Lowering the speed limit provides significant benefits to all road users, including •  Reduced severity of collisions •  Reduced frequency of collisions •  Increased cycling and walking confidence Slower speeds save lives, particularly where the road is shared with people walking, cycling or riding a motorbike. A person walking is up to five times more likely to be killed if hit by a vehicle travelling at 30mph than if they were hit at 20mph. To support more people to walk and cycle around Wellington, we must reduce the risk of death and serious injury. Lowering traffic speeds can also make our streets less polluted and safer places to walk and cycle. See more information on 20mph speed limits. This campaign is being supported by The Big House Co.

Children are in crisis, and the system is failing them. Across the UK, children are struggling in silence-dealing with mental health issues, family instability, bullying, and trauma. And far too many are slipping through the cracks of an overwhelmed system that only reacts when it's too late. But we can do something about this right now. We are calling for the UK government to implement full-time social workers in every school. This simple, proactive change could transform the lives of children, save billions of pounds, and ensure that no child is left to face a crisis alone.   Why Now?    Every day that passes without social workers in schools is another day we risk losing children to an overwhelmed system that's designed to deal with problems after they've escalated. We cannot afford to wait any longer.   Children and families need immediate access to support, and schools are the perfect place for this to happen. By placing social workers in schools, we can provide early intervention, prevent future crises, and save lives.     The Benefits of School-Based Social Workers: 1. Prevention Over Crisis: Early intervention by social workers can prevent small problems from becoming full-blown crises. Whether it's mental health issues, family problems, or bullying, early help means fewer children needing foster care or psychiatric hospitalisation. Saving £160 million annually by keeping just 5% of at-risk children out of the foster care system.  2. Reducing Stigma & Normalising Help: Many families are afraid to seek help due to the stigma around social services. But by placing social workers in schools, we normalise seeking help, breaking down barriers to support. A child can talk to a social worker in confidence within their school-where they already feel safe and trusted. 3. Better Safeguarding: Social workers are trained to spot the early warning signs of abuse or neglect. This helps protect vulnerable children before their situations worsen. Faster action, better protection-helping every child stay safe. 4. Improved Academic Success:   Mental and emotional support leads directly to better academic performance. When children's emotional needs are met, they are able to focus better and achieve more in school. 5. Massive Government Savings: The government spends around £10.8 billion annually on children's services, including foster care, crisis management, and mental health care. By implementing school-based social workers, we can reduce the need for many of these expensive services. Saving around £1.25 billion annually in preventable costs, including foster care, hospital stays, and long-term social services.    This Isn't Just About Spending-It's About Saving Lives:    Social workers in schools don't just save money-they save children. Every year we delay this change means more children struggle in isolation, more families reach breaking point, and more taxpayer money is spent on costly interventions instead of prevention.    The Time to Act is Now:    Every child in the UK deserves the chance to succeed, to feel safe, and to get the support they need before problems escalate. It's time for the government to invest in proactive care and stop waiting for a crisis to force action. We must act now to bring social workers into schools. To re-iterate, these are just a few of the positives that can be achieved with this : Positives for Teachers: *Less stress and workload with social workers handling emotional issues. *Improved classroom environment and student focus. *More time for teaching, less time spent managing crises. *Support for at-risk students through early intervention.  Positives for Parents: *Easier access to support for children’s emotional and social needs. *Reduced stigma around seeking help, as support is embedded in the school. *Better communication between home and school. *More resources for children before issues escalate.  Positives for Children: *Early help for emotional, behavioral, or family challenges. *Access to a safe space for support without fear of judgment. *Improved mental health, leading to better focus and academic performance. *Development of coping skills and resilience for future challenges.   What We Need:   We are urging the UK government to allocate funding for the immediate placement of social workers in all schools across the country. This change will reduce the cost of public services, improve children's mental health, and protect families before they reach breaking point.   Sign the Petition Today: If we gather 100,000 signatures, the petition can be considered for a debate in the UK Parliament. Signing this petition helps amplify the message and support the cause.  Join us in calling for immediate action. Sign this petition to demand that the government prioritises the integration of social workers into schools, providing children with the early support they deserve. Sign & Share - Together, we can build a safer, healthier future for our children.  Thank you so much for your support, Mum On A Mission Disclaimer: This petition is intended to raise awareness and advocate for the integration of full-time social workers in schools across the United Kingdom. The content shared in this petition is based on publicly available information and reflects the views and concerns of the petition creator. While the petition includes estimates of potential savings and benefits, it is not an official government report or financial analysis.The petition is designed to generate public support and encourage policymakers to consider the proposed initiative. Signing this petition does not guarantee that any specific outcomes will occur, nor does it create any legal obligations or rights. By signing this petition, you acknowledge that the information provided is intended for advocacy purposes only, and while we strive for accuracy, no official commitment or implementation has been made by the UK government at this time.

We need your help to ensure the Government LISTEN and take ACTION.  There is a great push to achieve Net Zero and clamp down on rogue landlords. Why are social housing tenants not given the same standard of regulations or quality of living as imposed on Private Rental Sector? There should be an EPC standard for all social  buildings and also individual tenanted and more teeth given to Housing Ombudsman as last year  only a total of £1.1m was awarded compensation due to maladministration in England. We know how important a warm and safe house is to everyone. The responsibility of being a landlords should be taken seriously no matter who you landlord is. Our Social Housing properties are in need of significant improvements and sadly those in social properties do not have a say on making these changes and also because of a lack of information about the energy performance of these properties are not able to make an informed decision to continue to live in them.

⚠️ Did you know chewing gum is a single-use plastic? 😬 Brits chew a whopping 4 billion pieces of plastic gum. Every. Single. Year. 🥤Every single piece contains a drinking straw's worth of hidden plastic ingredients. These plastics are also used to make carrier bags, car tyres and glue. 🛞 🚑 It's a health emergency as microplastics have been found throughout the human body, from our brains to our heart & lungs and are being linked to many of humanity's worst diseases including cancer, diabetes and infertility. 🌍 Plastic gum creates a huge environmental problem, ending up in landfill, waterways and sticking around to pollute our planet forever. 💸 Littered plastic gum is stuck to 87% of pavements, creating a £60 million per year problem to clean up. 🌿 Plastic-free gum alternatives exist so chewers can keep fresh without harming people or planet... ...and the Government has already banned single-use plastic drinking straws and vapes. 🚫 So, City to Sea, Nuud and a movement of leading plastic charities are calling on the Government to ban on plastic chewing gum for good. ✍️ Sign our petition and spread the word on socials using #BanPlasticGum & #ChewPlantsNotPlastic. 💌 Stay updated! Opt in to receive emails from City to Sea and be the first to hear about the progress of our petition, campaign wins, and ways you can help create change.  📜Read our open letter to Steve Reed and Mary Creagh - https://www.citytosea.org.uk/chew-plants-not-plastic/

It is just over a year since the tragic accident that killed Freddie Coleman and seriously injured his friend as they were walking to school at 08:20 on Friday 3 November 2023. Since then, Freddie’s family, Stock Parish Council and village residents have been campaigning to make Stock a safer place for all road users and pedestrians and are demanding the introduction of a 20mph zone and average speed cameras. A community speed watch group has been set up with volunteers using speed guns to identify passing vehicles. In one hour alone, over 30 speeding vehicles were detected. And since March of this year, even with limited surveillance, around 360 people have been detected speeding in the village, some with speeds in excess of 50mph. In addition, Stock Parish Council have submitted nine Local Highways Panel (LHP) applications requesting speed reductions, average speed cameras and improvements to pedestrian crossings, but unfortunately none have been granted so far. It is of this reason, one year on since that fateful accident, that we, the residents of Stock, feel compelled to come together again, with SPC, to create a petition to demonstrate our disappointment that this situation has not yet been rectified. We are ‘Stock Against Speeding’ and we want the speed limit in our village of Stock reduced to 20mph and average speed cameras installed as soon as possible, because, quite frankly, every day without this, is a day too long.

It is reported that the Home Office has ordered Apple to build a backdoor into its encrypted services so that they can get hold of content that any Apple user has upload to the cloud. Encryption keeps our private information safe and secure. It’s essential for being safe online when sending messages, shopping, doing online banking – and for storing things safely in the cloud. With the Cabinet Office estimating the cost of Cyber Crime at £21BN a year to our economy, we can’t afford to make our data less secure with a backdoor.  But the UK government thinks it should be access anything and everything, anywhere and anytime – and it’s prepared to put all of our security at risk in order to do so. According to the Washington Post, Apple are likely to say no to this demand and stop providing encrypted services to people in the UK. This would mean that Apple users in the UK no longer have the secure products that people in other countries have. But this is not just about Apple. The UK government has been putting pressure on Meta to stop rolling out encryption in its services. Android users could be next. The UK Government can do this because last year, they added new powers to the Investigatory Powers Act, known as the snooper’s charter. These powers mean the Home Office can force tech companies to notify them when they want to make their products more secure; in other words so the Home Office can stop security measures from ever being added.  The Home Office don’t have to get a judge to approve these orders. We as citizens can’t even find out if such an order has been issued due to their secretive nature. This is the wrong way round. The UK Government should encourage tech companies to use encryption and keep us all safe online – not put our privacy and security at risk. We need to act now before we lose Apple encrypted services. Add your name to demand that the Home Office protects your privacy now. Read more here: https://metro.co.uk/2025/02/08/privacy-fears-millions-government-demands-access-messages-photos-22520358

Whitehill Bordon is a regeneration town, designated an Eco Town around 2010 and also home to the MOD Bordon Garrison REME which announced its departure in 2013.  It sits in the North-East ‘corner’ of Hampshire, bordering Surrey & West Sussex.   The Chase Community Hospital (opened 1991) is a purpose-built healthcare facility standing in its own grounds with a car park, originally provided many healthcare services to Whitehill & Bordon and surrounding villages, with community beds for respite, care and rehabilitation, physiotherapy, x-ray department, a number of different clinics. In 2013 an NHS Charter declared a commitment ensuring a long-term sustainable future providing health services the people want to the Chase Hospital.   During years 2013 - 2018 we watched as services were withdrawn on a widely-acknowledged deliberate basis, (to date it is reported operating at only 25% of its original capacity) when we learnt that East Hampshire District Council responsible for the massive multimillion-pound regeneration of Whitehill & Bordon, including the Health Hub, announced the future closure of the Chase Community Hospital, causing real concern for us residents.  A 22,000/30,000 population is anticipated by 2030, to be supported by one existing GP practice only (Forest Surgery), to operate the new Health Hub.  The Chase Hospital would then close.   The 2013 NHS Charter had been reneged upon.  And we are told by EHDC we will have a “one-stop shop for local people’s primary health care needs…[just]… 0.7 miles away from Chase Community Hospital & Forest Surgery…”   There has been a long-standing distrust of the NHS Commissioning Care Group’s principles of care for the developing and growing community of the Whitehill & Bordon settlement since 2013, concern over the construction of the Health Hub in the new town centre and a growing scepticism over who is ultimately likely to benefit. The community also has severe doubts that our Integrated Care Board’s future-proofing of expansion space of 153 sq. m. can be correct.  In 2020 East Hampshire District Council predicted the area’s population is set to rise by 8,000 to 22,000 (likely to be conservative estimate), all needing access to health services - the majority registering with Forest Surgery in the new town centre’s Health Hub.   The proposed Health Hub planning application (19/06/24) states future-proofing to a “certain extent” to take into account a population increase in 4/5 years from it being operational, allowing current Forest Surgery patient numbers ONLY to increase from c.8,250 – 15/16,000, which would then move into the Health Hub. We do not believe the major changes by the Government to The National Planning Policy Framework (12/12/24) has been taken into account by the ICB in any of their plans in their most recent report, when concern over the Health Hub’s ability to provide adequate care to an increasing population already existed! Whitehill & Bordon is also a fairly isolated area cut off by a lack of an adequate transport system.  When in need of healthcare services no longer provided locally, it is very time-consuming, expensive and extremely difficult for carless and/or vulnerable residents to access alternative facilities without transport; they are locked in their immediate locality.  We ask the Secretary of State to intervene on the basis that facilities and infrastructure MUST come with additional housing and review whether retaining Chase Community Hospital is in the best interests of the residents of Whitehill & Bordon and surrounding area. The Chase Hospital is already there with space plus room for further expansion, ready and waiting! The Health Hub building of 2 floors contained under five and a half floors of flats and half a floor of roof garden above, along with flats and retail outlets each side. Health Hub area:  The 2-floor Health Hub total area is to be 2,922 sq.m. made up by an NHS-funded area 1,754 sq.m., we assume the 1,168 sq.m. difference is for private profit-making healthcare businesses. Chase Hospital area:  approximately 2,667 sq. m. plus Forest Surgery and its pharmacy 605 sq. m. totalling 3,272 sq. m.  (Sadly only 25% fully utilized!)  What a deplorable waste of money, healthcare facility and services by the NHS, ICB, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust and NHS Property Services! We are now in 2025, some 10 years on from the Master Plan, and the Health Hub still isn’t built with no date in sight. The local Integrated Care Board is totally focused on the Health Hub and despite our ongoing Campaign including some of your own Government’s visions, it seems reluctant to listen to local people and is not using accurate data regarding patient numbers. Where is the logic or common sense in closing a desperately needed health facility when nearby towns that will be half the intended size of Whitehill & Bordon currently have thriving and/or expanding community hospitals that members of our community are referred to? It seems ironic that when the Chase first opened its doors the local population of Whitehill & Bordon was 4,661.  Now it is looking set to rise to circa 30,000 and authorities want to close it…! To support our Campaign further you can also go to our Facebook page entitled: -  YOU KNOW THE CHASE HOSPITAL MAKES SENSE

Cancer research uk needs money 

As it affects most of the woman’s daily life 

Cyfarthfa Castle is an integral part of Merthyr's heritage. 

The UK government is demanding that Apple fundamentally compromise the security architecture of its products for every user worldwide. This isn’t just about giving British authorities access to British users’ data — it’s about creating a master key that would unlock everyone’s encrypted data, everywhere. It’s not just about government surveillance — it’s about deliberately introducing vulnerabilities that would be exploitable by anyone who discovers them, from hostile nation-states to criminal organisations. The power to unlock your digital life should only reside with you! You have a right to privacy and not have that exposed to bad actors by the likes of Starmer.

Drax has already received billions of pounds in renewable subsidies from our energy bills to burn trees. Much of the wood that it burns comes from the clear-felling of some of the most biodiverse forests in the Southern USA, Canada and Europe, with catastrophic impacts on  wildlife, communities and the climate.  The Guardian has reported that the Government could announce huge new subsidies for Drax’s planet-wrecking tree burning on Monday. If granted, the new subsidies would likely cost UK bill payers hundreds of millions of pounds a year, and they would do nothing to lower UK energy bills or support a transition to clean energy.  Instead, they would allow Drax to keep burning trees, polluting communities in the Southern USA and destroying forests at our expense for years to come, at enormous cost to human health, nature and the climate.  Please help us to call on Ed Miliband to say no to new subsidies for burning trees in power stations.  Instead, the Government should invest in genuine climate solutions like home insulation and wind and solar power that could create new green jobs and help to tackle both the climate emergency and the cost of living crisis.