Society's most vulnerable people live in care homes across the land. These people are of all ages and suffer from numerous conditions. They are there because they are unable to take care of themselves, oftentimes not even being able to ascertain what might dangers might befall them and rely on their families and care workers to keep them safe; to keep them alive. This decision (taken on April 2nd) is obviously an extremely dangerous one and is very likely to end in deaths of people who cannot save themselves, that could be and must be avoided. The responsibility is on us - otherwise what kind of a society are we? My mother is only 75. She developed sepsis in her 60s which affected her memory. Mum lives in a care home where she is happy, healthy, strong and extremely intelligent. She wants to live and has many more quality years available to her. Her life might easily be cut short because of this irresponsible decision by the government to house Covid-19 positive patients in her care home. Even with precautions would you want someone with the virus in the bedroom next to yours and sharing the same carers? No, neither does my Mum. Edited to add: The Government Guidelines: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/878099/Admission_and_Care_of_Residents_during_COVID-19_Incident_in_a_Care_Home.pdf Sky News: https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-whats-happening-in-uk-care-homes-right-now-is-a-scandal-our-grandchildren-will-ask-about-11971795

Because they are overworked ,undervalued and they are our key brave frontline careers

The whole of the Country are behind our health and social care workers and we believe that the front line staff should have access to adequate PPE to perform their roles with the highest level of protection.

Govt help has been announced for some charities but appears not to offer any support to animal rescue charities. This despite the fact that much of their work comes from statutory agencies asking for help to take on animals left behind by domestic tragedies of all sorts. In the light of lots of misinformation recently, many animals will be abandoned at this time in addition to the normal intake of dumped, abused and lost animals. The animals in their care now risk being euthanised if they are forced to close, and the future impact on animals needing care will be huge if many centres are forced to close. I have adopted many dogs from rescue places over the years, and their impact on mental and physical wellbeing is well researched. Dedicated staff and volunteers make this possible, and they deserve support.

With the nation in lockdown, victims of domestic abuse are trapped with their abusers and isolated from support. Even before Coronavirus, there weren’t enough bed places for women to leave - with 3 out of 5 women referred to refuges being turned away for lack of space. Now, rates of domestic abuse are increasing, and we’re in a national crisis. Women’s Aid has seen a 41% increase in survivors trying to access support online. But for many women, digital support won’t be enough. Many desperately need accommodation away from abuse. But there could be a place for these women to go. While many survivors and their children need to access safe accommodation, hotel rooms and across the country are empty due to cancelled events and travel plans. The French government has already committed to housing those fleeing domestic abuse in hotels. In the UK, Southall Black Sisters have successfully lobbied hotels to agree to house those escaping domestic abuse. The hotels are not looking to make a profit on this - only cover their costs We need a firm commitment from the Government that they will pay hotels across the county so that no survivor is trapped with their abuser.

It is important because we are also in need of financial help during this crisis.

MANORLANDS is facing closure within months due to a funding crisis. Sue Ryder, which runs the Oxenhope hospice, says income has dried-up because of the coronavirus pandemic. The charity, which relies on public donations to maintain its services, has had to close its shops and cancel fundraising events. Now, with a potential funding gap of £12 million over the next three months, Sue Ryder is warning that without immediate financial support it will be forced to shut its hospices and stop providing its other end-of-life services. “During this particular period it should be providing 100 per cent funding – and then looking to the future, covering at least half the running costs of our hospices.”

Reading Gaol is of huge national and international cultural significance in terms of its history and its ties to Oscar Wilde’s incarceration there. For the LGBT community those connections to Oscar Wilde are of heightened importance. Wilde wrote “De Profundis,” from his cell and the site was later the inspiration for his poem: “The Ballad of Reading Gaol” As a listed building and a Scheduled Monument, it is of national historical importance. The eastern section of the 900 year old Abbey church and quite possibly the site of Henry I’s tomb lie underneath the ground. The community in Reading and beyond feel that it's best future is as a cultural and arts site that can share this history and complete the Abbey Quarter for Reading. The council submitted a bid for the site with the support of the community. Matt Rodda MP for Reading East has said "I am concerned that the Government still want to sell the gaol to the highest bidder and I understand they now have a preferred bidder who they are working with." Alok Sharma as the neighbouring MP for Reading West prior to the election spoke in support of saving the site, wore a 'save Reading Gaol T-shirt' and said he would back the campaign. We call on him to act on these words now. As a member of the government he is in a unique position to ensure that this special site is saved for our community.

"Unprecedented" A word we have heard often during this crisis. In this unprecedented time, the UK government has made never seen before concessions in an effort to uphold the financial and mental stability of the nation. Yet Huddersfield University School of Pharmacy insists on treating 4th-year university students like this final year is business as usual. It is no secret that the school of Pharmacy already has initiatives in place to support students such as the "best 100 credits" but these were in place before the COVID-19 pandemic. We petition for additional support warranted by our current worldwide circumstances, in the form of the no-detriment policy. This no-detriment policy has already been rolled out university-wide, however, the school of pharmacy has decided to exclude pharmacy students. We believe this to be unfair and strongly ask the school to reconsider their decision and put additional systems in place to support final year students. Pharmacy students are students just like everyone else and during these unprecedented times, we are also going through hard times while isolating at home. Final year pharmacy students are being expected to achieve the same level of efficiency or grades as they would under "normal" conditions, however, the conditions in which we are sitting these exams are far from "normal": Many students would usually utilize library services to study, which allows compartmentalization between home and study. But now many don't have a quiet place to revise. Many students are in the vulnerable group as well as their families and some may experience COVID-19 symptoms during exam season, which may affect productivity. There is extremely limited or unconventional support from lecturers with the absence of lectures or tutorial sessions. It is important to note that the University's attendance policies state that there is a positive correlation between contact time and student performance. Taking exams online introduces many variables that must be considered. Exam conditions may be hard to achieve in some of our homes. Downloading resources and changing windows consumes time depending on device and internet speeds, the latter experiencing higher traffic due to the UK lockdown. In conclusion, the BPSA has put out a statement supporting the no-detriment policy for Pharmacy students and Keele Unvistity has already put it in place for their pharmacy students. As final year pharmacy students at Huddersfield University, we do not aim to make excuses of any kind but rather ask for support. We have worked hard the past 3 years to come to where we are today and plan to repeat the process, but amidst this current pandemic and the challenges, it brings we may not be able to do so. We hope that the Huddersfield school of pharmacy will consider the implementation of the no-detriment policy as we have already seen university-wide.

NHS and social care workers, carers, key workers and hundreds of thousands of community volunteers are keeping us and our country safe in the fight against Coronavirus – the silent enemy. An enemy that does not differentiate between young or old; rich or poor; or those with power or the powerless. We have witnessed immense courage and bravery of our NHS, public sector and community spirited volunteers who are serving humanity selflessly without the fear of putting themselves at risk. Everyone is doing their little bit in saving lives, helping and supporting the most vulnerable in our communities. Doctors, nurses, care workers, teachers and bus drivers have already sacrificed their lives in the line of duty and in their attempt to save the lives of others. The appreciation and love shown up and down the country by many people through lighting up buildings, by standing on our streets to #ClapforNHS #ClapforCarers #ClapforKeyWorkers and displaying rainbows in windows is overwhelming. We now need to further show our solidarity and support to honour them appropriately. We are proud of our NHS, social care, carers, key workers and community volunteer heroes for their efforts in protecting us all now and in the future. Generations to come will look back at their contributions and sacrifices for keeping us safe.

Initially the footbridge was due to close last year around August for an inspection by Network Rail.But the work was put off untill a new application was made and the bridge closed in February this year. Once Covid-19 arrived , any work on the bridge or reopening was suspended indefinitely, leaving the bridge closed & the community facing less access to local services. It is important because the footbridge is a vital link for surrounding neighbourhoods to take their children to school, get to work and access shops. Untill Network Rail decide when they intend to start work they should reopen the footbridge instead of closing it indefinitely, leaving locals very much cut off in what are already difficult times.

The Coronavirus lockdown has seen a dramatic decline in cars using our roads, but they still get priority. With many of us across Tooting, Putney, Battersea, Clapham and Balham wanting to get out once a day to walk, run or cycle - as permitted by the government, our parks and commons are becoming crowded, and many residents don't have gardens or access to other private outdoor spaces. Paul Martin, the Chief Executive of Wandsworth Council could help to create more space for us to by making residential roads, all those with an existing 20mph limit, in the borough pedestrian priority - so we can walk, run or cycle AND maintain social distancing at the same time. This could be done by following steps that other cities have taken, for example installing temporary planters or barriers in the middle of the streets, temporary cycle lanes to be installed on busier roads with cones to help where pavements are narrow, or putting up signs to inform drivers that pedestrians and cyclists have priority. Other cities from New York, Chicago, and Berlin have already done this, and it would mean that the few cars still using the road would have to slow down for pedestrians in them, not the other way around.