Down's Syndrome - Do You Know The Facts?

Hello, my name is Yelena and I would like to thank you for taking an interest in my blog. I have set up this blog to try and raise awareness of people affected with Down’s syndrome and the incorrect stereotypes that they face. I also hope to change your opinion on the genetic condition.

First and foremost, Down’s syndrome isn’t a disease. You can’t get it off other people and it isn’t necessarily hereditary (doesn’t automatically ‘run in the family’). It is a genetic condition. This means that it occurs due to a fault in your genes. It often strikes at random to children during their development in the womb. There is no ‘cure’.

Now, you’ll be thinking, well that’s all well and good but what does it have to do with me? Everything:

• There are approximately 65,000 people with Down’s syndrome living in the UK at the moment and this number is set to rise.
• Number of children with Down’s Syndrome educated in Mainstream Primary Schools:
• 80% Nationally
• 90% in Devon
• There has been a 75% rise in Down’s Syndrome births in the last 20 years

Here are some of the more common misconceptions that people hold against Down’s Syndrome affected people:

Children with Down’s syndrome are only born to older women, but 80% of children with Down's syndrome are born to women that are younger than 35.
However, the older the mother, the more likely it is for her to have a child with Down’s syndrome.

All people with Down’s syndrome will later develop Alzheimer's disease (Dementia) - Although many people with Down’s syndrome do develop dementia in their later years, not all people do. It is not certain. Dementia is just as likely to happen in other people only 20-30 years later than people with Down’s Syndrome.

Thank You for reading my Blog. Many people with Down’s Syndrome live happy & contented lives & give much back to their family & members of their community. Now could I please ask you to help me by answering some of the following brief questions:

1. Had you heard of Down’s syndrome before reading my blog?
2. Do you now feel more informed on the effects of Down’s Syndrome?
3. Has my Blog changed your opinion on how you would treat people affected by the condition?
4. On a scale of one to ten how prepared would you have been to make a donation to a Down’s syndrome charity before and after reading my blog?

Thank you very much and I am looking forward to reading your responses.

Yelena

Kingskerswell NEEDS it's bypass!

Thank you very much for taking an interest in my blog! Supporting the need for a bypass is very important to me because it directly affects me and other people. Not very many people seem to realise what issues the road is causing, and therefore don’t have a view on the matter. So I am trying to raise awareness and gain support for the proposal. After reading this I hope that you will know some more about the issues concerning the road, and feel that you would like to support it.

The A380 running through Kingskerswell (small village between 2 busy towns, Torquay and Newton Abbot) experiences a lot of traffic, as it is the only road between the two towns. Torquay is a busy seaside town with a lot of people travelling from Newton Abbot, to get to school, work and for pleasure; it attracts a lot of tourism every year. The amount of commuters causes many issues including:

• Congestion
The road gets blocked very often and can make a journey that under normal circumstances would take 15 minutes, take 60 minutes plus. The traffic trails for hours on end and takes ages to clear.
• Problems for the Emergency Services
It makes the emergency services jobs very difficult as they can be stuck in traffic on a very urgent call out.
• It is the only way in or out of Torquay
This highlights another problem that commuters can only use this road to get to where they need to be.
• The number of cars makes the road extremely dangerous
There is a school nearby, which I am sure parents are concerned to send their children to as the children have to cross this road.

As you can see, there are many issues created by this road and there are many more which I haven’t included. But there is a solution! There are proposals to build a bypass. The bypass would mean that the flow of traffic is decreased as it is split within two roads. The Kingskerswell Bypass is a Pressure Group that needs YOUR support to get the proposal to go ahead. With your support the problems will be solved!

Thank you so much again for reading my blog. Please do now post me a response to your thoughts. It would be great if you could write a few words to answer some of the following questions. More info can be found at:
http://www.kingskerswell-bypass.co.uk/index.php .

Please support this pressure group in any way you can and help Kingskerswell have a more tranquil Village!

1. Had you heard about the issues concerning the A380 in Kingskerswell before reading my Blog?
2. Do you now feel more informed about what the Kingskerswell Bypass is and how it will positively affect the area?
3. Have I changed your opinion about the Bypass Proposal and if so, why?

Thank You Very Much for Reading my Blog Again!

Sofiya

We can all save energy quickly!

Thanks everyone for taking the time to read this and hopefully comment on my blog. We all know it is crucial at this time to save energy, and I believe that an energy meter is a quick and effective gadget which whilst letting us save energy - also saves us cash! It is proven that when used properly an energy meter can save us up to 20% off our bills!

How does it work? Basically it reads how much energy your home is currently using, some even tell you how much it costs and then it’s up to you to turn off all electrical devices currently not in use (at the wall) and then see how much you have saved.

They are simple to use and install and come in all different shapes and sizes. Some energy companies are already giving out free energy meters with some deals so check if you can get one too!

In summary 3 reasons why you should try to get hold of energy meters are:

• They can save you money
• They can help prevent Global warming
• They can show you how much energy you are using exactly.
Global warming is likely to affect many animals- if our planet becomes hotter ice on the poles will melt resulting in devastating consequences for us and the animals living there.

It would be really helpful if you could please comment on your feelings towards the usage of energy meters and if you have after reading this article bought an energy meter or are considering buying one please tell me. Specifically:

1. Had you heard about Energy Meters before?
2. Have I made you more aware of the possible benefits of Energy Meters?
3. Would you now consider getting an energy meter installed in your home? Please explain your answer briefly.

Many thanks again for your help, if you do respond respond to this blog.

Rachel

Recycling - What YOU can do...

Thank you for choosing to view our blog on recycling in Devon and we hope that you come away supporting this growing issue!
Our aim is to try and get everybody in our community to help to combat climate change by recycling. After all every little helps!
You should recycle because...

• We want our world to be kept and preserved for future generations to enjoy!
• By recycling you are helping others instead of polluting our planet - for example when you give clothes to a charity shop instead of throwing them in the bin others can benefit from your ‘junk’!
• Recycling saves the time and energy of those who are responsible for sorting through house hold waste in the landfill sites
• If everyone helped by doing small individual recycling gestures, it would actually build up to a big effort made by the local community!

After now reading our blog, please can you post a brief response to these two questions:

1. Have we in any way changed your opinion about recycling &/or made you more aware of the possible benefits of recycling?
2. Would you now consider recycling more yourself? Please explain.

Thank you again for taking an interest in a local issue close to our hearts and we hope you will go away with the intention to recycle more!

Chelsea and Sarah

Torquay Should Be Encouraged to Recycle

Torquay should be encouraged to recycle. Hello, thank you for reading our blog, we are a group of Year 8 students doing our GCSE advocacy course and we are trying to gain support for Torquay, to be given more local and easier access to recycling facilities so that people will not have to travel as far to recycle their rubbish.

As we live in Torquay, we know that there are not enough local recycling facilities for you to be able to easily get rid of bottles, cans and many more objects. We would like you to support our campaign as it would benefit you and your family in many ways. We also know that the few recycling bins around Torquay are labelled and easy for people to put their recycling into and if the whole of Torquay had these then it would encourage more people to put their rubbish in the bin instead of dropping it on the floor and leaving it there, as there would be more clearly labelled bins nearby to drop their rubbish into. Furthermore, we are also trying to get children involved as it is their future we are dealing with and so if they were told more about it in school and at clubs, maybe they would be more willing to help save the environment. If parents and schools encourage and help children make more arts and crafts out of old materials so this would not only be fun for children but it would also help the environment.

Even if people aren’t particularly interested in or don’t think we need more recycling facilities then we would still like to get the message across about Reduce, Reuse, Recycle as even by a person doing this they are helping the environment and helping reduce waste.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read our blog, please feel free to post us with a response of your thoughts. In particular, it would be great if you could answer some of these questions in your responses;

• Have we changed your opinion about wanting to make Torquay a more recycle friendly area?
• Had you thought about the issue that there weren’t enough recycling facilities before you read our blog?
• Do you now feel more informed about the ways you could help about recycling?
• Would you be willing to support our campaign?
• Would you be willing to tell your family and friends about making Torquay a more recycle friendly area?

Once again, thank you for taking the time to read about our Advocacy, and posting your comments, we hope you are now aware about what we are advocating for.

Chloe, Katie and Jess.

We should support the Mare and Foal Sanctuary

Thank you for showing interest in my blog. I am trying to raise awareness of the Mare and Foal Sanctuary (MFS) and what they do. This is something that I feel strongly about and I think that more people should know about it as they help so many horses. When you have read my Blog I hope that you will know a bit more about what horses can go through each day.

Horses can look like this when they come into the Sanctuary and most of them may even come in looking worse. Or some of them may even look better than this, but they had to be taken in, because their owner has fallen ill and they can’t look after them anymore. The MFS have a special adoption scheme where you give money once a year to look after your adopted horse then you will receive a certificate to say that you have adopted one of the horses then you will also give you a picture of your horse and a description of how he or she had arrived in the sanctuary. This does not just help you to understand the horse, but it also benefits the horse as well as the money goes towards their bedding and food costs as well as their veterinary bills.

Thank you so much for reading my Blog! Now please would you write just a few words to give me feedback please it will only take a minute.

1) Have I told you things you didn’t already know about the MFS?
2) Would you be prepared to
1. Make a Donation?
2. Start or join in a fund raising event?
3. Adopt a Horse/Pony?
4. Tell your family and friends about the sanctuary?

Thank you again for looking at my blog and taking the time to answer the questions. Further details of the MFS can be found at: http://www.mareandfoal.org/html/index.php

Thank you very much

Kelly

Recycling! Why we should bother!

Thank you very much for taking time to read my blog.
Trying to recycle more and to help save the planet is something that I really feel strongly about. I also feel that not enough is being done to promote this, and that is why I have chosen to cover this topic. After reading my blog, I hope to of gained your support in the fight against landfill sites and less general household waste. I hope you will also be in favour of better recycling facilities and more general recycling overall.

Imagine if you had no food or water or pretty much anything, how would you feel if you had to go onto these dumpsites everyday to find somebody else’s waste and then use this for your everyday life. Here in England even if we are poor and we have cookers or washing machines that break, most of us can save up and buy ourselves a new one. In many parts of the world they don’t have that luxury and therefore have to go onto these smelly, dirty and overall disgusting sites everyday just to get the bare essentials needed for everyday life.

This should not be happening. All of these items such as mobiles, machines and even any type of electrical product along with the normal paper and cans, etc can be recycled and put to a better use than lying on a dump site waiting to be picked up and tried to be used by someone who can’t afford to buy one. If less money was wasted in this way, maybe we could afford to give more money in aid to those less fortunate than ourselves. Listed below, are 5 reasons why you should recycle and how it can not only help the environment, but you personally;

1. Recycling just one aluminium can saves enough energy to run a TV, or to even operate a computer for three hours. Think of the smaller electricity bills we could have!
2. A glass bottle would take more than 4000 years to decompose, however it would take even longer if it was on landfill.
3. The average person gets through 38kg of newspapers each year! And every ton of paper that's recycled can save enough energy to power a three bedroom house for a whole year.
4. You can make 20 cans out of recycled material with the same amount of energy it takes to make one new one.
5. Up to 60% of the rubbish that ends up in the dustbin could be recycled.

I would like to say thank you again for taking time to read my Blog, I would just like to ask you a few questions, but before that here is a good website if you want to know more about what and how to recycle - http://www.recycling-guide.org.uk/

* Before reading my blog did you recycle and if so what items?
* After reading my blog have you now changed your opinion on recycling and will you recycle more? If so what?
* Would you now be willing to tell family and friends about this issue and try to persuade them to recycle more, and to even visit my blog and make a comment of their own?
* And finally, would you be willing to support my petition to hopefully change people’s opinions on recycling and to encourage them to do more of this, along with saving land from becoming another victim to landfill.

Thank you

Jemma.

We must Save Our Scout HQ

Hello, thank you so much for taking an interest in my blog. I am trying to support an issue that I care a lot about. I want to stop Torbay Council from knocking down the scout Head Quarters for 6th Torbay Sea Scouts and the buildings/shops next to it. In its place they want to extend the harbour and put in new cafes and shops, getting rid of the old ones.

I don’t want this to happen because 190 young people use the facilities each week, meaning that it offers a brilliant way to entertain young people and helping them to become more interested in the bay.

As you can see form the picture above, we currently have a great location, right next to the harbour, and our location is very important to us as we are SEA scouts and need to be next to the sea. At the moment it is very easy for us to do water activities as we are literally 5 seconds from the harbour. If we had to move then it would be very complicated and difficult to do our water activities as we would be much further away.

People who walk/cycle to scouts may not be able to attend as we will be too far away from their home. Also the current businesses would lose their shops and all of their customers would go to the new cafes and shops. As you can see, if the proposal were to go ahead then it would a have massive impact on 6th Torbay Sea Scouts, and the businesses that surround it.

Thank you again for taking the time to read my blog. Please, please comment on my blog and help me stop Torbay Council’s plans. It would be greatly appreciated if you could answer any of the following questions:

• Before you read this blog where you for, against, undecided/unaware of the issue?
• Now that you have read this blog are you for, against, undecided/unaware of the issue?
• Have I changed your opinion of this issue?
• Would you tell your friends/family about this issue?
• If you had the opportunity, would you actively discourage the proposal? E.g. sign a petition?

Thank you very much!

Ginnie.

Join Our Battle Against the Bypass

Hello and welcome to our Blog. First of all we thank you for reading and taking interest in our issue. Our names are Alice and Alison, and we are trying to raise awareness and hopefully convince you that the Kingskerswell Bypass is a bad idea.

Here are some issues that would arise if the bypass was to be built:

• Health and Safety would be an issue because children do walk around the village by themselves. They would be at a greater risk of harming themselves if it were to be built.
• Animal’s habitats would be destroyed and grazing grounds for horses ruined.
• The church, shown below, is right next to the plot of the bypass. What is now a peaceful resting place could become a noisy and dirty one.
• Litter is often thrown out of cars as they drive along. The peaceful village of Kingskerswell would become a rubbish bin.
• Local businesses along the current road, the A380, would lose business because less people would travel along it and may end in closing down.

Thank you again very much for reading and thinking about our views. Please do now post a comment below about your thoughts and views. You may want to write answers to these questions:

• Had you ever heard about this issue before reading my blog?
• What do you think about it? Why?
• Have you helped try to stop the bypass?
• Would the Bypass have a direct affect on you?
• Have we changed your mind about whether the Bypass is a good idea?
• Would you consider helping to stop the bypass?
• Do you feel more informed about this issue after reading our blog?

Alice & Alison

COASTWATCH - Why YOU Should support it!

Hello, and welcome to our Blog that raises awareness about the National Coastwatch Institution (NCI). We would greatly appreciate it if you could please read our blog and comment on it! We would dearly like it if you would agree & support this cause in the future!

Firstly, who are the NCI? The NCI is a voluntary organisation that helps to keep a watch around the coastline of the UK. This organisation was founded in 1994 when two fishermen lost their lives off the Cornish coast, near a recently closed Coastguard station. This is when the local people decided it was time to reopen and restore the visual watch and save lives that could otherwise have been lost out at sea and around the area. When this station at Bass point was opened, the NCI was created.

The N.C.I does a VERY important job! There are volunteers at the watch towers 365 days a year (even Christmas Day) because they are so committed to the protection and safety of others. They provide a permanent service unlike the lifeguards. The volunteers do a number of jobs whilst at the tower.

These include:

• They call the R.N.L.I or emergency services if they see anyone out at sea in trouble, from yachts to surfers.
• They can also do the same for anyone walking along the beach or coastal paths around sea cliffs.
• Watching and logging ships- they can report them if they go missing.
• Even when the visibility is poor, they can use high-tech equipment such as radar and radios to keep in touch with any vessels.
• On top of all this, they can spot wildlife that is rare to see (e.g. dolphins and basking sharks) and let charities know of their presence.
• Divers, tomb stoners, canoeists, walkers, fishermen... you name it, they spot it!

Overall, anything near the sea or on the sea is made safe by the N.C.I. - the list is endless!

If you visit the beach most days or perhaps just once a year, the National Coastwatch Institution can keep you safe in at least one of the above ways. However, the voluntary group relies completely on public donations and so can only go on securing our coastline if we give donations. There are 37 watchtowers around England and Wales, but as the U.K is an island we have a huge amount of coastline left unguarded and treacherous. So please remember:

IF YOU GIVE A LITTLE, THEY CAN SAVE A LOT

Thank you very much for taking your time to read our blog! We hope that you can now answer a few questions about our chosen organisation;
1. Had you heard of this voluntary organisation before?
2. Do you now feel more informed about whom they are and what job they provide?
3. Would you be prepared to support the NCI in the future, this means giving donations, supporting and signing petitions etc.?
4. Would you tell others about this voluntary organisation and the job that they provide?

Many thanks, Alice & Megan
For more information visit http://www.nci.org.uk/