School Librarians are a critical part of any school’s professional staff. Their skills are needed now more than ever. With vast online resources there is no shortage of sources of information. However, the more important skill is now understanding and evaluating these sources. Pupils need to learn how to sort out fact from fake. This decision will prevent pupils from reaching their full potential. Librarians have professional skills that support children of all abilities to learn. Replacing essential staff with the unpaid labour of pupils is an absolute disgrace. Scottish Borders Council should hang their heads in shame. Follow the story: Pressure grows on education officials over school library plans http://www.bordertelegraph.com/news/16272089.Pressure_grows_on_education_officials_over_school_library_plans/ Scottish Borders Council slammed for using pupils as library staff says it will teach them leadership http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/16271266.Scots_council_slammed_for_using_pupils_as_library_staff_says_it_will_teach_them_leadership/ Playground pressure mounts on council to reverse school library cuts https://www.peeblesshirenews.com/news/17233450.playground-pressure-mounts-on-council-to-reverse-school-library-cuts/

Be Free Young Carers has for many years offered a desperately needed service for the hundreds of Young Carers in our community. A study in 2017 estimated there were over 700,000 young carers across the UK, providing 1 to 1 care for sick family members, mostly unpaid and unsupported. Be Free Young Carers has offered a support and guidance service for the hundreds of carers in Didcot and South Oxfordshire for many years, offering mentoring, much needed respite, learning support and guidance. There are currently over 500 young carers this charity supports in our county alone ! My own daughter Courtney Hughes BCAv was a registered young carer for me after I had a stroke. Be Free Young Carers offered her a shoulder to cry on, guidance and support whilst undertaking her exams and many day trips out, to allow her to have some time for her. Sadly due to the increase in young carers and a decline in funding with great sadness they have announced they simply cannot continue to run, due to huge drop in donations. The charity relies on donations alone and is not funded by the Government or local authorities. PLEASE SIGN AND MAKE SOME NOISE TO KEEP THIS VITAL CHARITY GOING.... Please write to your MP, Councillors, local parties anyone with any stature to keep the charity going... Thank you

Children with Special Needs in Somerset need to know that Somerset complying with the law when they write their EHCPs, so that they know that they will go to the schools that are right for them

It is important to keep this preschool open for the children, lots of children have been to this preschool and lots more are wanting to come. I myself have had 2 children go to the preschool and one currently in there now, I have a baby who I will be sending to this setting as well when he is old enough. My children that have been to the setting have had amazing experiences and absolutely loved being there with the staff and the other children. I have spoken to other parents of past and present children that have attended or do attend the setting and have heard all good things about it, the children love being there, enjoy their learning and have great relationships with the staff. I feel if this setting is closed there will be lots of people that are going to be affected. Children not old enough to attend a school based nursery can attend the preschool setting from the age of 2 and stay with the setting until they are old enough to attend reception year at school, I found with my children having that time at preschool helped them get ready and prepare for school life and they have excelled because of this, my daughter had speech issues but due to attending Eaglestone preschool started talking better and better, her amazing keyworker did a huge amount of work with her to get her where she needed to be ready for reception year at school. PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION AND SAVE EAGLESTONE PRESCHOOL

The close board wooden fence, which we were forced to remove by the council, allowed us the privacy that we need as a family. It also provided a barrier from the noise of the very busy main road, School Lane. The building and gardens are no longer commercial offices. They are used as a family home, so we need the appropriate boundaries in place to stop trespassers and keep us safe. We believe that the fence was in keeping with the rest of village and did not adversely affect the setting of the listed building. The wire mesh alone is not sufficient and very ugly (see photo). It is not possible to plant behind it due to the large amount of tree roots.

Reducing this service has changed our way of life due to only one ferry running and limited spaces, leaving residents left feeling trapped and isolated at the weekend. The only time most people can get off the island is at the weekend due to working, bairns at school, etc so it’s the busiest time of the week, yet this is when ferries are reduced. It’s taken away the freedom to take family to events out of the isle with so many residents involved in sports, music, etc, going shopping and visiting friends and family.

BA carried 45.2 million passengers in 2017 alone ! Most of these would have had drink on their flight. That is 45 million cups in a year, possibly more, and I don't even know how to start calculating the amount of plastic waste that comes from on board meals and flight bags. This unnecessary and senseless plastic addiction must end, especially knowing that there are alternatives that are fully compostable ( much better than the biodegradable ones). We have all been offered drinks on board, just one fast drink and the cup stays around for centuries. Yes, they can argue they recycle them, but there is already enough plastic in the world and we need to stop adding more in it. This would be a great start ! #choosetorefuse #plasticfreedom Image kindly produced by Tom Gallant

The EU withdrawal Bill is returning to the Houses of Commons after the Government suffered 15 amendment defeats by the House of Lords. Lords spent 20 days debating the EU withdrawal bill and the government has just announced that Parliament will only be given 12 hours on the 12th June to debate the full bill and its numerous amendments. Brexit represents the most significant and complex process seen before parliament since world war 2 and the government is denying MPs sufficient time to debate the bill and its amendments by only allowing one day for debate voting. Why sign this petition? * Whether you are voted leave or remain it is in the best interests of the public to have a full, open and robust debate in parliament on the EU withdrawal bill * The House of Lords was permitted 20 days to debate this bill. Why is the Commons not allowed the same opportunity to debate a bill so vital to the future of the country? * MPs and commentators from across the political spectrum, including senior and back bench Tory MPs are highly critical of the governments decision to allow such a short time to debate this bill * This timetable only allows for 40 minutes to debate each amendment all of which will have a significant impact on the prosperity and political future of the UK * Parliament is being denied it’s sovereignty as one day is simply not enough time for a full and proper debate and this move has been described as reckless, unprecedented and showing contempt for parliament Please sign this bill to help protect the sovereignty of parliament and democracy in the UK

The UK government sold two licences to frack in Scotland (Petroleum Exploration and Development Licenes - PEDLs). Now the Scottish government has been handed control of licensing and this gives them the chance to end the threat to the health of communities across the Central Belt once and for all PEDL 162 comes up for renewal on June 30th - we say, don't renew it. PEDL 133 has some years to go - we say, revoke it. And state that no further licenses will be sold. INEOS, who own both licences, recently went to court to say the Scottish government doesn't have the power to ban fracking. But if Holyrood has the power to licence, they also have the power NOT to licence. Support our petition and also contact your MSP and ask them to support us when the question comes up in the Scottish parliament.

More families in the UK have been reaching out to food banks for sanitary products, as they just can’t afford the ‘luxury’ of buying them. Sanitary towels and tampons aren’t cheap, but they are an essential part of a women’s life. This has resulted in women and girls using toilet paper, old socks, pieces of cloth, newspaper, and other unhygienic items and this could cause serious threats to their health. Without the sufficient and proper protection, which every girl and women deserves, girls have been routinely missing school. Shocking statistics from planUK.org said ‘49 per cent of girls have missed an entire day of school because of their period, of which 59 per cent have made up a lie or an alternate excuse’. A girl’s, and every young persons, education is such a vital and important part of their lives, they should not have to compromise this because of their periods. Blackburn is a deprived area, and looking at the demographics, and the statistics from plan UK, Blackburn could be at a higher risk than the statistic already shown.

It is a major draw to the Garden Centre and Model shop and it would be a great shame to loose it. I used to ride on the railway freequently as a child and we used to have a look at the garden centre whilst there. If the railway was closed down it would never be the same ever again. I have spent many a happy hour there as a child and im sure that there are many people that will agree. The collection or railway interest is massive and is worth going to see alone. This would be lost if Strikes continue to go ahead.

I need an epidural injection twice a year , with this simple injection in my spine I live a normal life, without it I am in agony and cannot walk. Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) who decide what treatments, drugs and operations Worcestershire NHS may provide have under the pretense of ineffectiveness stopped the funding of these injections since December 2017. NHS England believe by not giving these injections they can save £9 million a year. Source:- Musculoskeletal Surgery and Therapeutic Interventions December 2017 Worcestershire CCGs http://www.ukssb.com/improving-spinal-care-project Instead of giving an injection at an average cost of £250 - £500 the NHS prefer to keep people disabled and in pain living on expensive opiates such as Tramadol and Oramorph together with Gabapentin and Amitriptyline and other drugs This callous lack of treatment is endured everyday not only by me but by thousands of people in the UK as other NHS Trusts stop these injections The spinal injections are not unproven procedures but have a 60 year excellent track record. We are being deprived of a treatment by the NHS in its efforts to save money at any cost. These so called "ineffective" spinal injections are readily available at all private hospitals in the UK where they are deemed to be an extremely effective treatment against back pain. Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust has been in Special Measures since December 2015 The trust is currently rated as Inadequate Overall and are not delivering neccesary treatments in desperation to save money. Patients are suffering uneccesarily due to the withdrawal of these injections. Without these neccesary injections people like me will be disabled, unable to walk and in terrible pain. Please sign this petition to stop this callous refusal of treatment, disregard of our basic right to treatment and pain relief.