I would like to encourage people to start thinking about planting NATIVE species in their gardens, instead of foreign exotics, which are mostly force-grown by garden centres and are of very little value to our native wildlife!! Good examples of native species are: hawthorn (crataegus monogyna) which makes a wonderful thorny hedge. Also great is holly (ilex aquifolium) a red-listed evergreen with beautiful shiny dark-green leaves and red berries, much loved by birds. Another excellent choice is our native black elder (Sambucus Nigra) and our native Rowan tree (Sorbus Aucuparia). You could also plant silver birch (Betula Pendula) in a slightly larger garden. There are many more species to choose from, but those are some of the best!! I'm in the process of creating my own little piece of heaven in my back garden: most of what I've planted is native to Ireland (and central Europe) as you can see in my campaign photograph. My garden is still very young and mightn't look like much, so don't be put off by what it looks like right now!! Wildlife gardening is wonderful, as I am increasingly finding out myself!! Not only am I learning SOOO much (which is great for the brain) - I am also getting plenty of fresh air and gentle exercise, which beats spending too much time indoors or on social media!! Wildlife gardening is also wonderful for MENTAL HEALTH, another topical issue I care deeply about: I suffer from anxiety and find, that being out in my garden always helps me to relax and unwind! I am looking for like-minded people I can share my passion with!! Also, we need to start putting down less concrete and gravel in our gardens: we are at risk of turning our beautiful neighbourhoods into an urban wasteland!! As most of us already know, many of our native wildlife species are in serious decline, due to modern intensive farming practices in the countryside and also for other reasons. Many of our songbirds, for example, have found refuge in our towns and cities, where they have been able to find hedges to nest in and have been able to take advantage of various food sources no longer available in their previous native habitats. I am increasingly seeing a trend, where people are 'tidying up' their gardens, by putting down more and more hard landscaping and by taking out trees, hedges or shrubs, crowding out our urban wildlife in the process!! This is happening EVERYWHERE, not just in my local area!! I think this is tragic and will do very little for our own wellbeing in the long run. We could create an urban paradise, abundant with wildlife, simply by planting NATIVE trees, shrubs, hedges and wildflowers in our own gardens!! This would also help tackle climate change. This is an appeal, not to politicians or other officials, but to my fellow citizens, who - I'm sure - don't want to end up living in a concrete jungle, either!! PLEASE SIGN MY PETITION, SO I KNOW, PEOPLE CARE ABOUT THIS ISSUE!! Maybe you could pledge to plant even ONE native shrub, tree or wildflower bed in your own garden!! It's time to open our hearts and bring nature back into our lives!!

This is important because on average we loose 800 lives on the island of Ireland each year. We 'Brighter Thought's Ireland' are appealing to the people of Ireland to sign this petition and show people that they are not alone. We want the people of Ireland, especially teenagers that there is no shame to talk about their mental health and get help! Your signature will show people that they aren't alone!! Any Queries to [email protected] or 'btirelandmhs' on instagram.

It wrecks lives, you just cannot give IQ tests to mentally unwell patients. The best analogy is telling someone to run a race with a broken ankle. Please help stop this abuse.

It is important for the health and well being of the children in the area. We have a substantial amount of children under the age of eighteen in Kinsealy Court especially between the age's of 2-16yrs and the park has plenty of room to facilitate one. It will also help with keeping the children from playing on the road so much as there is a large volume of kids that play on the road on a daily basis. The closest playground to the estate is Holywell which is not an option as it's too far for the children to travel to.

Its important because anxiety and depression can affect one in 6 people. As one of them I want to be able to contribute positively to society. I want to be able to be able to work. I want to be able to work with an organisation where having anxiety does not mean I live in fear of loosing my job if my employer finds out. Or be discriminated from promotions or progressing in an organisation if they know I have anxiety. I want to fulfil my potential and be treated with dignity not with misunderstanding or stigma.

The Sex Education Bill will deliver: Factual, objective and scientific sex education for all schools regardless of religious ethos Consent and sexual harassment issues being part of the curriculum LGBTQ+ inclusive sex education Sex education that is not gender normative and teaches about all genders Education on abortion in factual and objective way Education on all forms of contraception

Our University should put the welfare of students at the center of everything that it does. We need a freeze on fees for all students and affordable rental options. We are a collective of undergraduate and postgraduate students in Trinity College Dublin who can no longer stand by and watch the commodification of our education. Last month, in a referendum held by TCDSU 82% of students voted strongly against the implementation of Supplemental Fees. The College Board decided to ignore the voice of the students, and implement Supplemental Fees at a flat rate of €450. Last year, College signed the Student Partnership Agreement, which promises to promote democracy and ensure that students are stakeholders in decisions that College make. Trinity’s decision to introduce supplemental exam fees is evidence of their continuing disregard for students, their opinions, and their welfare. Please sign this petition to show your support of the #TakeBackTrinity campaign. If you are a Trinity student or staff, please sign with your tcd.ie address If you are not please use your preferred email address. We thank you for your support!

The population of Lusk and also it's surrounding area's is growing at a rapid pace and therefore it is imperative to facilitate this growth. A swimming pool would not only bring some much needed investment and also ease the pressure of unemployment but also facilitate the area for our children to enjoy. The Lusk Sports Hub 2020 is a fantastic new project that will bring a multiple of new sporting facilities to the area with the exception of a hugely required swimming pool. In addition, the erection of the Lusk Sports Hub, Lusk will become the epicentre of sporting facilities for the surrounding areas and therefore a swimming pool is a necessity and not just a requirement. Swimming is not only a life saving technique that everyone should be taught from a young age, but it is also an incredibly fun and enjoyable experience for the old and young, whether it’s for ones mental health, fitness, leisure or play everyone can enjoy the benefits of a swimming pool. Kind regards, LSP.

Too many of our children and teenagers are self-harming and dying by suicide, many of whom have reached out to their peers, many of whom are being bullied by others. Irish Millie Tuomey aged 11 killed herself after announcing to friends that she wanted to die, Darren Hughes 17 from Balbriggan and Gabriella Green aged 12 died also killed themselves after they were cyberbullied. Our children and teenagers often find it easier to talk to friends instead of their parents but these friends are often unequipped to help. Some kids want to tell an adult that they are worried about someone but they don't want their friend knowing they betrayed their trust and often are just afraid to get involved in case they get bullied too so they stay quiet and say nothing. Often kids themselves want to tell a teacher that they are dealing with bullying, suicide thoughts, self-harm or abuse but they find it too hard to reach out and are often afraid that it will get worse if the bullies find out they told. By introducing "Speak-up" boxes, it allows the children and teenagers to anonymously tip off the teachers that one of their classmates are in harm's way and may need support. This allows the teachers and parents to put in the necessary supports. The person themselves that is being bullied can make an anonymous report about themselves without fear that the bullies will know they went to a teacher as anybody could have reported it. These "Speak up" boxes should be in all schools, in bathrooms, common areas and easily accessed. There should also be a way to "speak up" online also anonymously without fear of repercussion. Enough of our children and teens have suffered long-lasting damage because they were dealing with these issues alone. We need the Minister of Education and the Schools to be pro-active instead of reactive in reaching out to make it easier for their classmates to speak up without fear of consequence. We are thankfully getting to an age where "whistleblowing" and "speaking up" is seen as brave and right and no-longer tell-tattling or troublemaking. We need to pass this message onto our children and teens to protect them from harm's way.

We want the people's voice to be heard respecting water and sanitation services in Ireland, and a referendum be held. Across the globe ordinary people have undergone tremendous hardship and suffering when water services are privatised. Water is a human right and must never be under the control of 'for profit' companies. Publicly owned, funded and managed water and sanitation services, free at the point of use, is the only way to guarantee access for all.

An Taoiseach is our representative abroad. When he accepts prejudice, racism and bigotry, it shames the people of our country. We feel that such an alliance is not good for our country's reputation and undermines our relationship with other countries. Trump is a despicable human being. A point must be reached where falling at the foot of a powerful man, at the expense of our values and morals and international reputation is not acceptable! "'Shame'rock for Trump: Not in our Name"

As per the Irish Times article on November 29th by Kitty Holland, homelessness among single adults is up 44% in the Midlands in the year since October 2016 and this shelter, having already cut its staffing is now facing closure (1). The assertion by the Department of Housing that "the needs of regions are kept under review on an ongoing basis" and "it will help to meet the costs faced by housing bodies." is clearly not of any value here. This shelter which also serves the needs of people in Laois, Longford and Offaly needs to be kept open and Midlands Simon has to be given concrete assurances that it will receive adequate funding as a matter of urgency. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/sole-westmeath-homeless-shelter-likely-to-close-over-funding-1.3308697