Successful Campaigns

No parent should have to hold their children and comfort them as they die, or be told that their child has been harmed by someone who is supposed to love them. But that’s exactly what I had to experience 10 years ago when my sons Jack and Paul were killed by their father after a family court judge granted him unsupervised contact with them, despite my warnings. For the past nine years, I’ve been campaigning with Women’s Aid to ensure children are at the heart of every decision made in the family courts and their voices, wishes and feelings are heard. I’ve been to Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament to help get key changes through in the Domestic Abuse Act.  In 2017, we saw new guidance published for judges making decisions about child contact in cases of domestic abuse. And in 2020, the Government committed to make the family courts safer for adult and child survivors. But years later, we’re still waiting for true reform to keep children safe now and for generations to come.  That’s why I’m calling on the new Labour Government and family courts to ensure, once and for all, that decisions made about parental contact do not allow known abusers to have unsafe contact with children that puts their lives at risk.

Yesterday four of our group spoke in front of a full Edinburgh Councillor meeting and handed in all your signatures to the Lord Provost of Edinburgh. The council then debated the issue and voted on what to do next. We are absolutely delighted to report that the council voted overwhelmingly to continue Edinburgh Childcare 4 All, and so we have won!!! We're due a full investigation and report into how this happened , guaranteed funding for children currently in the scheme and, importantly, a guarantee that the scheme remains open to new applicants! For all of us this was never just about our individual children. Because we know how vital this support is to vulnerable children and their families, we are so relieved that more kids and communities will now get to benefit! Edinburgh remains a shining light in inclusive practise and can be proud of the example it is setting to the rest of the country. If you are interested to watch our deputation and the petition hand in, a recording is available on this website. https://edinburgh.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/801091 Our speeches and the hand-in begin at 1 hour 5 mins and the debate and vote begin at 3 hours 49 minutes. We couldn't have won this without you all sharing this petition and emailing your councillors. You really made a huge difference by putting pressure on when it counted. Thank you for your time and energy! We will keep the petition open for now while we hold Edinburgh Council to account and make sure they keep their promises. You'll hear from us again if we need you to put the pressure on again. But just now we can all celebrate! Woo Hoo! From all of us in our Keep Edinburgh Childcare4all group - thank you from the bottom of our hearts! PS - Here's a news report from yesterday https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/parents-demand-edinburgh-council-restart-27630509?int_source=nba

Dear all We hope you are well. We are so happy to report that as of 4.30pm this afternoon, the Woodman is now open for drinks. They are still working on bringing us food but we are sure you will join us in celebrating this mega milestone. Hope to see you there soon for a drink. Best wishes Polly and David

07/09/23 - We Won! Following pressure from our campaign, The Government has confirmed that the UK will re-join the EU's flagship scientific research scheme. Congratulations to everyone who signed. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-66737714

19/09/23: New petrol price information shows that supermarkets are no longer overcharging for petrol. Well done to everyone who signed the petition! https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/petrol-prices-uk-government-figures-data-cost-disparity-zqw53th5h

26/07/18 We won!!! Home Secretary Sajid Javid said "cannabis-derived medicinal products" will be available "by the autumn" through the NHS system Announcing the changes, Javid said: “Recent cases involving sick children made it clear to me that our position on cannabis-related medicinal products was not satisfactory.” Thanks to the hundreds of thousands of 38 Degrees members who signed this petition, wrote to Sajid Javid, and pushed the government to make this important change to the law.

Aintree racecourse have made safety improvements to the Grand National race in 2024. This includes reducing the number of horses running from 40 to 34 and bringing the start time forward to improve the Aintree ground. Despite these welcome new safety measures for the feature race, two horses still sadly died during the 3 day meet. We hope that Aintree racecourse will continue their progress and consider how the Grand National race in 2025 could be even safer. https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/racing/grand-national-2024-safety-changes-horses-b2528159.html https://www.express.co.uk/sport/horseracing/1887883/Grand-National-Festival-Pikar-dead-Giovinco

Gary Lineker has been reinstated by the BBC https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/gary-lineker-reinstated-bbc-victory-29439792

The £2 fare cap has been extended and a further £80m has been made available to support critical bus services in England! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64678990

16/01/23 We Won! To everyone who signed and supported, On Saturday evening Colehill Cricket Club completed and exceeded our fundraising goal to ensure that adult cricket can continue to be played at Colehill. The support we have received has been nothing short of extraordinary. Each and every donation, every signature or post share, no mater the size has been humbling. It cannot be overstated how much the support that we have received means to us. We move forward into a new season with the support of the local and wider community, both cricketing and non-cricketing at the forefront of our minds. This support will push us to be the best cricket club that we can be. The most engaging cricket club we can be, and the most welcoming cricket club we can be. We hope to do all of our supporters proud over the coming weeks, months and years. And, if you do find yourself in our sleepy corner of east Dorset, please pop by and say hello to Colehill Cricket Club. Now Your Cricket Club. Many thanks from myself (George), the Colehill team, and players & supporters past and present who will continue to share the joy we do, getting to play at such a wonderful ground.