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. 

It is important to keep staff and not make them unemployed.  Many staff have been told in order to steem line business operations they will be making many staff redundant. This is not only due to Sainsbury's closing of cafes, but some other counters, the reduction of checkouts and the increase of self service tills. It is also having a large effect on many of the Argos staff. There are many staff members that have worked for the company for over 10 years that are good at what they do. Only to be told making room to train new people. All staff are an asset to the company so it sadness me to think my colleagues and I will be unemployed. 

We are writing to contest the proposed removal of the play park next to Bangor Carnegie Library.  We welcome the council’s addition of a new larger play park to the Gransha Road end of Ward park, but we believe the existing smaller library play park should also be retained.  The library play park’s success relates to its proximity to both the library and café. The library runs rhythm and rhyme classes for young children three mornings week after which many parents make use of the small park next to library. Both facilities support  one another and encourage children to use the library also.  When caring for small children having warm indoor bathroom and food facilities around a play park are invaluable.  Being able to change a nappy or take a potty training toddler to warm indoor toilet very nearby to a play park are necessities. Being able to go indoors to breastfeed a baby in winter or get food and drinks for parents and young children at a nearby café such a Park Life are also essential. The time it would take to walk the length of  Ward Park from the new play park back to these facilities would be too long for the needs of small children and their caregivers given the pace a toddler or parent carrying a small child can walk.  The current park meets these needs and is functional in its current state with the exception of one small ride which has been removed. It is well suited to very small children. We welcome a new park and appreciate that this is something the council has provided but feel the removal of the existing park would have a negative impact on parents.  The proposal to provide a dementia / sensory garden is very much welcome and supported. There is no reason for this to replace the existing playpark. There is evidence that being around small children is beneficial to people with dementia and these two things could be incorporated in a more creative way. There is no need to silo off various groups of people who could be adjacent to or nearby to the existing park. Alternatively, the council could find another location within Ward park for the dementia garden. Perhaps this could be an opportunity for the council to review the dated and cruel practice of keeping enclosed live birds within the park and this area would be an ideal location for a new dementia garden.  Ward Park is a large park, especially when trying to cross it with toddlers or small children on foot and Bangor has a large enough population to justify to two play parks within one major park particularly as they seem to meet slightly different needs.  In 2019 Ards and North Down Borough council declared a Climate Emergency and therefore should be more mindful of unnecessary demolition which wastes an excessive amount of carbon. Whilst the council has plans to undertake a large amount of unnecessary demolition elsewhere in Bangor, it is carbon intensive and wasteful to remove a functional and very popular children’s play park. Especially one that is well used and takes up very little space in order to provide facilities for other users where other space available available for the dementia garden or the two things could be incorporated. Almost no public money would be required to keep this play park operational, a small amount would repair the ground where an old roundabout was removed. Therefore, this proposal should be cost neutral within your overall budget and plans to develop Ward Park. We ask the council to cancel its plans to remove the play park next to bangor library.  Many of us have been taking our small children to the very popular library rhythm and rhyme class followed by the adjacent playpark weekly for a number of years so know first hand it is well used. Many parents and caregivers understand the benefit of the proximity of this park to both the library and Parklife Café when caring for small children. It’s Removal would make our job more difficult trying to navigate the length of the park with small children in need of the bathroom or warmth of an indoor café as a place to eat. As the main existing user group of this part of the park we hope our views are taken on board by the council. Thank you. 

We need to show the big companies that we won’t let them rip us off or line their pockets.

It is not fair or deserving! 

The latest casualty of the exorbitant retail rents charged by Greenwich Hospital is the excellent vintage shop Joli, closing down this week. We understand Greenwich Hospital has to make money for its charitable concerns but, with imagination, this can be done without destroying the livelihoods of small local businesses and without ignoring its responsibility as custodian of a special part of London. Pricing out independent shops is counterproductive. Greenwich is a place valued by locals and visitors for its heritage and unique character. That will be lost if it goes the way of most high streets in the UK and becomes an identikit mass of chain stores. We call on John Healey, Deirdre Mills and vice admiral Martin Connell, respectively the trustee, director and advisor of Greenwich Hospital, to stop this happening.

Lloyds Bank have announced they are shutting branches across the country, including Stoke on Trent Tunstall's last bank in the town, which is always packed and almost every business uses.  Not everyone uses online banking, and the nearest other branch is also shutting.  The reason for closure stated is custom has fallen 41% "nationally" not locally.  There's numerous cash points in Tunstall on the outside of takeaways and Minimarts which have been subject to fraudulent activity and not looked after by the businesses. Many residents don't feel safe to use these and shutting this local bank with internal ATM's and staff to help withdraw funds will only increase the likelihood of people falling for these cash point scammers. I am the vice chair of  the Tunstall Town Centre Community Association and I've been asked start a petition to keep our last bank open.  CLLR Din for Tunstall and David Williams MP have been notified and will support the petition. 

Deep funding cuts are contributing to the decline in communal, thirds spaces – from community buildings shutting down to youth club closures. New Freedom of Information (FOI) data found that spending on community-related services and provisions fell by 18% between the years 2022 and 2024. This leaves many people, particularly young people without safe places to connect, grow, and thrive. The loss of these spaces is more than just a physical closure; it fuels rising social isolation, loneliness, and a growing sense of disconnection in our communities.