Victoria Finch

That’s precisely the point. They don’t. It’s not inherently unreasonable that utilities firms have the right to make emergency repairs without permission but the regime for obliging like for like reinstatement has broken badly. The good news is it can be fixed. Here’s how: createstreets.com/wp-content/upl…

So annoying Wigan @Tesco moved all their vegan alternative bits to the back, like we cease to exist once it's BBQ season! The staff can't really locate them or give any information about when they'll be returned to the usual spot.

Before and after in Łódź

A planned return to pre-WWII levels of well-managed hedgerows would not only absorb and store an additional 600,000 tonnes of CO2/yr, hugely enhance biodiversity, and reduce soil erosion, it could also create new, skilled jobs in hedgerow laying and land management.

“Our younger generation was happy and joyful. New friendships were created and it gave us a safe space to just be kids.” 🧸 @SFBHCommUnity and Northern Heart and Soul, based in Wigan, are raising £18,000 for a permanent playbox. mediacubs.co.uk/wigan-groups-r…

As a straight woman, as you get older, men who only fancy girls under twenty-five stop fancying you. That is literally the only thing you lose. And that is what the entire anti-ageing obsession is based on. On those guys.

We're looking for a Wigan borough artist to design the front cover of the January-April 2024 edition of the Council’s Culture Service What’s On Guide. For a copy of the artist's brief, please visit bit.ly/3olSBjX The deadline is 23:59pm on Sunday 15th October.

Anyone else can't quite believe that the petition to rescind the new 20mph limit is officially the biggest petition that has ever been submitted to the Senedd? Not the one to reinstate free school meals during school holidays for children living below the poverty line. Not the one to commission suitable NHS services for people with EDS or hypermobility spectrum disorders. Not the one to fund more specialist school places and staff for children with additional learning needs. Not the one calling to increase funding for mental health services and improve waiting times for people needing help in crisis. Not the one to recognise teaching assistants as an important asset to schools by raising wages. Not the one calling for Welsh working parents to receive the same financial support for childcare as parents in England. Not the one to improve services for people with metastatic breast cancer. Not the one calling to create, fund and sustain sufficient affordable nursery and childcare places for all working parents. Not the one calling for a mental health unit for men in north Wales. Not the one to make Blue Badge applications lifelong for individuals who have a lifelong diagnosis. Why can’t we rally like this for other causes? In Wales (and the UK) we have a falling life expectancy, falling living standards and falling wages in real terms, as well as rising food bank usage, rising homelessness and rising NHS waiting times, and we’re outraged by having to drive 10mph slower? I thought I must have been missing something so I did some research into both sides of the debate to educate myself, and I do understand the arguments against - lesser productivity, the implications for professions such as drivers and carers, additional costs for increased travel time etc. I don't have the answers, but I did find that this speed limit is already in place and successfully proven to reduce casualties and deaths in areas beyond Wales. More than half of London's roads are now 20mph as well as other communities in England having already implemented the limit, including Norwich, Tonbridge and Chichester. Lower urban speed limits have also been adopted in many countries and cities across mainland Europe, including Spain and Brussels, where they use km/h instead of miles. In mainland Europe, many areas have 30km/h limits, which is 18.6mph. I think I'm just bewildered at our furore, and our tendency as people to make decisions to avoid personal discomfort in the present moment at the expense of the long term outcome for all. Of course there is a cognitive bias that explains this, called the Present Bias. "Present bias is the tendency to focus more on the present situation than the future when making decisions. This can lead us to prioritise immediate rewards over future payoffs, even if that decision benefits us less overall." Anyway, to look at the positive, I hope if anything, this shows that as a people we are capable of coming together, rallying and demanding change when a situation calls for it.

Not good enough, @RishiSunak ‼️ We are very worried about the roll back on the commitment to phase out new petrol & diesel cars by 2030. We've co-signed a letter with other NGOs calling on UK leaders not to backtrack. Five more years of our children breathing toxic air!

How it started. How it's going. Few places have done more to vandalise the public realm and destroy their citizens' architectural inheritance than my home city of Liverpool.

CHRIS PACKHAM: IS IT TIME TO BREAK THE LAW? @Channel4 9pm Wednesday . I try to decide what is justified in protesting government policy on climate change . Please watch . . . climate breakdown is happening - should we be shooting the canaries in the coal mine ?

20mph limits encourage active travel, make our roads safer, and ultimately save lives.✅ It's great to see the introduction of default #20mph speed limits in built-up areas across Wales coming into effect today 👇

@MarvellousMrsP Obviously that's a no go. I'm not even willing to answer the door at that stage.

Important announcement. We have run out of tea bags and I've already taken my bra off so I'm not going to the shop. Please respect our privacy at this difficult time.

@writettes @GrimArtGroup Walked past there today, I love those buildings. It's so annoying there's nothing making landlords keep any decent upkeep

Bretherton Row, Wallgate #Wigan #UrbanDecay @GrimArtGroup

@AndrewNowell_ @BethanNowell @WWLNHS Congratulations to you both ❤️❤️❤️

Willow Rose Nowell was born on Monday 5th June weighing 8lbs 7oz and is wonderful. I am now enjoying some time off with @BethanNowell as we settle into parenting. Thanks to the brilliant midwives and doctors @WWLNHS for ensuring our girl's safe arrival into the world. #Parents

@angelafell I also feel like organisations sometimes expect too much of volunteers, without appropriate support, so it really does start to feel like a chore / job. The celebrations etc are nice but it doesn't make up for when it's a slog due to the lack of what's needed every session.

I’ve been wondering if volunteering in its current form has had its day and whether we might be courageous enough to even ask the question Volunteering - A Class Act northernheartandsoul.co.uk/volunteering-a…

@angelafell Devastated, can't believe we've not turned it into a corporate fanfare! 😂

We’re not doing anything out of the ordinary in the neighbourhood to mark the mental health awareness week It Gives You a Bit of Worth, Doesn't It? & Without Trying to Work Out Why? Wise words from neighbours northernheartandsoul.co.uk/it-gives-you-a…

@angelafell Just read your other story too. I love how they have BBQs set up all over the continent. In Portugal there's one at most parks / spaces where you can just go and use it. It's be great to have that here in communal spots

We are really beginning to notice the appetite for local community good news stories and their role in connecting community and inviting more people in. It’s something that we feel we should pay attention to and grow. northernheartandsoul.co.uk/picnic-in-the-…

@angelafell We've had such nice feedback it's been a delight to work on.

Just want to thank @Victoria__Finch for pulling this together (i cant tag her in the post)

Yesterday we were out & about delivering EyUp to shops & services & chatting Accompanied by Kev, a tenant engagement & voice officer. Great to get to know each other & learn more about each others ways of working. We've a web copy if you'd like a 👀👇 issuu.com/eyupwiganwest/…

Why is British salad so bad. Surely we're past giant chunks of unflavoured veg with no protein now? Literally had to rechop all of it and add some actual flavour.