It is just over a year since the tragic accident that killed Freddie Coleman and seriously injured his friend as they were walking to school at 08:20 on Friday 3 November 2023. Since then, Freddie’s family, Stock Parish Council and village residents have been campaigning to make Stock a safer place for all road users and pedestrians and are demanding the introduction of a 20mph zone and average speed cameras. A community speed watch group has been set up with volunteers using speed guns to identify passing vehicles. In one hour alone, over 30 speeding vehicles were detected. And since March of this year, even with limited surveillance, around 360 people have been detected speeding in the village, some with speeds in excess of 50mph. In addition, Stock Parish Council have submitted nine Local Highways Panel (LHP) applications requesting speed reductions, average speed cameras and improvements to pedestrian crossings, but unfortunately none have been granted so far. It is of this reason, one year on since that fateful accident, that we, the residents of Stock, feel compelled to come together again, with SPC, to create a petition to demonstrate our disappointment that this situation has not yet been rectified. We are ‘Stock Against Speeding’ and we want the speed limit in our village of Stock reduced to 20mph and average speed cameras installed as soon as possible, because, quite frankly, every day without this, is a day too long.

It is reported that the Home Office has ordered Apple to build a backdoor into its encrypted services so that they can get hold of content that any Apple user has upload to the cloud. Encryption keeps our private information safe and secure. It’s essential for being safe online when sending messages, shopping, doing online banking – and for storing things safely in the cloud. With the Cabinet Office estimating the cost of Cyber Crime at £21BN a year to our economy, we can’t afford to make our data less secure with a backdoor.  But the UK government thinks it should be access anything and everything, anywhere and anytime – and it’s prepared to put all of our security at risk in order to do so. According to the Washington Post, Apple are likely to say no to this demand and stop providing encrypted services to people in the UK. This would mean that Apple users in the UK no longer have the secure products that people in other countries have. But this is not just about Apple. The UK government has been putting pressure on Meta to stop rolling out encryption in its services. Android users could be next. The UK Government can do this because last year, they added new powers to the Investigatory Powers Act, known as the snooper’s charter. These powers mean the Home Office can force tech companies to notify them when they want to make their products more secure; in other words so the Home Office can stop security measures from ever being added.  The Home Office don’t have to get a judge to approve these orders. We as citizens can’t even find out if such an order has been issued due to their secretive nature. This is the wrong way round. The UK Government should encourage tech companies to use encryption and keep us all safe online – not put our privacy and security at risk. We need to act now before we lose Apple encrypted services. Add your name to demand that the Home Office protects your privacy now. Read more here: https://metro.co.uk/2025/02/08/privacy-fears-millions-government-demands-access-messages-photos-22520358

Whitehill Bordon is a regeneration town, designated an Eco Town around 2010 and also home to the MOD Bordon Garrison REME which announced its departure in 2013.  It sits in the North-East ‘corner’ of Hampshire, bordering Surrey & West Sussex.   The Chase Community Hospital (opened 1991) is a purpose-built healthcare facility standing in its own grounds with a car park, originally provided many healthcare services to Whitehill & Bordon and surrounding villages, with community beds for respite, care and rehabilitation, physiotherapy, x-ray department, a number of different clinics. In 2013 an NHS Charter declared a commitment ensuring a long-term sustainable future providing health services the people want to the Chase Hospital.   During years 2013 - 2018 we watched as services were withdrawn on a widely-acknowledged deliberate basis, (to date it is reported operating at only 25% of its original capacity) when we learnt that East Hampshire District Council responsible for the massive multimillion-pound regeneration of Whitehill & Bordon, including the Health Hub, announced the future closure of the Chase Community Hospital, causing real concern for us residents.  A 22,000/30,000 population is anticipated by 2030, to be supported by one existing GP practice only (Forest Surgery), to operate the new Health Hub.  The Chase Hospital would then close.   The 2013 NHS Charter had been reneged upon.  And we are told by EHDC we will have a “one-stop shop for local people’s primary health care needs…[just]… 0.7 miles away from Chase Community Hospital & Forest Surgery…”   There has been a long-standing distrust of the NHS Commissioning Care Group’s principles of care for the developing and growing community of the Whitehill & Bordon settlement since 2013, concern over the construction of the Health Hub in the new town centre and a growing scepticism over who is ultimately likely to benefit. The community also has severe doubts that our Integrated Care Board’s future-proofing of expansion space of 153 sq. m. can be correct.  In 2020 East Hampshire District Council predicted the area’s population is set to rise by 8,000 to 22,000 (likely to be conservative estimate), all needing access to health services - the majority registering with Forest Surgery in the new town centre’s Health Hub.   The proposed Health Hub planning application (19/06/24) states future-proofing to a “certain extent” to take into account a population increase in 4/5 years from it being operational, allowing current Forest Surgery patient numbers ONLY to increase from c.8,250 – 15/16,000, which would then move into the Health Hub. We do not believe the major changes by the Government to The National Planning Policy Framework (12/12/24) has been taken into account by the ICB in any of their plans in their most recent report, when concern over the Health Hub’s ability to provide adequate care to an increasing population already existed! Whitehill & Bordon is also a fairly isolated area cut off by a lack of an adequate transport system.  When in need of healthcare services no longer provided locally, it is very time-consuming, expensive and extremely difficult for carless and/or vulnerable residents to access alternative facilities without transport; they are locked in their immediate locality.  We ask the Secretary of State to intervene on the basis that facilities and infrastructure MUST come with additional housing and review whether retaining Chase Community Hospital is in the best interests of the residents of Whitehill & Bordon and surrounding area. The Chase Hospital is already there with space plus room for further expansion, ready and waiting! The Health Hub building of 2 floors contained under five and a half floors of flats and half a floor of roof garden above, along with flats and retail outlets each side. Health Hub area:  The 2-floor Health Hub total area is to be 2,922 sq.m. made up by an NHS-funded area 1,754 sq.m., we assume the 1,168 sq.m. difference is for private profit-making healthcare businesses. Chase Hospital area:  approximately 2,667 sq. m. plus Forest Surgery and its pharmacy 605 sq. m. totalling 3,272 sq. m.  (Sadly only 25% fully utilized!)  What a deplorable waste of money, healthcare facility and services by the NHS, ICB, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust and NHS Property Services! We are now in 2025, some 10 years on from the Master Plan, and the Health Hub still isn’t built with no date in sight. The local Integrated Care Board is totally focused on the Health Hub and despite our ongoing Campaign including some of your own Government’s visions, it seems reluctant to listen to local people and is not using accurate data regarding patient numbers. Where is the logic or common sense in closing a desperately needed health facility when nearby towns that will be half the intended size of Whitehill & Bordon currently have thriving and/or expanding community hospitals that members of our community are referred to? It seems ironic that when the Chase first opened its doors the local population of Whitehill & Bordon was 4,661.  Now it is looking set to rise to circa 30,000 and authorities want to close it…! To support our Campaign further you can also go to our Facebook page entitled: -  YOU KNOW THE CHASE HOSPITAL MAKES SENSE

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!