Puffs of Smog - Is our society burning to ASH?

Hello, my name is Liv and welcome to my blog. First of all I would like to say how grateful I am to you for taking an interest in it. Smoking is an issue all over the world and I am hoping to do as much as I can to raise awareness of this problem. Many people lose family and/or people close to them as a result of the consequences of smoking and this is why I think it is important to help do our bit to put an end to this concern.

There are not a vast amount of charities that work to help prevent this issue compared to helping things like animals or people who are less fortunate but one of the main and most effective charities for this cause is a charity called ‘ASH’ (Action on Smoking and Health). ‘ASH’ is an organisation which provides information on all aspects of tobacco and works to advance policies and measures that will help to prevent the addiction, disease and unnecessary premature death caused by smoking.

Why should you care?

• Two thirds of smokers start before the age of 18 in the UK.
• More than 200,000 children aged 11- 15 start smoking each year.
• There are around 10 million adults who smoke cigarettes in the United Kingdom alone, which is around a sixth of the total UK population.

Many teenagers start smoking for a variety of reasons including, peer pressure, boredom, rebellion, combating weight gain and as a response to the stress of school and family life. They also believe that they will be able to quit whenever they would like but as they often find out in later life, they will be constantly battling with the addicting qualities of nicotine.

It is not only the amount of smokers that is worrying; the effects of smoking are severe too:-
About half of all regular cigarette smokers will eventually be killed by their addiction.

Every year, over 100,000 smokers in the UK die from smoking related causes.

Smoking accounts for over one-third of respiratory deaths, over one-quarter of cancer deaths, and about one-seventh of cardiovascular disease deaths.
I myself have experienced people close to me having their whole lives ruined by the effects of it and there are so many people worldwide who are suffering also. This is why I want to help and so can you. In 1974, 51% of men and 41% of women smoked cigarettes - nearly half the adult population. This proves that people are choosing the right life-style and others are assisting them in this choice. The amount of smokers is going down and I know we and charities like ‘ASH’ can help it to decrease even more.

Thank you very much for reading my blog and it would be extremely helpful to me if you could answer these questions:

1. Do you now feel more informed about the charity, issue and its effects?
2. Would you now consider telling your family/friends about the issue to try and help stop it or stop them from getting affected by it?
3. Would you do anything to help support the charity in any way for example donating money to a charity that helps this issue?

World Horse Welfare

Hello, my name is Vikki and for my citizenship advocacy I have chosen World Horse Welfare. Thank you for taking the time to read my petition. I hope that after you have finished reading you will have the heart to sign and help to put a stop to the suffering of innocent horses.

What does WHW do?

Well it’s simple; they prevent the brutal suffering of innocent horses throughout the world. WHW has successfully contributed to the decreasing number of horses sent to the slaughter houses going on long distance transportation of horses in Europe. Every year, 65,000 stressed horses are packed into trucks and driven long distances across Europe to slaughter. Exhausted, diseased, injured and travelling for days over thousands of miles: these horses are desperate for food, water and rest. WHW need you to help us to convince the European Commission to introduce a maximum journey limit of 9 to 12 hours, ending the torture caused by these relentless journeys.

Think…

You are without water for days

You are without food for days

You are crowded and being trampled on

You are sick

You are bleeding

This is what the horses are tormented by each journey.

WHW are reducing this number by campaigning with the public of Britain, they aim to reduce this number to zero over the next 5 years but without your help world horse welfare cannot continue their work. Urgent support is vital for them to achieve their aim.

How can you help?

Some people think World Horse Welfare doesn’t see many animal welfare problems in the UK but sadly, this isn’t the case. On average, about 180 horses are mistreated and sent into one of their Rescue and Rehoming Centres. The condition these horses arrive in is incredibly varied. Some will be horrifically skinny and very weak; others will have severely overgrown hooves and some may be critically over weight. Most arrive swarming with lice and parasites due to their former owners who did not take the time to care for their horses properly; some may have had no human contact and are simply terrified of people. You can prevent this by helping me help WHW to stop horses around the UK and the world by just spreading the word, or you can donate, or you can report a case that you see a horse being neglected or mistreated. www.worldhorsewelfare.org/Donate

Their history

When world horse welfare’s founder Ada Cole watched a procession of work-worn British horses unloaded at the docks of Antwerp and whipped for four miles to slaughter, she was determined to stop the appalling cruelty of these journeys. Ten years later her campaign succeeded, and 85 years on World Horse Welfare is still driven by the same desire to stop the unnecessary suffering of innocent horses.

A decade after their foundation, they achieved their first major milestone - providing protection for British horses being exported for slaughter - this legislation is still in place today. Over the years, they have continued to campaign, while expanding their activities to include welfare and protection around the world.

Please spare a minute to comment like and majestic creatures, and you want to stop their suffering.

Thank you.

Don’t make today be their last ~ Macmillan Cancer Support.

Hello my name is Tierney. I’d like to thank you for taking interest in my blog.  I am trying the raise awareness about my charity, Macmillan Cancer Support and the fabulous things they do. Macmillan Cancer support isn't a very well-known charity so by the time you have read this I hope you feel more aware of this charity.

Chris was 18 years old when he was diagnosed with incurable lung cancer, his sister Rachel, was 10. Chris struggled to talk, he couldn’t speak a sentence without coughing, he grew weaker and weaker when Rachel knew he was going to live his last days now. 23rd December, 2 days before Christmas Chris was taken into hospital, the doctors told him they took him into hospital because they didn’t want him to die at home. Chris acted like he didn’t have a life threatening disease; he acted like everything was normal, except it wasn’t. The day before he died he left Rachel a note “I want you to continue on with your life, and comfort mum and dad and everybody else. Whatever is in my room, just tell mum and dad to sell everything, and say I said so. With all the money that is earned, use it to buy yourself some extra presents. They can make my bedroom into anything they want, as long as you agree. You’re their only child now, they will likely listen. Even if I die today or tomorrow, just keep me in your heart and mind. I will always be with you, no matter what. It’s my time to go and you’re time to live. Be safe of my heart. Even if it stops beating... it will always be in the sky.” On December 25th, 4:08pm mum got a call from the hospital.......Chris had unfortunately passed away, this was for the best now. Rachel cried for hours and hours, until there was a huge puddle surrounding her.

With your help you can save lives, just like Chris’s, all you need to do is donate a small amount. All the donations will go to the Macmillan nurses and help them care for the people that need it the most. Macmillan cancer support care for people that suffer from cancer. They make their last days the best days of their life.
Now could you please answer these questions?

1. Had you heard of Macmillan Cancer Support before?
2. Do you now know more about my charity?
3. Would you consider donating or fundraising?

Thank you for taking your time to read my blog and thank you for your feedback.

If you would like to know anything else about Macmillan Cancer Support http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Home.aspx