To all British retailers, Just over 4 months ago I found out I was pregnant. Since that moment my life has been a roller coaster ride of emotions ranging from so-excited-I-could-burst to oh-my-god-what-are-we-doing?-this-is-absolutely-terrifying. Indeed, as a FTM or first time mum there are lots of things to get my head round. Knowing what FTM means for example, or becoming highly acquainted with the toilet bowl. There seems to be an endless list of adjustments to be made, whether it be my sleeping position or how to sneeze without causing myself pain. All of these things I hadn’t expected. I actually said to a friend that I’m convinced the reason why it’s been deemed bad luck to share your pregnancy news before you’ve completed the first trimester is because the first trimester is so bloody horrible that if non-parents were to know they’d never consider starting a family. All in all it’s been emotional. One of the biggest factors to contend with is the effect of pregnancy on your body. People talk about the pregnancy glow but I must admit I can’t say I feel bouncing when every part of my body hurts, I’m out of breath, covered in spots like a pubescent teenager and watching my body expand by the day. Like any woman I take pride in my appearance, like to keep up to date with fashion and know that when I’m not feeling my best I want to be dressed in my favourite clothes. This has been a problem. On a recent visit to the UK I was looking forward to hitting the streets of London and Manchester and getting my hands on some maternity clothes. I’ve reached the point of no return with my ‘normal’ clothes and I was looking forward to shopping in the both fashionable and affordable high street stores. Sadly I shouldn’t have bothered. After dragging my podgy ankles up and down Oxford Street I realised that it was time to make another realisation: I was now an outcast of society. All the stores I entered (bar three) told me that they no longer stocked maternity clothes in-store, instead opting to sell them online. Now I’m a big online shopper, I love it, especially living abroad but I only love it because after 30 odd years I know my size. Being pregnant I don’t. Never has there been a more important time to try clothes on because I’m still coming to terms with my ever-changing shape. Trying to explain this to various shop assistants and managers I got some sympathetic glances and suggestions to try plus size clothing but i left feeling hugely disappointed. It’s not as if I’m the only pregnant woman in the world so what has changed the attitudes of the retailers? Why is being pregnant now out of fashion? Most fashion stores now stock a variety of ranges for different body types, tall, petite, plus-size. So why has pregnancy clothing suddenly been deemed uncommercial? In the few stores I visited which did stock maternity clothes there was a very limited range (usually just a rail or two) and bizarrely these sections were located in the most inaccessible parts of the store, requiring me to climb several flights of stairs, manoeuvre through enthusiastic bargain-hunters and rifle through childrenswear before finding my one pair of over-the-bump jeans. The store whose praises i would like to sing however is H&M. In virtually all the stores I entered I found a maternity range, clearly signposted and easy to find and with a decent range of fashionable clothes at reasonable prices. Were it not for them I would probably have burst into tears a few times during my shopping trip (I’ll blame the hormones). So to all the other retailers who have, for some unbeknown reason, decided to purge their stores of maternity clothes and move them all online; I urge you to reconsider. Having children is a wonderful thing and mothers are truly awesome at dealing with pregnancy and childbirth (trust me on this one) so please, please don’t alienate young mothers and make their self esteem take yet another beating. At a time when everything is changing lets allow mothers to at least indulge in a good bit of retail therapy. Yours sincerely (and pregnant) Olivia

The Camberwell Cemeteries are rich in biodiversity. Over 10 acres of rare designated Grade 1 SINC woodland are immediately under threat in Camberwell Old Cemetery. These woods are full of flora, fauna and protected species, as well as Ancient and Veteran Oaks and Hawthorns. Southwark council also want to fell a virgin native broadleaf wooded hilltop in Camberwell New Cemetery, another rare landscape for London. Over 9,000 people have signed a petition online and on paper to declare the Camberwell Cemeteries Nature Reserves. These biodiverse areas of Metropolitan Open Land on the Green Chain Walk are hugely valuable social and environmental assets - for mental and physical health and wellbeing, access to wild nature, cleaning the air, absorbing storm water, cooling the city, and providing beautiful, historical places to be in nature. Southwark's proposals will cause enormous negative impacts to nature and people. They have done no Environmental Impact Assessment, no Public Consultation, no CAVAT or I-Tree assessment, no Cost Benefit Analysis or financial, social or environmental comparison with alternatives put forward by the community. Many other vital pieces of information are either being withheld or are unavailable. These woodlands and graveyards should be valued and protected as Memorial Park Nature Reserves, and treated with the sensitivity and respect they deserve for future generations - not destroyed for a few years of inner city burial not accessible to all faiths. Help us save these woods and create natures reserves for all of London. For more information and means to object: www.savesouthwarkwoods.org.uk

The Blue Fin Tuna is one of the worlds most beautiful, large and yet endangered fish species. During August 2015 a shoal of upto 500 blue fin tuna was spotted off the coast of Cornwall.Due to their high demand as a good delicacy each fish could be worth over a million pounds. Current EU legislation whilst prohibiting UK fishermen from landing the Blue Fin Tuna permits French, Spanish and other European trawlers to land these fish. With warming of the worlds oceans the blue fin is being spotted more frequently in UK waters. Large industrial trawlers could decimate their numbers in hours. The UK government should push the EU to make UK waters a protected zone banning the fishing of blue fin. the will send a message to the world of the importance of marine conservation and that the UK and EU wish to make real progress in protecting the blue fin.

Anticoagulants are only prescribed lifelong when there is a definite high risk of repeat incidents of strokes, heart attack, blood clots or similar. I personally suffered a blood clot, which was a pulmonary embolism blocking both arteries in my lungs and was told I would be lucky to survive the night. I was 29. There was no fault of my own attributed to the clot. And due to the severity of the clotting and the likelihood of repeats, with such a high risk of death I now rely on anticoagulants to prevent this. However, I have to pay for these, along with other medications which are related to the side effects of my drugs. This makes it very costly. These costs are inconsistent so it is not efficient for me to pay monthly. As an example, let's say I get a cold, firstly I'll be blowing my nose a lot which, due to the anticoagulants, gives me nosebleeds and I will need a prescription for a cream to help heal the capillaries in my nose. Secondly I will cough somewhat, and due to the scarring on my lungs, I will need painkillers for chest pain, but I cannot take over the counter ibuprofens as they are contraindicative to anticoagulants so I need prescription strength codeine. Plus my normal anticoagulants. That's three prescriptions just for a cold. And the added medications will send my anticoagulants levels out meaning I am no longer protected against further clots and therefore need a bridging medication until I'm better. That's four prescriptions just for a cold! Overall, I believe that because anticoagulants actually save my life and the lives of so many others on a daily basis, they should be provided free of charge.

Cote has been accused by campaigners of “misleading” customers with its “outrageous” policy that the 12.5% charge goes straight to the company instead of being kept by workers at the restaurant where the diner ate. According to workers, staff are told to tell customers who ask where the service charges goes that it is given out between workers. You can read more here: http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/restaurant-chain-c-te-takes-entire-service-charge-instead-of-giving-it-to-staff-a2918366.html

To protect sordid and unnecessary harm, suffering and the ultimate extinction of wild animals. In the 21st century there is no excuse or valid sensible or justifiable reason to hunt wild animals to obtain their skins, heads or horns.

This will not be allowed in 2016 under new regulations . If this is passed now it will mean the erosion of Hampstead's heritage in a special part of London . It is also dangerous with regard to the shifting sands on which it will be built and the disturbance of numerous water courses which constitute the start of eg the River Westbourne . The original listed building will be defaced by the removal of a porch and the insertion in a different place of a new front door. It is also extrememy dangerous with regard to its neighbour Admirals House , a six storey listed building built in 1700 without foundations.

The iconic copper beech in St. John's churchyard is scheduled to be felled ASAP. Recent survey work has found increasing levels of decay, and Mendip District Council health and safety have decided they would rather fell the tree to avoid liability, than manage it properly. There are several options which could be considered, including further crown reductions, excluding access to prevent soil compaction, and applying mulches to improve root growth. Hollow trees are very common. As trees become older, hollows or cavities can form due to a variety of factors - often through the work of fungi. This is a natural part of the life of a tree. Hollow trees can continue to live for a long time despite having large central cavities, and this does not usually cause them to become dangerous. This report from the Woodland Trust has lots of useful information about hollow trees. http://goo.gl/FTSF4E The report states: "Hollowing trees are also not necessarily structurally unsound, indeed the great storm of 1987 showed hollow trees may be as strong, if not stronger, than younger solid trees because they are more flexible." Hollow trees provide a fantastic and declining habitat for wildlife species including bats, birds and invertebrates. These important ecosystems are becoming more and more rare, partly because of the over-cautious felling of trees as they reach this life stage and begin to show evidence of decay. This iconic tree is a landmark feature of Frome. Though surveys have found the decay in the trunk is significant, the tree appears outwardly healthy and is in a sheltered location. Felling the tree now would be over-cautious, and would be a tragedy for Frome.

Changes to these regulations by the governing bodies of the series, will mean that deaths from incidents such as Henry Surtees and Justin Wilson will be significantly less likely.

The Infant Feeding Team (IFT) Support breastfeeding families through support groups or one to one appointments in hospital and community settings. Breastfeeding facilitators are highly skilled staff and they also give guidance to formula feeding mothers who need help and give advice on infant weaning. The breastfeeding facilitators are being drastically cut in number and we are wanting to save their posts in order for families to receive crucial support. The IFT help parents to: Recognise if their baby is getting enough milk. Ensure feeding is a comfortable experience for mum and baby. Identify where more help is needed. They also address medical issues such as tongue tie to help babies to feed. Increase the social capital of mothers through facilitating group and peer support networks. Since IFT (or Mum2Mum as they were previously known) was founded, breastfeeding rates in the City have risen exponentially but we are still significantly less than the national average and more support is needed to encourage breastfeeding. So budget cuts to the service seem to be particularly inappropriate. A UNICEF study found that in addition to saving the NHS £40m a year, increasing breastfeeding rates could reduce the risk of a host of childhood diseases including gastroenteritis, bronchiolitis, ear infections as well as reducing the risk of breast cancer for the mother. Stoke On Trent Council has confirmed the benefits of breastfeeding in their own report dated June 2015, stating "Evidence shows that babies are five times more likely to be admitted to hospital with gastroenteritis and more likely to be overweight or obese in later life if not breastfed." Breastfeeding also helps to tackle infant poverty and goes some way to address health and social inequalities. With present government cuts to families support in reducing family expenditure through breastfeeding is needed. Without IFT new and existing mums will struggle and are likely to cease breastfeeding their babies which will create an increase in health and socio-economic issues for babies, mothers, families, the council and the NHS. Please Sign and share to help us Save Our Infant Feeding Team #SaveOurIFT

Please protect protect the UK public's long term investment in both great serving British institutions and sustain the collaborative, innovative partnership into the future. The Met Office is a trusted and respected world-wide leader in forecasting accuracy. The BBC is making a huge mistake in ending the current contract. It has provided the data used for BBC forecasts since the corporation's first radio weather bulletin on 14 November 1922. The BBC said it had to use licence payers/tax payers money efficiently, so had to use the 'market'. But do we want to continue with the experts in the field, albeit at a higher cost, or do we want to cut corners and give the contract to a foreign company just because they can come in with a cheaper tender? This decision is being made for short term gain rather than long term public infrastructure benefit.

In this time of austerity, getting a job is tough enough as it is. For a chain like Las Iguanas, forcing their staff to pay to work - and profiting from it - is grossly unfair and entirely unnecessary. We have to stop it. I've eaten at Las Iguanas in Brighton countless times and it's disgusted me to know that money I left to the waiters and waitresses has been taken by the company. Simply put, this ridiculous policy is forcing staff to Pay to Work at Las Iguanas. If enough of us stand up to these disgusting practices, boycott Las Iguanas - and tell our friends to do likewise - they will have to change their ways. We will be handing this petition to Las Iguanas executives along with stories from their staff, so please sign this vital petition today. This is the way it works: Las Iguanas require staff to pay back 3% of their total sales for the night (5.5% in London) - in cash - to the management at the end of each shift. The money is meant to be paid by waiters from their pot of tips but, because it bears no relation to how much a waiter actually takes in tips, it can wipe out his or her entire income from gratuities in a busy night. Here's what one ex-staff member tweeted about the policy yesterday: https://s.bsd.net/38degrees/main/page/-/CBY/iguanas-tweet.jpg If a waiter processes an entirely normal £1,000 in a night then they will be required to pay the managers £30; staff have suggested this occurs even if they received no tips at all. One employee has said: “Over five shifts in a week is a substantial loss of my tips. Sometimes it works out as if I am paying to work, as for a five-hour shift I am paid £32.50 before tax.” The company claim this policy is to fund staff development and reward schemes for all staff, though Las Iguanas can take £34,000 a week from their staff using this little earner. Source: The Guardian, http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/aug/23/restaurant-tipping-policy-forces-waiters-to-pay-to-work, [accessed 24.08.15]