In 1994 a group of local ethnic minority women set up what started as a domestic violence support service called Apna Haq - which means “My Rights”. More than 2,000 women and children have been helped by Apna Haq – to escape and overcome domestic and sexual abuse, so-called ‘honour-related’ abuse and forced marriage, and sexual exploitation. Many women have been so empowered by their experience at Apna Haq that they have gone on to become volunteers and workers there too, sharing their knowledge and experience to help new service users. Apna Haq is a life-saving service, and it is run the best way a women’s service can be – by and for women who understand their community’s needs. The women who run Apna Haq have deep personal understanding of the particular patterns of abuse, the excuses that are made for it, and the barriers to escaping abuse in their community. At the end of July this year Apna Haq received a devastating letter from Rotherham council informing them that their £145,000 contract for providing domestic violence support was to be ended and that a mainstream service with no specialism in the needs of minority ethnic women would do the work instead (for a slightly lower price). We cannot allow Apna Haq to close. It is expert. It is life-saving. It is run by women who know the lives of the women who seek help there. We cannot try to put right horrific abuse of girls from across different communities in Rotherham and simultaneously create new barriers to women and children who need help Join us and call on the lead Commissioner in Rotherham Sir Derek Myers, who now runs Rotherham borough council, to stand by Apna Haq to ensure that their future is secure. Nothing about us without us!

We have created this campaign in collaboration with Campaign Against the Arms Trade, Amnesty International (University of Liverpool group) and the Green Party. The United Nations’ Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) states that weapons should not be sold to countries if there is a potential that the arms or items could be used to facilitate a serious violation of human rights. Whilst Saudi Arabia has been deemed ‘’a very old ally and partner’’ by David Cameron (2012), it continues to abuse the human rights of its citizens based on their gender and sexuality and refuses to acknowledge a need for change. Our mutual economic relationship with this country makes us complicit in the systematic abuse that takes place. The UK should consider not only the articles in the ATT but a country’s approach to human rights as a whole. Saudi Arabia consistently commits egregious breaches of human rights. It outlaws freedom of speech, expression or belief outside of Wahhabi Islam and regularly imprisons opponents without trial. Homosexuality is branded a crime and is punishable by torture and execution. Saudi Arabia and the UK have long had close dealings in the arms trade. Saudi Arabia is Britain’s largest customer for weapons and the UK is the Gulf nation’s single biggest supplier, according to Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT). Weapons created in the UK were used to bomb Yemen this year in what has been dubbed ‘’a humanitarian catastrophe’’ (Andrew Smith, CAAT). Saudi Arabia is the biggest sponsor of global terrorism, funnelling money to rebels in Syria and to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide. The terrorist organisation IS are ‘’a product of Saudi ideals, Saudi money and Saudi organisational support’’ (Senator Bob Graham, the 9/11 commission). How can we claim to be a country that supports equality, diversity and freedom of speech when we continue with this inherently hypocritical trade relationship? Once again, we urge you to take action, Yours, the undersigned,

This will ease the constant traffic congestion in the city. Please see all the evidence that we have collated in the form of videos taken on various days at various times. All discussions and evidence can be found on Hereford Voice. www.herefordvoice.co.uk

How are we going to get furniture and deliveries to our door if we open our gate and a house is there. How are the fire brigade or worse the ambulance men going to get access to residents or carry a body out in a box. How do we get our rubbish bins out. Where do we pensioners park our cars the roads are full already we have a school nearby when a child is killed will you listen then.

This is important as there are so many displaced refugees and ex-service men who have NOTHING. People give clothes to charity shops as donations and I do not believe they shoud be sold on to make profit especially when it is the textile traders making the money. The trade is also undermining local traders and clothing manufacturers and affecting the livelihoods of those who depend on producing and selling clothing in poverty stricken countries. This will also affect the economy. Consideration should also be given the environmental impact of shipping all these clothes. Some charities I believe have cut the middle men but I think all should do the same and prioritise the greater need or crisis at the time.

300 football pitches an hour of forest are being lost to Palm Oil producers. It's in half of the products in the supermarkets and no one is doing anything to stop it or make the big companies accountable. Orangutans amongst the other forest dwelling animals are losing their homes and lives.

Herefordshire Council has proposed the closure of Leominster Public Library and Services. We, the undersigned, hereby call on Herefordshire Council to allow Leominster Public Library and Services to remain open to the public and managed by a professional librarian.

25 million birds are killed on migration every year. Please read this report from Bird Life: http://www.birdlife.org/illegal-killing "Unlawfully shot, trapped or poisoned: a shocking 25 million birds are killed in the Mediterranean region every year", according to a scientific review carried out by BirdLife International. The report also identified the species that are worst affected, with that familiar garden bird Chaffinch topping the 'kill list' with an estimated 2.9 million individuals taken every year. This is followed by Blackcap (1.8 million), Common Quail (1.6 million) and Song Thrush (1.2 million). This last species is a Red Listed Species of Conservation of Concern in Britain, while Common Quail is Amber listed, both due to population declines."

This drug is the only drug to be added for Hodgkin's Lymphoma for over 40 years. It has a proven efficacy and helps save lives of the young people affected by Hodgkin's Lymphoma who have failed primary, harsh chemotherapy. It was the only drug which got our daughter into remission after 7 years of ever-increasing toxicity. It opened the window she needed to get through a donor bone marrow transplant, and she is now well after 10 years struggling against this cancer. This blood cancer typically attacks young people, in their teens and twenties, who if saved, will go on to pay the taxes this country needs to survive!

We are the fourth richest country in the world. The City of London should be setting an example to the rest of the UK - we have the resources to do so and should be celebrating the contribution of immigrants and refugees to our City. Aylan, the toddler who drowned fleeing Syria, was just three years old. His town was under attack by Isis. His five year old brother and his mum also died trying to reach safety. Yet our prime minister said ‘we won't take any more refugees’. He thinks that most of us don't care. But we do. We don't want Britain to be the kind of country that turns its back as people drown in their desperation to flee places like Syria. So let's stand up for Britain's long tradition of helping refugees fleeing war. Let's show the Prime Minister that we, the people of the UK, are proud to do our part and provide refuge to people in their hour of need. Please sign and share, or start your own petition for your town or city here: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/efforts/refugees-welcome

There are many reasons to be wary of fracking, primarily because it involves the use of toxic chemicals and results in the release of toxic materials from underground rock, which if released into the water supply and air are hazardous to health. Fracking has already been banned in France. • Fracking involves injecting water, a chemical cocktail and sand, deep underground, to break up rock and extract natural gas. • Fracking can easily go wrong and the water supply can be contaminated with naturally occurring toxins such as lead, barium, bromide, manganese, chloride, hyrocholric acid, methane and radiation. Fracking has been linked to birth defects, cancer and infertility in Colorado. There are numerous cases of water and air contamination in the USA and in 2014 a family whose health had been seriously affected by fracking close to their home, won a landslide 3M lawsuit. • The Vale of Belvoir and surrounding area is sensitive to earthquakes, as typified by the 2008 earthquake in Market Rasen and 2015 earthquake in Oakham making it a very unsafe area for fracking of any kind. • According to Greenpeace UK, in the USA and Australia, fracking accidents have already occurred contaminating water and killing livestock. • Greenpeace UK, have highlighted that fracking will be monitored by independent agencies with a poor history of performance and no robust monitoring in place. • Fracking would result in hundreds of unsightly wells or ‘drilling pads’ which could stretch hundreds of meters or even miles underground and potentially under people’s homes • There will be increased traffic of diesel trucks laden with fracking chemicals and waste fluid. • Large volumes of water are required for fracking at the expense of our water tables. • According to the International Energy Agency, very little gas is extracted and for huge effort and expense to the environment. The Conservative governments climate advisor advised against fracking in 2012 due to its limited returns and high risk to the environment. • The gas extracted won’t necessarily be for UK consumption but could be sold overseas Kate Maclean & Caroline Coram, September 2015 SOURCES CNN (2014) Texas family plagued with ailments gets 3M in 1st of its kind fracking judgements http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/25/justice/texas-family-wins-fracking-lawsuit/ 3M was granted against Aruba petroleum. Court awarded 3M laundry list of health problems Frack Off (2015) Water Contamination http://frack-off.org.uk/mounting-evidence-the-harm-caused-by-fracking/ Grantham Matters (2015) Vale of Belvoir licences is fracking bad news for Grantham says councillor [Online], Available fromhttp://www.granthammatters.co.uk/vale-of-belvoir-licences-is-fracking-bad-news-for-grantham-says-councillor [Accessed 31 August 2015] Greenpeace (2015) Four Reasons why we could all be fracked by Fracking [Online] Available from http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/climate/3-reasons-why-we-could-all-be-fracked-fracking-20130812 [Accessed 31 August 2015] International Energy Agency (2015) https://www.iea.org/topics/naturalgas/publications/ New York Times (2010) When a rig moves in next door [Online] Available from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/business/energy-environment/07frack.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1 Upworthy (2015) the consequences of fracking revealed in a simple kitchen test. Available from http://www.upworthy.com/the-consequences-of-fracking-revealed-in-a-simple-kitchen-test-holy-smokes?c=ufb2

Aylan, the toddler who drowned fleeing Syria, was just three years old. His town was under attack by Isis. His five year old brother and his mum also died trying to reach safety. We don't want Britain to be the kind of country that turns its back as people drown in their desperation to flee places like Syria. So let's stand up for Britain's long tradition of helping refugees fleeing war. Let's show the Prime Minister that we, the people of the UK, are proud to do our part and provide refuge to people in their hour of need. Please sign and share, or start your own petition for your town or city here: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/efforts/refugees-welcome