Dear Fellow Bloggers...........

I have been deeply touched by the comments left by fellow bloggers on my post about my sister last week. Thanks so much to all of you, mental illness can leave the families as well as the sufferers feeling isolated and misunderstood and you have so encouraged me.

As someone who occasionally "shouts the odds" about all sorts of things, this is something I feel I have not shouted about enough. There are excellent campaigning organisations out there such as Mind, Young Minds, The Mental Health Foundation and others. But their campaigns so often fall on deaf ears. It takes a tragedy for the media to even make a passing reference to mental health care so what hope to put this issue any higher up the political agenda? The irony is that the cost of continuing to relegate mental health to the bottom of the political agenda is a cost to us all. A financial cost (for example 90% of prisoners have mental health problems) but more importantly a human cost.

At the moment I am not really in a good state to think through what we could be doing (ask my work colleagues whether I have listened to a word they said today!), but I am serious about doing something, however small, to change things. First step is a Facebook Group, second step may be a little more radical.......ideas on a postcard (or an email) please.......

Tracking the Mosquito

The controversial "Mosquito" is being used across the country to deal with "anti-social behaviour". Not only is this a civil liberties issue, it is also highly discriminatory since the Mosquito works by emitting a high pitched noise that only under 25's can hear. So presumably the assumption is that it is only young people who are anti-social.

I got this forwarded to me by a fellow Facebooker who had received the request from 11 MILLION. If any of you can confirm any of the locations, or add others that aren't listed, please can you let me know either here or via Facebook. Ta.

"I was just wondering if you could do us a favour. I have attached a file containing a list of mosquito locations. As you know we are trying to map all the mosquitos across the country. The one problem we have with the list is that we are not sure how accurate and up to date it is. is there any chance you could post it on the facebook website and ask people if they could verify or otherwise the locations that are listed."

Location Berkshire• Maiden Place, Earley, Reading• South Ascot• Cheshire-Outside civil centre in Poynton, Macclesfield• Bollington, Macclesfield• Co-op, London Road, Macclesfield• Panda Way, Congleton• 2 in Congleton Town Market• 2 affixed to care homes, Congleton• Spar at The Parade in Blacon.Cumbria-West Cumbria: • Main Road, Seaton (3)• Windsor Road, Westfield • Workington• Moresby Park, Whitehaven • High Street, Whitehaven • Westfield Drive, Whitehaven • Wellington Row, Main Road, Seaton • Murray Road, Workington• Senhouse Street, Maryport • Ennerdale Road, Cleator Moor• Sainsbury’s Cockermouth South Cumbria: • Chapel Street, Dalton in Furness • one in Dalton Leisure Centre North Cumbria: • Wood Street, Carlisle (2) • Beachwood Avenue, Carlisle, • Blackwell Road Carlisle.• Chiswick Road, Hylton Castle, SunderlandDerbyshire-• Belper• Ironville• Langley Mill• Boythorpe• Glossop• Derby City Centre.Devon and Cornwall• -Coach parking section in multi-storey car park- Torbay in CornwallDorset• -Community centre in BournemouthEssex• Southend Park• Basildon• Hunwicke Shopping Centre in Greenstead estate in Colchester• Burnham train station.• Montrose Court in Stapelford NorthGloucestershire• -Tewkesbury District• Gloucester• Forest • CheltenhamGreater London• -Lythe Road, Ealing• Hallmark Newsagent Shop in Wembley• Tower Hamlets• Ruislip Manor, Blackheath (M&S).Hampshire• -Hart Plain School, South HampshireHertfordshire• -St Albans, Stevenage (x2), • Three Rivers• MacDonald’s Borehamwood• Broxbourne (x2)• Hertsmere• South Oxhey.Kent• Medway, South Kent• RamsgateLancashire• -Broadfield• Moss Side• Bannister Stores, Bannister Drive Leyland• Bamber Bridge• Lancaster• co-op on Norbreck Drive in Preston• Chorley East• Chapel Walk in Rhodes• StaghillsLincolnshire• -Retirement home (South Holland District Council).Norfolk• -Mulbarton• Broadland• North Walsham• Great Yarmouth• Gorleston• Dereham• Thetford• Kings Lynn.Northamptonshire• -Willow Arts Centre in George Street• Oakley Vale Shopping Centre, Corby• Danesholme Shopping Centre in Corby.Nottinghamshire• -Brierley Forest Visitors Centre, Huhwaite• Selston Medical Centre, Selston, • Morven Park School, Kirby in Ashfield• Ashfield District Council Offices, Fox Street, Sutton in Ashfield• Tichfield Park Pavillion, Hucknall, • Beauvale Chip Shop in Hucknall, • Hucknell NET tram shop, • Ling Forest in Oak Tree Lane Mansfield, Shopping parade in Ravensdale Road in Mansfield, • pizza shop in Bagnall Road in Basford, • shop on Oak Tree Estate in Mansfield • Bulwell area.North Somerset• -Mead Vale Shopping Precinct, Worle.North Yorkshire• -City of York• Selby• Market Place, Bedale,• Starbeck, Harrogate• Whitby Station in Whitby • one used by Saxton Parish Council.Merseyside• -Trapwood Close, Eccleston• Play area behind community centre, St Helens• Play area in Haresfinch Park, St Helens• Thatto Heath, St Helens• Chain Lane, St HelensOxfordshire• Westgate Shopping Centre, Chipping Norton, • Reynolds Way in Abingdon.South Yorkshire• Mexborough, • Swinton• Dalton • Orgreave. • Dinnington Indoors Market, Sheffield• Margetson Crescent, Parsons Cross in Sheffield• Rotherham.South Wales• -Spar shop in Barry, South Wales• Town Hall in Renfrewshire• Spar shop on Caerleon Road in Newport Gwent. • Northern Rail Treorchy Station.Staffordshire• -Burntwood• Tamworth,• Stoke• Leek,• Blythe Bridge in EndonSurrey• Epsom/Ewell• Reigate/Banstead• Tandridge• Guildford• Woking.Warwickshire• Co-op at Shipston on Stour.West Mercia• Weston Rhyn, • Llanymynech, • St Martins, • Reddich, • Wythall, • Wyre Forest, • Stourport, • Shawbirch)West Midlands• Sutton Coldfield, • Wolverhampton • Low HillWest Sussex• Macdonalds on London Road in East Grinstead• Spar store on Tilgate Parade in CrawleyWiltshire• Swindon• (Wyvern Theatre, Theatre Square, Guildford Avenue in Lawn and Park North Shop), • Trowbridge (Longfield Community Centre)• Sainsbury’s in Calne Wiltshire.Worcestershire• Charlton Kings• Tewkesbury