive the funds. We believe that this is a breach of our consumer rights, as laid out in the 2015 Consumer Rights Act. Despite repeated complaints to Fusion, we have received no sign of (a) either a shift in policy or (b) any action to ensure that the cancellations at the swim school are being dealt with. In addition, we have concerns regarding the health and safety, child protection and safeguarding policies at Glassmill; despite repeated requests to view these policies and to understand how they are being implemented, we have received no response. Glassmill Leisure Centre was opened in 2013 and was supposed to provide a place for the residents of Lewisham, both adults and children, to participate in sport, health and fitness activities. We believe it is falling well short of the stated aims of the Council to "prevent ill health and promote independence; and also to support communities and families to become healthier and more resilient". The people of Lewisham deserve better than to be ripped off by Fusion Lifestyle - join us in the fight!

To stop people from taking there own lives or feeling depressed