10 Christian Aid Week (10-16) Rising sea levels Christian Aid Week this year is focussing on Climate Change and Climate Justice. One of the effects of Climate Change is the melting of the polar ice caps, and rising sea levels. Countries like the Maldives and some of the Pacific coral atoll nations are worried about […]

8 Maternal mental health awareness week (3-9 May) Over the past year we have become more used to people talking about mental health – although that is still a long way from addressing the issue, and from eradicating completely the stigma that tends to go with it. Many of the issues have been around for

7 Usually at this stage after an election there has been a flurry of overnight activity as results have been announced and commentators have dissected them in fine detail. But this year the count has only just begun. We will get some results today, and others over the weekend. It fits with the spirit of

6 Election Day. We’ve been bombarded with stories about it for weeks (or is it months?), and now all is calm and quiet on the television and radio because broadcasters are restricted in what they can say on polling day. After 10pm tonight it will be back to bombardment about potential results, actual results etc.

5 Sun awareness week (3-9) Amongst other things this is Sun awareness week. On Monday, with heavy rain and wind, we might flippantly have asked if we were supposed to be aware that somewhere in the far blue yonder beyond the cloud there is supposed to be a sun. It’s rather different today with sunshine

4 Deaf awareness week (3-9 May) During the last year, with mask wearing and keeping a 2m distance from people, a number of folk have realised that they actually have hearing issues – up till then they weren’t aware how much they relied on being close to someone, and to some extent watching their lips,

3 There are various commemorations taking place today to mark the creation of two separate jurisdictions on the island of Ireland one hundred years ago today – effectively creating ‘Northern Ireland’ as a political entity separate from what became the Irish Free State, now the Republic of Ireland. Differences in identity among communities on the

1 May Today sees the start of ‘National, local and community history month’ – no I hadn’t heard of it either! So after you washed your face in the dew, skipped round the maypole, marched for workers’ rights or whatever, you might like to reflect on how you could learn a bit more about the