Homeless not Hopeless - St Petrock’s Homelessness Charity

Hello and first of all thank you for visiting my blog. My name is Rebecca Grace and I believe strongly in helping those who are homeless and stopping prejudice towards those sleeping on the streets. I am currently advocating for St Petrock’s homelessness charity which is based in Exeter and is making a world of difference to homeless people in Devon. They offer education, shelter, counselling, clothes and food to those who need it. They literally change lives. How can anyone not want to help those who have to sleep in doorways and down alleys, no matter who that person is? Here is a link to their webpage:

 St Petrocks Website

What most people don’t understand is that some people’s pasts are best forgotten by them and some people’s pasts have led to them sleeping on the street. Just because someone is homeless it does not make them “dirty” “rough” or “drunken drug users”. If people could look behind the exterior they would see someone who is cold and hungry and desperate for people to help them. Not someone who wants to be called a “hobo” or a person who wants to be thought of as someone who will only spend any money you give them on drink and drugs. If nothing else, I would like to change the mindsets of people who think that 100% of homeless people are bad people who have caused their own problems and should be left alone.

The Facts:

76% of homeless people are male

24% of homeless people are female

64% have drug or alcohol issues

64% have a physical health condition

70% have mental health issues

54% have educational needs

8% have been in care

8% are ex-offenders or have been in prison

St Petrock’s slogan is “Positively Responding to Homelessness”. This sums up my advocacy completely. The people on the street have far less than you and a small donation is NOT going to affect whether or not you buy those new shoes or go on that holiday.

So please, next time you tuck yourself into a warm bed or eat a warm meal, spare a thought for those who will be sleeping on the street or in a doorway tonight. A song that fits my advocacy well is Michael Jackson’s famous song Man in the Mirror because it is about realizing how lucky we are and trying to empathize with and help those far less fortunate than you.

Thank you for reading my blog post and I really hope that it has changed your attitudes to homeless people or just informed you of St Petrock’s amazing work. Please email me at:

10rwright@tggsacademy.org

In your email please tell me what you thought of my advocacy and answer these questions. (In your responses please tell me your home town and country):

• Had you previously heard of St Petrock’s Homelessness Charity before my advocacy?

• Has my advocacy changed your pre-existing opinions of homeless people?  

• Would you now consider donating or volunteering to help St Petrock’s continue their work?

Honestly, what were your opinions of homeless people on a scale of one to ten before my advocacy? Ten meaning you think that they should be helped in every way possible and one being that you think they should be left well alone.
Please may you leave a final opinion on the work of St Petrock’s, your current or past views on homelessness or homeless people or your thoughts on my advocacy as a whole?
Thank you very much for your time and I hope my blog has been informative.

Don’t Be Selfish! Give People the Opportunities You’d Want!

The RDA strives to help people with disabilities have one amazing experience that more able people can have easily – horse-riding.

Horse-riding is used in a very therapeutic way for people with disabilities as it builds up not only physical aspects for them, but also social aspects and how they relate to other people. From having a relationship, a ‘bond’, with your horse, it builds up the way you relate to people. It also builds them up strength-wise and they learn to have responsibilities.

Watching people with disabilities be able to have more freedom and develop in lots of ways is very rewarding. The RDA gives people with disabilities the push they need to develop and mature.

All the athletes chosen for the Paralympic games for horse-riding are trained through the RDA from when they are young. This is what a few of them said:

Emma: Riding was very important in getting me walking. Even now, although I’m riding for sport, it still plays a big part in my physical development. I was a little dot on a Shetland when I started. I’m 27 now.

Jo: Athens 2004 was incredible. It was a big eye opener – seeing how other people cope with disability, seeing what they achieved in other sports.

Anne: My first words were ‘trot trot’ apparently. It’s been in my blood all my life. I can’t imagine life without horses. After my disability I re-taught myself and rode side-saddle with RDA.

Ricky: We’re lucky in this country that we have RDA, because it’s proving now to work. Some countries haven’t got that support. We’ve got this system coming though from young riders and RDA is essential. We should build that bridge as much as possible between RDA and the Paras.

The RDA is run by 18,000 volunteers who give up their time for centres all over the UK. It is easy and good to help volunteer and you don’t have to know anything about horses and ponies. Whatever your skills there will be something for you to help with!

Please take the time to watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOkGePsBnh0&feature=channel&list=UL

Or if you’re rushed for time, this one is a bit shorter:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXUwKmVLVqI

Be Concerned and Help the Aged

Hello, my name is Alefyah. I appreciate you taking your time to look at my blog.

Encouraging the elderly generation to get involved with their community, and getting the community to get involved with them is not an easy task. Yet Age Uk is a determined charity. The two charities (Help the Aged, and Age Concern) only combined in 2009 and have helped over 5 million (!) older people. However, they can’t continue to do it alone. Age Uk need our help, once you’ve had read my blog I hope you will feel inclined to volunteer, or are at least more aware about the problems old people face.

Everyone gets old, and as both mental and physical illness starts to set in, it gets increasingly difficult to communicate with the outside world and keep up with the younger generations. Sorting out legal documents, bills etc. is particularly affected by this because a lot of these documents are going online. Age Uk helps older people keep up with everyday necessities.

Their workers dedicate their lives to the elder generation in the hope that when they reach that age themselves, the charity will still be around to benefit them. They work nationally and sometimes even internationally in less economically developed countries such as India and Haiti, and prefer to view older people not as a group, but as individuals with their own particular needs. Their workers have a vision to allow the elderly to be equal citizens with equal rights, they aim want to increase the quality of later life by providing them with the opportunities for the health and social care that they need. This is now being  well demonstrated with the new idea of having an MP dedicated to pensioners, something Age UK are currently fighting for.

We can help by: volunteering at an Age Uk shop in your local area; donating as much or as little as you can; supporting the elderly within your own community. Please feel free to visit their website, for more information and dates to allow you to get involved. http://www.ageuk.org.uk/

I hope that this has not only raised your awareness about older people, but about Age Uk, and what they do, and how we can help. Once again, thank you for taking the time to read my blog.

Have a Heart and Help the British Heart Foundation

Thank You for taking the time to read my blog.
My name is Jade; I am a year 8 pupil at Torquay Girls’ Grammar School.
For my Citizenship Advocacy GCSE, I have chosen to support the British Heart Foundation.

Did you know that Heart and Circulatory disease is the U.Ks biggest killer. Over 191,000 died in the U.K in 2008 due to Heart and Circulatory disease.
Many families a year lose a precious person to them due to premature death caused by Heart Disease or Heart problems, I myself lost a sister to Heart problems and I deeply feel for anyone else who experiences such sadness. By supporting the charity and their great work; you can help prevent heart disease and heart break.
Just donate, support or get involved in a fund-raising event to contribute to BHF’s great work. You don’t need to donate much, just a few pounds.
I walked about five miles and raised over £100 for the charity and it was great to know that I had contributed.
If you have left a response, could you please leave your home town/country?

Please take a few moments to answer some questions:

• Would you support or donate to the Charity?
• Did you know much about the disease or charity before reading my blog?
• Do you now feel more informed about the charity?
• What was your original opinion about the charity?
• Have I changed your opinion?

Thank you very much, I highly appreciate it.
Jade

Track for Torbay… To Get Torbay on Track

Hello and my name is Laura-Jo and I am currently doing my Citizenship GCSE coursework. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Torbay Athletics club is based in Torquay and enables bidding athletes young and old to get involved in the sporting world. Whether they are doing it to get fit, maybe to achieve their dream of winning a gold medal at the Olympics or simply just for fun, TAC provides a place for these people.

In the past TAC have produced many fine athletes, one for example being Andrea Wallace(long distance runner), however as time has gone on and facilities have evolved it has become increasingly difficult to produce athletes of this level due to our lack of facilities, especially a Tartan Running Track.

How would YOU feel if something was holding you back from achieving your dreams?
Due to our lack of facilities we are unable to do many activities that we would otherwise do, in the winter we are also forced to train on the sea front, making it increasingly harder for the coaches to keep everyone safe, consequently we have had to stop allowing young bidding athletes from joining the club as it would be too much to handle.

Our current facilities
Our current facilities are inadequate! We have a playing field to use, which in the winter is way to boggy for anyone to walk on, let alone do athletics on due to the weather conditions and the other sports that take place on the field! Did I mention that that this field co insides with other sports!? This results in a dangerous environment for all who are in TAC!

You may want to know where are very tired equipment goes? It goes in the so called “Clubhouse”, which may as well be called a shed due to the state of it. I wouldn’t put a pair of socks in there to keep safe, never mind thousands of pounds worth of equipment. In fact there have been various break-ins to the clubhouse before, leaving it with plenty of damage and various holes! In consequence the place is covered in mould, which provides a horrible enviroment when training in there! (Note: we are training in there because the field is untouchable!)

Why we want a Track
TAC doesn’t just want tracks they NEED it, as are lack of one is putting us at a disadvantage, which really shows at competitions! For example we always seem to do better at the occasional grass events then the track events. You see as time has evolved so has facilities, making it harder and harder for TAC to produce the fine athletes they once produced! A track would not only help TAC but also it would bring the whole community together!

How you can help!
It would be a dream come true for TAC to get a Track and you can help our dream come true by….

• SIMPLY SPREADING THE WORD!
• Also by attending various fundraising events taking place in Torbay to help support the campaign(Ask me for more information on this in the reply box)

Thank you again for reading my blog and I hope you will consider supporting my campaign In the future! It would be brilliant if you could simply post me a response with your thoughts on this topic. It would also be fantastic if you could kindly answer the following questions, it would help me a lot…..

• Do you now feel more informed about this issue?
• Would you now be willing to support my campaign? (by maybe telling family and friends, maybe making a donation or attending a fundraising event?)
• What are your views now on my campaign?
• Please inform me of your Hometown and country.
• Any additional comments?

Many Thanks,
Laura-Jo

Let’s All Link Hands and Prevent Problems during Pregnancy

Hi I’m Georgia! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog! Supporting the Tommy’s Charity is something I really want to make more common as one of the problems that the Tommy’s Charity works towards preventing, affected me. Not many people are aware of what the Tommy’s Charity do, but after reading my blog I hope you will be more aware of the problems the Tommy’s Charity try to prevent and more likely to support them for it.

Half of babies born before 22 weeks don’t survive…10 stillborn babies are born each day…Pre-eclampsia complicates over 20,000 births in  Britain each year…1 in 4 women lose their babies due to miscarriages...The Tommy’s Charity works towards discovering a cause and therefor a cure for all these illnesses. Miscarriages and stillbirths are both when the baby dies before it is given birth to (the difference is the length of the pregnancy when it occurs). Pre-eclampsia is when the mothers immune system can’t handle the placenta and multiple organ failures occur. Premature birth is when the baby is born before full term and is unable to function on its own. I was born prematurely so I know first-hand how much worry it causes parents through what I have been told from my family.

Many ill babies like this one need your help. Don’t let them down.

The Tommy’s Charity are trying to stop the heartache of losing a baby to any of these illnesses, and are teaching pregnant women how to treat their bodies in a way that won’t hurt their babies, which will contribute to lowering the shocking statistics of new-born loses. But without donations from people like you, none of this can continue…
Thank you again for reading this blog. It would be fantastic if you could now please leave me a response containing a few words on how your thoughts and feelings have changed after reading this blog and some short answers to the following questions. Please leave your hometown and country at the end if you do post!

• Use 3 words to describe your feelings before reading this
• Use 3 words to describe your feelings after reading this
• Would you now donate to the Tommy’s Charity?
• Would you now consider helping out/organising a fundraising event for the Tommy’s Charity?
• Would you now consider doing a presentation to help spread the word of the Tommy’s Charity?

Please tell all your family and friends about the Tommy’s charity and try to persuade them to help out in the ways above !!
Many thanks, Georgia

You help people, so why don’t you help animals with the RSPCA?

Thank you very much for taking an interest in my blog! Trying to help animals in the UK is something I feel very strongly about! Many people know about the Royal Association for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, but don’t do anything to support them. When you read my blog, I hope that you will be more aware of the plight of unfortunate animals and be persuaded to support this cause.

Here is Snuffy’s story. As a young guinea pig she was abandoned in the streets because her owners didn’t want her anymore. She was very hurt after a long, brutal few months in the wild. She was found by the RSCPA in a small hole which was full of faeces. After month with the RSPCA, she was soon healthy and sharing a home with three rabbits. All she now needed was a loving home. After two months of her recovery, my family adopted her along with fluffy, a white rabbit and she had a long, happy life with my family.

Snuffy’s new life was only made possible by the help that the RSPCA gained. It just takes a small donation every month to save hundreds of animals like Snuffy. This group only need the support from people like you to save these creatures.

Thank you so much again for reading my blog. Please post me a response with your thoughts. In particular, it would be great if you could write just a few words in answer to the following questions - & please help in any way that you feel you can. |Further ideas of all the ideas listed can be found at www.RSPCA.co.uk. Please help give more animals a chance to live!

• Had you heard about the problems faced by animals in the UK?
• Do you know feel more informed about the issues in this subject?
• Would you be prepared to help improve the lives of animals by fundraising, donating, adopting or spreading the cause through friends and family?

Many Thanks
Lottie

We Must Stop Child Abuse And Help The NSPCC

Hello and thank you for taking an interest in my Blog! My name is Scarlett and I am advocating the NSPCC for my GCSE. I hope to change your opinion if you have never wanted to donate to the NSPCC.

What Is The NSPCC? And Why Was It Formed?

The NSPCC is a society of people who work to stop child abuse in Britain. The late 19th century was a time of great hardship for many children. The Reverend George Staite summed up the inhumanity of the era in a letter to the Liverpool Mercury in 1881: “whilst we have a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, can we not do something to prevent cruelty to children?” Social attitudes made a very clear distinction between the public and private lives of Victorians, and even social reformers such as Lord Shaftesbury warned Staite against trying to protect children through legal means. He said:  “The evils you state are enormous and indisputable, but they are of so private, internal and domestic a nature as to be beyond the reach of legislation.” However, times were changing. On 8 July 1884, The London Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children was established. Lord Shaftesbury was appointed as president and the Reverend Benjamin Waugh and Reverend Edward Rudolf as joint honorary secretaries. After witnessing the levels of deprivation and child cruelty in Greenwich, London where he lived, Waugh's urgent priority was to draw public and government attention to the plight of children. By 1889 the London Society had 32 branches throughout England, Wales and Scotland. Each branch raised funds to support an inspector, who investigated reports of child abuse and neglect. At the 1889 annual general meeting the Society changed its name to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Queen Victoria became Patron and Waugh was appointed as director. The first Prevention of Cruelty to Children Act was passed in 1889. This was largely the result of five years' vigorous lobbying by Waugh and his supporters. The NSPCC continues to uphold and develop the campaigning tradition established by its founder, acting as an independent voice for children and young people. Since its establishment in London in the 1880s, the NSPCC has helped more than 10 million children in the UK.

Four Reasons Why You Should Help!

• These are innocent children being abused!
• The children can’t help themselves so somebody should!
• Just £2 a month will enable more people to pick up the phone to an abused child!
• Imagine if it was somebody you know, how would you feel?

PLEASE ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS!

1. Do you now feel more informed about the NSPCC?
2. Would you now donate to the NSPCC?
3. Would you now ask your family and/or friends to donate to the NSPCC?
4. Would you now donate regularly to the NSPCC?

For more information, go to this link! www.nspcc.org.uk

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the space below with your first name and where you live! (If not UK)

We are fighting a losing battle with children’s cancer. Save lives; help Billie butterfly.

Thank you for taking an interest in our blog we are very grateful, our names are Lottie and Lilah. We feel that a child of any background deserves an equal chance in life. We hope our blog helps you to understand and to feel as passionately about helping children with cancer, as we do.

Billie was a beautiful little girl who at the age of 4 was diagnosed with a brain tumour; this was the start of the year that would sadly end with Billie losing her life. The charity was made to raise the money so that Billie could fly to America and have the only treatment available. First it seemed that she was responding well and the tumour hadn’t appeared to be growing. After months of Billie pulling through and the future looking bright the tumour started to grow again and very rapidly. In the weeks leading to her death she was unable to walk and was bed ridden, she died and peaceful death with her parents on her bedside and family close. Sadly Billie lost her battle with cancer but her memory can live on and help those other children, to make sure they have a chance at life that Billie will never have.

Thank you so much for reading our blog, it would be of great use to us if you could post your thoughts below. We only need a few minutes of your time, we would really appreciate it if you could answer the following questions. If you want to find out more about Billie, or you would like to donate, please follow this link to the Billie Butterfly website: http://www.billiebutterflyfund.org/ . If you post a response, please say where you are from- hometown and country (if not UK).

• Previous to this blog, had you heard of Billie Butterfly Fund?
• Do you now feel you have a greater understanding about Billie and other children like her?
• Would you now consider any of the following…

1. Make a donation to Billie Butterfly Fund?
2. Start or join a fund raining event?
3. Buy a risband?
4. Tell your friends and family about Billie and try to persuade them to help in any of the ways above?

THE BLUE CROSS BLOG

I chose the charity the Blue cross because, I felt that it was unfair that animals can be treated unfairly. Many of the animals found at the blue cross have been abandoned or been abused.

The Blue Cross was founded in 1948. The person who started the charity chose to start it because, she felt bad for the animals being beaten, abounded or even used to make puppies, kittens or baby animals by breeding them. She thought that if the animals had been treated unfairly that they should deserve a second chance.

The Blue Cross help because, they try and find new homes for the animals that have been abused. They care for the animals and hopefully give them a second chance at life.

The Blue Cross takes in animals ranging from a dog, cat, guinea pig, horse and hamsters. Each of these different animals have sections at the Blue Cross centre to suit each of their needs. If the animal needs vetinary equipment the Blue Cross will fund it with money that has been donated to the charity.

If you would be willing to help the Blue Cross you can donate or maybe even give them a home. By simply spreading the word about the Blue Cross it could change their lives. Volunteers are always welcome. Even though the Blue cross does help the animals you could give them so much more. You could give them a house, a family, toys, love and time. By donating money only £2 a month you are helping so many animals with a second chance.

I find that people don’t realise the importance of the Blue Cross. The animals at the Blue Cross deserve much more and can find it with the love, enjoyment and new life that you could give them.

Badly treated animals rely on donations and volunteers to find trust back in their life. After being abused or put in difficult situations by some of the owners that have previously owned them, many of the animals find it hard to find love and trust again.

Many of the dogs that are found at the Blue Cross were found in this situation ^^^ nobody there for them to care for, no one to treat them well, no love, no food no loyalty. This isn’t fair. After many of the situations that animals have been found in they have many injuries and sometimes cannot survive for much longer.

The Blue Cross would never put a healthy animal down when it still has a chance at life.

By Emma Cowell 8W

Accept difference, not indifference; Autism, you should help!

Hello, thank you very much for viewing our Blog!

Supporting people who are affected by autism is something we find extremely important and feel very passionate about, from experiencing certain aspects of it ourselves. Autism can be very misunderstood, and this can lead to discrimination and lack of empathy towards autistic people. Through this Blog we hope to inform more people of this disorder to reduce victimization towards these individuals. Hopefully by the end you will feel this is a worthwhile issue and maybe consider donating or contributing to the society in any way.

Autism is a spectrum condition, which means that, while all people with autism share certain difficulties, their condition will affect them in different ways. Some people with autism are able to live relatively independent lives but many others will need a lifetime of specialist support on order to keep themselves and others’ safe.
 Here is a real-life story we believe will help you understand the difficulties and social situations included in autistic life.

‘We have adopted an adorable son called Freddie. When we first met him he looked lost and scared.  Dear little Freddie was rejected by his birth mum and moved around five foster homes before we met him: hardly surprising he could not cope by the time he moved in with us. He bit, hit, head-butted, put his hands and fingers down his throat until he was sick, banged his head on the floor and nearly reduced us to quivering wrecks.’
It took us three months to access a behaviour psychologist and five years later we are still in therapy. At three-and-a-half years, Freddie was diagnosed as having ADHD and autism. ‘
‘It took five months of careful planning with many contacts to get this lovely child into school but in the end it turned out O.K and he is at the local primary school.’
‘Today Freddie is refusing to go to school again, because he hates the World War II project his class is doing; it scares him. He screams and refuses to enter the school, kicks the car, throws everything around the house...but tells us how much he loves us and why he cannot be evacuated. What more can anybody ask for?’
Now Freddie and his family are getting regular help from the NAS and four times a year someone comes to see Freddie at his new home.’

If you would like to consider donating in any way to the National Autistic Society you can reach their website at http://www.autism.org.uk/  If you could give even the smallest donation you could help autism be part of what someone is, not an inconvenience.
Did you know how widely people were affected by Autism?
Do you know feel more informed about the issues families affected by the disorder have?
After reading this would you be willing to do any if the following things to support this issue…

If you could spend just another 2 minutes to express your thoughts and opinions of this matter and answer the questions below

• Support or start a campaign to solve the issues Autism presents
• Volunteer for the National Autistic Society (here’s a link http://www.autism.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer.aspx
• Make a donation of whatever amount
• Tell your family or friends about the issue and convince them to do the same (so as to widen the knowledge of Autism)

The British Hen Welfare Trust

Hi my name is Cerys and I have written this blog to inform you about my cause The British Hen Welfare Trust also what we can do to help stop this way of battery farming. First of all I would like to thank you for visiting my blog and I hope to make you more aware and raise awareness to encourage you and the people around you to support this organisation. I would like to gain your support as it is important that we have as many people to support our campaigning as possible. Please read on to find out more.

You may be thinking what are battery hens? Battery Hens are a type of Hen that have to live in very small cages and many get a very horrible life, indoors permanently.

Why should you support The British Hen Welfare Trust?
Hens are crammed in small cages and often lose feather due to rubbing against bars and other hens.
Typically once a hen has dropped from laying seven eggs a week to five or six they will be sent to the slaughter house to as you may of guessed to be slaughtered.
This reason should make you feel more encouraged to help stop battery farming not just in the UK but across the entire world. The rules of battery farming may have been twisted back in January so now caged hens are released into massive barns but they still lack in room to move and the freedom to stretch their wings. Hens should be free ranged like many other animals and deserve the same treatment as any other animal. 

I hope you now feel more informed about the issue of battery farming. Please if you have any spare time, could you take a few minutes to answer a few questions below. Again thank you for reading my blog on Tggsblogspot.

Did you know what Battery Hens were before reading this blog?
Have I made you more aware of this Trust?
Would you tell your friends and family about Battery Hens and encourage them to support this organisation too?
Have I changed your opinion about this issue, if yes please state why.
If I may ask you to leave with your answers which town you live in so I have a rough idea where the answers came from.

Thank you so much, Cerys.

A kitten’s cry for help - will you ignore it? The Blue Cross Won't

Hello we are Aidén and Sadie and we would like to thank you for taking the time to read our blog. The Blue Cross is a charity that we feel very strongly about. They are a very good charity that help and improve thousands of abandoned and abused animals. Our aims are to make more people informed about the Blue Cross, donate or fundraise for what the Blue Cross and tell more people.

The Blue Cross helps save thousands of abandoned or abused animal’s lives. For example, violet a tiny kitten, aged just 6 weeks and weighing only 400g, was found by the Blue Cross abandoned in a shoe box with another kitten that had sadly already died. She was cold, hungry and underweight and vets were concerned about a deformity in one of her front legs However, the Blue Cross vets soon discovered a serious heart condition which meant little Violet was having trouble breathing and swallowing food. They decided to undertake life-saving surgery as soon as possible to give the tiny kitten a chance of survival. This kind of surgery has never been performed on a kitten this small, as her heart was the size of a grape, but she pulled through thanks to the Blue Cross. This is just one example of the many ways in which the Blue Cross help animals.

Other ways in which they help animals is:
Rehoming- the Blue Cross finds homes for unwanted pets across the UK and their tailor-made service means they can help each pet find the right person for them. They’ve got 12 rehoming centres and a network of pet fosterers, and they also have a Home Direct scheme.

Vetenairy- their four animal hospitals treat treat sick and injured pets when their owners can’t afford private fees. They’ve also got welfare clinics at some of their rehoming centres and a mobile clinic in London. They treat around 30,000 poorly pets every year.

Behaviour training, - They help pets that arrive at Blue Cross with behavioural issues and offer on-going support to anyone who rehomes an animal from them. They’re a leading charity in the pet behaviour field and their team regularly gives training courses and lectures.

Education – Their vision is that every pet will enjoy a healthy life in a happy home which is why they promote animal welfare to the pet owners of the future by giving talks at schools and youth groups.

Pet bereavement- The Pet Bereavement Support Service is to help people who are struggling to cope with the loss of a pet. Trained volunteers are at the end of a phone line, ready to help. All calls are confidential and free from a landline. The service is available 365 days per year. (Call the support line on 0800 096 6606.)

Thank you again for taking the time to read our blog, we hope you are now more informed. We would be really grateful if you would answer these questions about our blog below and please also tell us your nearest home town and country.

Are you now more informed?  Would you be willing to donate or fundraise for the Blue Cross?  Would you be willing to tell people about the Blue Cross?

If you want to contact the Blue Cross you can visit their website: www.bluecross.org.uk

WellChild- What would you do if your baby was dying?

Before I say anything I just want to thank you for taking an interest in my blog! My name is Charlie and I am advocating WellChild, an organisation I am passionate about. They help terminally ill children to have fun and just be normal kids! From a world of pain and suffering they introduce one of the things they lack most. happiness.

However that is not all they do, in fact they aid them through a careful plan of three parts

• Care
• Support
• Research

People should be more aware of the campaigns they take part in such as ‘the better at home campaign’ and the amazing work they do for children.

An example of this is Poppy, a brave little girl:
The little girl faced heart surgery before she was one year old and then major upper limb surgery a year later. Since then she has had many other operations on her hands and she has to be fed by a tube as she is unable to swallow. She has spent most of her life living in a hospital ward.

When WellChild Nurse Jane Alvey came into Poppy and Olivia’s (her mum) lives Olivia says it felt as though an angel had come to help them. Poppy was recovering from yet another operation intended to give her more use of her hands, but it had failed, leaving her with infected wounds which needed heavy bandaging.

Olivia says Jane was calm and understanding – she researched the best dressings for Poppy’s hands and made sure she could be looked after at home rather than having to go to hospital every time the bandages needed changing. She also helped Olivia deal with Poppy’s feeding tube and other medical procedures which can now be done at home where Poppy is calm and comfortable.

Poppy started nursery school in 2008 and Jane trained the staff there to give her feeds and answered all their questions so Poppy could be treated as normally as possible.
Olivia is very grateful to Jane her WellChild Nurse. She said: “She has been a saviour and in the really dark times has been just wonderful. She is so brilliant because she listens and gets things done, which is so difficult when so many professionals are involved in Poppy’s care.

However only with your help can these amazing, miraculous events take place. WellChild runs wholly on donations from you, the public. You can help by donating, doing a triathlon, marathon or a fun run, buying their merchandise and much more. Every little helps. So go on, help a child in need. If you want to see for yourself the wonderful work WellChild do follow this web link WellChild - Helping sick children and their families across the UK.

I want to thank you again for taking time out to read my blog. Please can you answer a few questions for me? Also it would be great if you could state your country and town.

1. Did you previously know about WellChild?
2. Are you more informed now about WellChild?
3. Would you be prepared to donate to and support WellChild?

Thank you again!
Charlie

If you’ve suffered a pet loss, contact The Blue Cross!

Firstly, thank you for visiting my blog about the Blue Cross. My name is Erin, and the reason I have chosen the Blue Cross to do my advocacy on is because I feel very strongly about any issues to do with animals.  Animal abuse it just purely wrong, don’t you think? Also, the Blue Cross, deals with multiple things to do with animals!  Not only do they provide a pet adoption service, they help with grievance issues, they re-home any animals, they have four animal hospitals across the UK to handle the veterinary side of things, and they have specialists in animal behaviour who offer help to anyone who needs it.  So, as you can already see, they are not just another one of those ‘Animal Charities’ who just specialise in rehoming dogs, they will take in anyone, from hamsters to horses.

Once you have read my blog, and I really hope you stay to do that, hopefully you will have realised that they want all the help they can get and appreciate it thoroughly!  And if you to feel strongly about animals you could even make a donation towards the Blue Cross and leave a comment below to tell me your thoughts and if you think my blog was helpful with describing them to you.

What can you do to help?

• You could make a one off donation if you do want to help the Blue Cross, but aren’t too keen on a monthly donation towards them.
• You could set up a standing order, or a monthly direct debit which will go towards helping sick or unwanted animals get back on their feet.
• You could leave a legacy to provide vital funds in helping the Blue Cross care for all their animals.
• You could volunteer or even work for the Blue Cross to provide assistance to the team.
• You could have a look at the online shop for the Blue Cross, not only to help them with funds, but to help me with my advocacy.
• And finally, you could fundraise or attend an event for/by the Blue Cross by running a race, go on a sponsored walk or visit them on an open day.

Doing any of these things will help the Blue Cross in so many ways and raise the valuable money that they would be so grateful for. Another person who would be extremely thankful if you take part in reading this blog, or visiting their website www.bluecross.org.uk or just even commenting below, would be me!  If you are going to comment below, then if you could please answer the following questions in your comment, it would be much appreciated. If you could also state where you come from, that would be great.

1.    Did you know about the Blue Cross before you read my blog?
2.    Do you feel more informed about the Blue Cross after reading my blog?
3.    Would you consider doing any of the above things to help the Blue Cross?
And finally,
4.    Do you have any pets yourself? If so, what do you have?

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit this site and read my blog, it is appreciated a lot, and please do comment as I need evidence to state that my advocacy has been a success!

Help give animals a voice with The RSPCA – animals are not ours to abuse in any way

Hello, welcome to my blog

I believe Animal cruelty is such a big issue in the UK and all around the world. The RSPCA is a charity that is based in England and Wales which work to improve the lives of animals that are stray, abused, neglected and ill.

‘Every animal deserves a chance to thrive in a responsible and permanent home. We hope that the human world can live happily together with the animal kingdom’ – the RSPCA.

Every year millions of dogs, bird’s rabbits and other animals are born into a world that does not have enough homes for them. For every animal who lives indoors and receives the attention, health care and emotional support they need, there are thousands that are barely surviving. Millions of domestic animals never know a kind humans touch and live hard on the streets, before dying equally hard deaths. Others suffer from their owners, who deprive them of vet care and other basic necessities. Pet birds are left alone in tiny cages, rabbits and small animals are kept in filthy cages and are used for entertainment now and then; cats are left outside becoming the victims of cruel people, some dogs are beaten, abused and treated like punching bags by humans.

Sadly, some breeders, pet stores and people fail to sterilise their companion animals and have created a tremendous overpopulation problem that forces animal shelters to put millions of dogs and cats to sleep every year, the RSPCA are currently trying to end the overpopulation of animals and tackle the related issues and end the euthanasia of any unrehomable animal and improve animal welfare.

To continue their hard work, the RSPCA need supporters and fundraisers. Please help the RSPCA by donating money, volunteering at one of their shelters; purchasing items at their charity shops and fundraising for them by holding a cake sale or raffle. Adopting one of the lovely animals from the RSPCA shelters can give thousands of other animals hope.

Thank you for reading my blog! If you would like to leave any comments, I would be grateful. Please also tell me your home town and country you live in (if not the UK)

Q1. Do you now feel more informed about the RSPCA?
Q2. Would you now donate or fundraise for the RSPCA?
Q3. Have you heard of the RSPCA before reading my blog and after reading my blog have I changed your views about the RSPCA?

Love your Life for who you are – Love Lifeworks for what they do

Hi my name is Olivia and before I start I want to thank you for taking time to read my blog. I have chosen to do my advocacy on a charity called Lifeworks because when I was born I was premature by 2 months and I could have been left with a disability. And I feel very strongly about helping others! Not many people seem to know about Lifeworks and what they do, and many don’t know the suffering the parents are having when they don’t have a break. And this is where lifeworks steps in. The fact that there is no other respite care available in South Devon (unless it is in a hospital, which in most cases isn’t necessary) is a problem that needs addressing and fast.

Firstly I will explain the situation. As the population continues to grow each year – it means more children being born with a disability. Did you know that 1 in every 20 children has some form of disability which means more and more people need to seek help and respite care. This means there is a growing demand for respite and residential care. Currently there are 770,000 children with a disability and that number is growing each day.

It was set up by a group of teachers and parents who felt that action needed to be taken because they were appalled at the fact there was nowhere for children to relax or have fun, there aim was to set up and run a purpose built house where children with disabilities can relax in a safe and fun environment and have fun where they can socialise. Because they don’t have much of a socialise then they thought it would be great to try and influence it. Without the help many people would simply break down without a break from looking after a child with disabilities 24/7.

This is typical of the immense progress children can make with the help, support and encouragement of the wonderful work Lifeworks carries out.  The surfing days promote new skills, socialising and a great sense of free spirit giving children an extra sense of self belief and confidence when returning to the Lifeworks centre.

Well you may be sat there thinking why you should care and help; here are reasons why you should:

• Over 1 in 20 people are disabled so  a large chunk of England are disabled and it could be a family member or a friend
• Nobody gets to choose if they are disabled or not as most people are born with it so it could have been you.
• It could affect anyone
• We live in a world where there is a lot of disabled people around us and we should be very grateful for what we have.

Thank you so much again for reading my blog. Please can you post some feedback. Details can be found at http://www.lifeworks-uk.org/

1. Had you heard of Lifeworks before?
2. Has this blog made you more informed about Lifeworks and what they do?
3. Are you willing to donate to Lifeworks?
4. Please tell your family and friends about Lifeworks and try to persuade them ?

Thanks
Olivia

Save my smile – Julia’s house children’s hospice

Thank You for showing an interest in our blog.Julia's House is Devon and Dorset’s main hospice dedicated to children with life-limiting conditions. The majority of the children they care for are unlikely to live beyond the age of 18. The aim of Julia's House is to maximise and enrich the quality of life for children and young people with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. They provide support from diagnosis to death and beyond for the whole family.

But why do they need your help? Julia’s hospice gets just 3% of its funding from the government and relies on the rest from donations and money raisers, dedicated to keep the hospice going. In 2012, they will need to raise nearly £2.8m, so you can see how vital donations are.
This is Tom Bignell.  He was born, with two, rare brain condition, that doctors said would kill him when he was just a few day old. However, against all the odds, he survived and has grown into a happy smiley young child. This is all down to Julia’s House.

Tom and his parents get a place to relax and they get a break from the no doubt, full term job of looking after a severely disabled child, such as Tom. “They have been amazing – rallying round when we needed them most.” Said Tom’s mum “They’ve been our lifeline”

Not only does Tom get a place to play, his older brother Louis gets to join in, and Tom’s parents are also helped by the cause.  Julia’s House have been there for Tom, his brother and his parents when they needed them most. “We don’t dare look too far ahead, and we just enjoy every day as it goes by. Julia’s house have saved our lives.”

Every child is special and has their own unique story and deserves a chance to live a full and happy life. Please give them that chance and donate to Julia’s House.

We would love it you could leave some feedback or a comment about our blog

-    Had you ever heard of Julia’s House before?
-    Do you now feel more informed about Julia’s House?
-    Would you consider donating to Julia’s House in the future?
-    Would you tell your friends to support the Julia’s House?
-     FINALY please state your hometown and  country (if not UK)

Thanks Again, Sophie and Lucy

Macmillan cancer support, they support you, so please support them!

Thank you very much for taking the time to read my blog! I am Mya, and I am advocating the charity Macmillan Cancer Support, and I feel that they need more donating to help have the money to help other people across the globe. When you’ve read my blog, I hope you will know a bit more about the problems which anyone, any age can face, and I hope you will want to help.

This is *Lucy’s story... Lucy was a 53 year old woman who just found out she had breast cancer. As most women would feel, she was mortified. She didn’t know what to do, and she didn’t have the courage straight away to tell her partner, family, and closest friends. She did some research online and came across Macmillan Cancer Support. She saw a tag on the home page which said ‘I’ve just been diagnosed’ and clicked on it. She saw the number, and rang them for help on what to do. They advised her to tell her family and friends, because she would need the support near on in the future. She took this advice and told her family, and of course they were all supportive. When going under the knife, she had everyone she needed supporting her, and she came back fighting, as she had beaten the cancer, as the operation had gone successfully. Everyone was overjoyed, and so was she. She said this was the best help she had, and she would advise it to anybody who was going through cancer, as they have the best advice, and if you have no one to go to, they would still be there for you every step of the way. Sadly, she then got another cancer in her stomach at 56, which couldn’t be treated by an operation; she was going to die. She rang up Macmillan Cancer Support again and they gave her the best advice they could; ‘Make sure you tell everyone, so they know, but don’t let them be down, be happy, and don’t let the cancer beat you. Just because you know you that it’s the end, doesn’t mean that you can’t smile. Smile, it’s not over yet, it’s just the end of you. If you know that it’s your time, then the cancer hasn’t beat you, you’ve beat the cancer.’

Thank you so much again for reading my blog!

So what is the point of this?
You may be thinking ‘Well what does this have to do with me?’ Well, one day, you or someone you love might get cancer, and you might need this help. But what are you going to do when there is no one to help you, and there is no one you can go to? Not being able to go to Macmillan because no body funded them any money, so they had to be shut down, then what will you do? If you help raise awareness, and even consider donating to the charity, you could have that help if you need it.

Thank you once again for reading my blog; it would be really helpful if you answered some questions below. If you answer these question, please could you leave the town or city where you come from, as it would helpful to me to see who has been reading my blog and where they have come from.

• Where do you come from?
• Have you heard about Macmillan cancer before? If not, do you feel more informed about the charity?
• Would you now consider donating to the charity, and raising awareness? If so, how?
• Have I changed your attitude towards the charity and how?

Here is the link to the website; http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Home.aspx
Thank you, again!

Give Blood, Give life, Give us a pint!

Hi, my name is Clara Smith and I would like to thank you for taking time to read my blog, and hopefully writing back some comments and answering my questionnaire. I hope after reading this you will consider donating blood now or in the future

My organisation that I have chosen is the Give Blood Foundation. The Give Blood Foundation is an organisation where they encourage people to donate blood for a good cause. Although the NHS is funded, it’s not money they need it’s blood, the gift of life. Only 4% of our population donate blood and the other 96% rely on them. That's only 4 out of a possible 100 people. That's how few people who could give blood actually do.

Giving blood couldn't be simpler. It’s quick, simple and safe. Most people can give blood and if you are generally healthy and between the ages of 17 and 65 you could start giving blood today!

The need for blood never stops as every minute of the day someone somewhere needs blood. There are many reasons why people need blood including; suffering internal bleeding due to a car crash, losing blood during childbirth, to help treat serious diseases like cancer, and for planned operations such as hip or knee replacement. Also a lot of people require regular blood transfusions to live due to 

various blood disorders.

I have chosen a story which I think is very persuasive and informs people really well about how serious this cause is. This is a story about someone who needed a lot of blood donated to him and the people who saved his life.

 And if you don’t no-one else will!

 

It began like any normal day for 15-year-old Luke Craig. He'd gone to a family christening, then on to a party. But returning home he was involved in a horrific car crash. Luke remembers nothing.

Luke was rushed to the nearest casualty department. They discovered that although Luke's seatbelt had saved him from flying through the windscreen of the car, the huge forces in the crash had caused serious internal injuries including a tear in his heart. He was bleeding internally, and needed more and more blood to replace the loss. They would have to operate immediately if Luke was to have any chance of surviving.

The hospital managed to contact a specialist heart surgeon in nearby Manchester, but Luke was so ill there was no time to wait for him to arrive. Taking instructions over the telephone, surgeons managed to repair the tear in Luke's heart. Two days after his operation and in a more stable condition, Luke was transferred to Alder Hey Children's Hospital, where he spent two weeks on a ventilator before he could breathe for himself.

Amazingly, just two weeks after coming off the ventilator, Luke's condition had improved and he was well enough to go home. He is gradually regaining his fitness. Doctors expect him to make a full recovery. To the blood donors who donated the 24 pints he needed to get through his operation, Luke will be eternally grateful. 

You only donate one pint of blood but Luke needed 24 pints. I hope you will consider this and donate now or in the future.

Please don’t just leave one person to do it, there are never too many to donate blood  there are too few. Don’t just do it for your relatives do it for everyone. It only takes an hour of your time to save someone’s life

Blood cannot be maufactured only given as a gift!

This is the website for my charity                http://blood.co.uk/

Would you please fill out my questionaire?

1. Did you know anything about the Give blood organisation before you read  this?
2. Please could you tell me where you live?
3. Will you now consider donating today or in the future?
4. Has this blog made you think twice about blood donating?
5. If you are not eligible to be a donor for any reason would you now try to persuade others to donate?

 

Thank you for reading my blog and I hope you have time to comment and answer my questions!