Thank you for your continuing support, and as the campaign is moving forward I wanted to give you a brief update. Last month I had the opportunity to speak at a fringe meeting of the Labour Party Conference in Manchester. I was fortunate to sit on the panel alongside Harry Leslie Smith, a wonderful 91 year old WW2 veteran who has written a book dedicated to saving the welfare state. Harry spoke of the terrible times before the welfare state, the poverty, the starvation and deaths, and how his generation built the NHS which changed Britain for the better - he feared we are returning to pre welfare state times: www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/inspirational-91-year-old-campaigner-tears-calling-4300812 I then spoke about my brother’s circumstance and generally on the many other deeply sad stories on the petition (which I read every day), showing the dire effect sanctions have on the vulnerable. I wanted the attendees to know this is not just about David, my brother is one of many. Sanctions are ruining lives across the country and unless this is looked into we will indeed return to the past. The meeting received a very good response. I also recently had a meeting with the Leader of Stevenage Council, Sharon Taylor, who has been supporting me with the campaign.  Sharon is helping me help put together a set of parliamentary questions so that we can continue to get our message across. We will not turn our back on the vulnerable, this petition is about supporting the needy not the greedy. If we do not speak up, this will continue, leading to more despair, depression and in some cases deaths. Our voices must be heard, we must not let this go away, I will not let my brother or all the others be just a statistic. I look forward to being in touch again soon, until then thank you for supporting and continuing to share this petition at www.change.org/benefitsanctions Best, Gill