38 Degrees Loughborough

Single use plastic bottles are becoming a major menace to the environment. 7.7 billion plastic water bottles are sold in the UK each year, and although every local authority in the UK now provides household recycling collections, the recycling rate for plastic bottles has plateaued at just under 60 per cent. The advantage of public drinking fountains and refills, says environmental campaigner Ben Reynolds, deputy chief executive of the charity Sustain is that they reduce the “insanity” of bottled water, much imported from France and some from as far afield as Fiji. Drinking water fountains in Loughborough Town Centre would mean that residents and visitors could refill bottles for free, drastically cutting down on the number o single use plastic bottles being used. A well-designed fountain could also become a feature for the town, like 'The Sock Man'. For more info on water fountains: https://www.sustainweb.org/ http://www.thelondonmagazine.co.uk/people-places/london-life/hit-the-bottle.html https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/24/drinking-water-fountains-should-become-iconic-red-british-telephone/

The hospital offers both inpatient and outpatient care, as well as an Urgent Care Centre. With limited onsite parking, access to the health and care services offered at the hospital has become a major problem to elderly patients and those with mobility issues or without transport. Mental Health services has just been moved to the site, meaning even more patients use the hospital. Local bus companies need to be held to account for providing a service that meets the needs of customers and this includes maintaining adequate transport links to our local hospital for patients with accessibility needs.