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Anna Patton

@annapatton.bsky.social
855 followers 837 following 124 posts

Writer/editor focusing on social enterprise, philanthropy, education. Solutions journalism trainer & doer. Philanthropic Studies MA graduate. Associate editor at Pioneers Post, Fellow at On Purpose. Margate, UK

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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 7h
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026...
thebureauinvestigates.com
‘Fear is part of our life now’: women’s groups thrown into disarray…
Anti-immigration protestors are disrupting services aimed at those they claim to protect
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
From Jan to July, we trained/mentored 10 young education campaigners from around the world in journalistic storytelling. Their final stories, on the theme of 'a safe place to learn', have just been published - and exhibited in NYC: www.pioneerspost.com/news-views/2... @pioneerspost.bsky.social
pioneerspost.com
Pioneers Post trainees publish stories of resilience and change in The Education Issue
Powerful stories of the fight for a safe place to learn find a global audience in New York and beyond, as Theirworld’s annual youth-led newspaper is launched on the sidelines of the UN General Assembl...
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
“When major publications all report on the same thing, it elevates a topic and it gets more attention. So we decided to do the same thing and swarm-report on housing.” Interesting approach to freelancing: www.niemanlab.org/2026/09/five... @coveringclimatenow.org @niemanlab.org
niemanlab.org
Five independent climate journalists are teaming up with a “pop-up newsroom”
Going independent usually means losing the collaboration that comes from working in a newsroom. Journalists operating on their own don't have access to editors or colleagues to work through stories, u...
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Rebecca Solnit @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I think I noted during the recent Belfast riots that a certain kind of man is not really interested in protecting women & girls; he's interested in protecting the exclusive right of his kind of man to abuse and control women and girls.
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The downside of the rise of second-hand shopping tfn.scot/news/online-...
tfn.scot
Online resale boom hits charity shop donations - TFN
Concerns for the charity retail sector
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
"Democracy needs journalists to stand in solidarity with each other. Lobby journalists boycotted briefings after Boris Johnson’s aide banned ‘hostile’ reporters from attending. Number 10 relented. Where is the media boycott of Reform’s conference?"
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Some thoughts on dignity vs charity, what we can learn from Seneca - and a really good example of how the same thing can feel very different, depending on the spirit with which it's given: howcanwehelp.blog/2026/08/30/i...
howcanwehelp.blog
It ain’t what you give, it’s the way that you give it
Mama to Mama is one of at least 400 baby banks in the UK – organisations that give equipment, clothes and other essentials, usually donated secondhand, to people struggling with money. They are inc…
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
"Dolly Parton has been saving us her entire career... she understands that money is something you do rather than something you have" (also: her reading charity has gifted *300 million* books to kids over the years) www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... #philanthropy
theguardian.com
Dolly Parton helped fund a Covid vaccine. This isn't the first time she's saved us | Jessa Crispin
The singer grew up in incredible poverty. She understands that money is something you do, rather than something you have
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
“All children deserve the right to play, don’t they? Regardless of their background, to have a youth club just up the road is vital.” Why heatwaves are adding responsibilities and costs onto youth workers - and stopping kids from staying active. theisleofthanetnews.com/2026/08/10/b...
theisleofthanetnews.com
Broadstairs youth club tackles heatwave with adapted sessions and ‘sun policy’
By Anna Patton When a group of Broadstairs mums set up a youth club 20 years ago, they soon realised they’d underestimated the demand. “The day we opened, we had 120 children turn up – and it was s…
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
By me for @reasonstobecheerful.world: reasonstobecheerful.world/the-transpla...
reasonstobecheerful.world
The 'Transplant Games' Are About More Than Medals
From beginners to serious athletes, competitors come to the Olympic-style games to regain their sense of identity and celebrate life.
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
On the generosity of strangers, and how an economist changed the game for kidney patients My latest story for @reasonstobecheerful.world reasonstobecheerful.world/kidney-excha...
reasonstobecheerful.world
The Chains of Generosity Transforming Kidney Donation
More than 90,000 people in the U.S. are on the waitlist for a kidney transplant. How many of their lives could be saved by a stranger?
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Patrick Galey @patrickgaley.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Hey Internet, I'm looking for a favour: - Anyone who is or knows doctors or healthworkers who operate in the UK and would like to talk about their experiences working during heatwaves... please DM me Thank you in advance!
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Dublin's Bohemian FC is a game-changing football club introducing a new economic vision to Dublin - story by my @pioneerspost.bsky.social colleague: www.pioneerspost.com/news-views/2...
pioneerspost.com
The Editor's Post: FIFA vs Bohemian FC – competing visions of football for good
Before Spain and Argentina face off in the FIFA World Cup final on Sunday, here's an alternative vision of the impact professional football can make on the world.
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
This is so depressing
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
"Organisations working to promote human rights, religious and racial harmony or equality and diversity were the most negatively affected" @charitycommission.blog.gov.uk.web.brid.gy news.sky.com/story/staff-...
news.sky.com
Staff at 'thousands of charities' threatened and intimidated for 'doing their jobs'
The Charity Commission surveyed nearly 3,000 charity trustees, and over a quarter said they had been affected by a "challenging social environment"
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Nick Ames @nickames82.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Special report from Port Arthur, Texas. It is one of the saddest, most desolate places I have ever visited. It is also where Aramco, FIFA's major worldwide partner and an inescapable presence at the World Cup, owns the largest oil refinery in the US. www.theguardian.com/football/202...
theguardian.com
‘This is a hellhole’: Aramco makes its presence hurt in the shadow of the World Cup
The oil giant’s sponsorship deal with Fifa has featured prominently at matches in Houston. But 100 miles away in another Texas city, residents say the firm’s refinery is exposing them to poisonous gas...
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Centre for Sustainable Energy @cse.org.uk · 03/07/2026
#CommunityEnergy initiatives will play a vital role in our future energy system, but access to funding can be a challenge. We're sharing our top tips and resources on how to fund your projects: 💰 Grants 📢 Crowdfunding 💸 Raising shares 🏦 Institutional investment Find out more 👇 #UpTheEnergy
bit.ly
Funding a community energy project - Centre for Sustainable Energy
Looking for funding for your community energy project? There's lots of grants and funding schemes available for new and existing projects.
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Patrick Galey @patrickgaley.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
1,300 people are known to have died during Europe's window shattering heatwave These are just the ones we know of so far, directly attributable to the excess heat. The true figure will take months to reveal. The fossil fuel industry has blood on its hands www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Europe's heatwave 'linked to 1,300 deaths' as more records broken
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that Europe is not prepared for high temperatures.
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
"If we continue to allow the fossil fuel industry to profitably poison us to death, this will be the coolest summer for the rest of our lives" coveringclimatenow.org/from-us-stor... @coveringclimatenow.org @patrickgaley.bsky.social
coveringclimatenow.org
“The Coolest Summer for the Rest of Our Lives” — Covering Climate Now
Fifty years ago, the recent deadly heatwave that shattered temperature records across Europe would have been “virtually impossible.” That’s according to a new scientific study by the nonprofit, World ...
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Joshua Benton @joshuabenton.com · 01/07/2026
New by me —> Now we're getting AI fake news complaining about how AI fake news is the death of real news! How a fake news site splits its energy between (a) the imagined closure of real US newspapers and (b) Chinese-friendly takes on Taiwan www.niemanlab.org/2026/07/now-...
niemanlab.org
Now we’re getting AI fake news complaining about how AI fake news is the death of real news
Did 47 Alabama newspapers die on a single day and no one noticed? (Hint: No, they didn't.)
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
"More than 80% of [journalists] said they were too busy chasing the news agenda to produce more climate change coverage" Come on, editors, you can do so much better pressgazette.co.uk/news/climate... @pressgazette.co.uk @coveringclimatenow.org
pressgazette.co.uk
Climate scientists say news coverage ignores cause of UK heatwave
Connection between greenhouse emissions and extreme heat in UK 'indisputable'.
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Good tips here for those pitching opinion pieces generally, not just to Devex:
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
"During the time he was homeless, he was largely ignored or treated with hostility... The employees [at the host companies] were the first people who actually had conversations with him" Love this by @michaelahaas.bsky.social @reasonstobecheerful.world reasonstobecheerful.world/offices-home...
reasonstobecheerful.world
French Companies Are Inviting Homeless People to Sleep in Their Offices
Most workplaces sit empty every night. Across France, companies are opening theirs up to people experiencing homelessness.
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
"If you can’t be bothered to write it, why should anyone be bothered to read it?" Very well put by @cityam.bsky.social: www.cityam.com/there-should...
cityam.com
There should have been an op-ed here but you filed AI slop
City AM's inbox is drowning in AI pitches. Anna Moloney, who spends her days copy and pasting them into detection software, has had enough.
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Telling kids “how cool democracy is” probably won’t work, says Greg Sanderson. What if they experience it first-hand? By me for @positive.news.web.brid.gy: www.positive.news/society/demo... @soljourno.bsky.social
positive.news
The schools giving children a say in how they are run
What if children were given a say in how their school is run? In some parts of the UK they do thanks to a bold project aiming to strengthen democracy and improve school life
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
I visited Windmill Community Gardens, which is giving people confidence to grow food themselves - and selling 75 organic veg bags each week theisleofthanetnews.com/2026/05/29/m... @islethanetnews.bsky.social #greatbiggreenweek
theisleofthanetnews.com
Margate charity opening its gardens to the community during Great Big Green Week
By Anna Patton When Joe Ball checks the wildlife camera at Windmill Community Gardens, he never quite knows what he will find. The lead grower at the Margate charity’s market garden says dragonflie…
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Street football keeping young people busy, a weekly park kickabout for refugees, and the football club opening up facilities to homeless people - my feature for the Margate Mercury's summer issue: www.brightsidepublishing.com/margate-merc... @margatemercury.bsky.social @margatefc.bsky.social
Headline "It's coming home!" and cover photo of young people playing football Football team posing in the park
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
“You know, people don’t ask me these questions" -- what a bizarre response. Thankfully @vox.com and other people ARE in fact asking these questions www.vox.com/climate/4894... #philanthropy #climatecrisis
vox.com
I asked a billionaire about his environmental philanthropy. It didn’t go well.
The contradiction at the core of big-money environmental giving.
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Karen knows how it feels to ask for help. First, “the body blow” of accepting that you’re struggling. Then, “making yourself lesser” when you approach someone who knows or has more than you do. "I know from bitter experience that it is a huge thing to knock on the door". My story for @bigissue.com:
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
"People believe individuals seeking asylum account for 33% of immigration, when in reality it is about 9%. They also believe people travelling to the UK for study account for 24% of immigration, when it is in fact just over half." www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m... @britishfuture.bsky.social
theguardian.com
Voters across parties believe UK net migration is rising despite sharp drop
Study, published as latest migration figures are released, shows incorrect perceptions driving immigration debate
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
'Alex quit their virtual assistant job in late 2025, saying they couldn’t handle the “mind-numbing” workload anymore. “It’s all AI comments by fake people answered with fake replies by other fake people... like none of this is real.”' restofworld.org/2026/virtual... @restofworld.org
restofworld.org
The Filipino virtual assistants behind LinkedIn’s “thought leadership” content mill
For $7 an hour, virtual assistants use AI tools to write LinkedIn posts and comments on behalf of Western executives.
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
“We’re in, historically, a very deprived area with very poor access to nature... I think it’s immensely important that that resource that is owned and managed by the community, rather than restricted for people" By me for @islethanetnews.bsky.social theisleofthanetnews.com/2026/05/15/h...
theisleofthanetnews.com
How Margate volunteers transformed ‘moonscape’ into ‘wildlife haven’
By Anna Patton A community woodland in Margate is set to hit 1,600 volunteering hours this year – double the hours it recorded just three years ago. That’s despite a nationwide volunteer shortage, …
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HOPE not hate @hopenothate.org.uk · 16/05/2026
Tommy Robinson is marching through London again today. He presents himself as a patriot, a journalist, and a victim of the establishment. But in reality he is a serial criminal with a rap sheet two decades long. Here’s the record he’d rather you didn’t read. 🧵
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
Donations by the UK’s 100 wealthiest have risen to nearly £5bn, £1.25bn up on last year’s total giving - @civilsociety.bsky.social www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/charity... #philanthropy #richlist
civilsociety.co.uk
Charity founder becomes first Brit to donate more than £1bn in a year
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Richard Gere on feeling "deeply ashamed" of what his country has done, and why his new film offers “a corrective of who we really are as human beings" - my piece from the Skoll World Forum: www.pioneerspost.com/news-views/2... @skollfoundation.bsky.social @pioneerspost.bsky.social
pioneerspost.com
The Editor's Post: Richard Gere brings star power to Skoll World Forum
The Hollywood actor and practising Buddhist on the purpose of life – and why his new project aims to counter “a very dark time”: Anna Patton reports from the Skoll World Forum in Oxford, England.
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Kay donated a kidney to a stranger, then Tom read about it and did the same; then he set up a project to encourage acts of generosity, that in some cases sparks further acts of kindness. www.positive.news/society/the-...
positive.news
The generosity experiment
A social experiment is giving away half a million dollars to fund acts of kindness globally – it’s already having a positive impact
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
UK govt announces plan to connect philanthropic donors with local organisations outside of London - " helping spread donations across the country": www.gov.uk/government/n... #philanthropy
gov.uk
Government to unlock philanthropic investment into England's most disadvantaged communities
Government today launches plan to make it easier for the wealthiest in society to give back to communities that need help most
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
"Demand for solar panels, electric vehicles and heat pumps in Great Britain has leapt since the war began on 28 Feb" www.theguardian.com/business/202...
theguardian.com
Record number of homes in Great Britain turn to green energy as fuel prices soar
Iran war drives demand for solar panels, heat pumps and EVs, with energy bills expected to rise 18% from July
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
'49% of higher-rate taxpayers said they were “not interested in charities”' - ouch www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
theguardian.com
Fewer Britons giving to charity, study says, with donations down by £1.4bn
Charities Aid Foundation says giving no longer a ‘deeply embedded cultural norm’ amid rising cost of living
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
UK aid cuts "set to be the steepest across the G7, steeper even than the US" and will above all hit women, people with disabilities, children, and people affected by conflict NGO statement via @bondngo.bsky.social www.bond.org.uk/press-releas... #ukaid
bond.org.uk
One year since UK aid cuts, 97 INGO leaders highlight devastating impact | Bond
One year on from the UK aid cuts, the UK INGO sector has issued a joint statement, reflecting on the devastating consequences of the cuts and calling on
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sianushka.bsky.social @sianushka.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
Well said by Marina Hyde www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
So the Epstein scandal is about politics? Silly me for thinking it’s about the mass abuse of women and girls | Marina Hyde
Obsessing over individual players and political chaos leaves less time to focus on the misogyny. And that’s for the best, isn’t it guys, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
"[An estimated] 800,000 people have died who otherwise wouldn’t have due to the (illegal) shuttering of USAID... We don’t know most of their names. But thanks to the essential work of journalists, we know some of them" timhirschelburns.substack.com/p/the-people... @timhirschelburns.bsky.social
timhirschelburns.substack.com
The People They Killed
When the Trump administration destroyed USAID, people died. We know some of their names.
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
'The conclusion is that women can’t, after all, have it all. Ariel Wan disagrees: “F*ck that. We can. Let’s just build it.” So she did.' New story by me, for @reasonstobecheerful.world reasonstobecheerful.world/little-break... #childcare #entrepreneur #femalefounder #solutionsjournalism
reasonstobecheerful.world
The Affordable Daycare That Keeps Parents Close
At Little Break, parents get work done on-site while others help care for their kids, keeping costs down and making sure moms and dads don't miss any milestones.
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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 08/01/2026
A New York Times video analysis of an ICE agent’s fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis contradicts the Trump administration’s account. Watch our investigation here.
nyti.ms
Video: Videos Contradict Trump Administration Account of ICE Shooting in Minneapolis
An analysis of footage from three camera angles shows that the motorist was driving away from — not toward — a federal officer when he opened fire.
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
Why are do-gooders so universally disliked, and are they making a comeback...? Some thoughts on social comparison, the do-gooder dilemma, and moral envy: howcanwehelp.blog/2025/12/31/d...
howcanwehelp.blog
Do-gooders: disliked – and attempting a comeback
Jacinda Ardern, the former New Zealand prime minister, calls herself a “do-gooder”. It’s an unusual choice: the term is mostly an insult, and she was apparently mocked at school for her do-gooding.…
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
"The discomfort of the checkout charity request makes customers more sceptical, and they start to doubt the real motives behind the request" theconversation.com/checkout-cha... #fundraising #charity @theconversation.com
theconversation.com
‘Checkout charity’ requests often backfire, leaving shoppers feeling guilty: new study
Our research found many customers feel pressured, anxious or pushed into making a donation.
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
New episode from us at @pioneerspost.bsky.social, recorded in Medellin with @juliepybus.bsky.social. (Enjoy my lame attempts to slurp the coffee while tasting, and my terrible Spanish...) www.pioneerspost.com/podcasts/202... #bcorp #colombia #medellin #socialenterprise @soljourno.bsky.social
pioneerspost.com
Urbania: The Colombian enterprise using great coffee to do good
Good Stories podcast episode 7: Colombia is famous for its top quality coffee, but the brew can offer more than just a pick-me-up. Anna Patton meets the co-founders of Urbania, who are creating jobs f...
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 13/12/2025
18 UK universities now exclude oil, gas and mining companies from their careers and recruitment activities, according to the charity People & Planet www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2025... @thecanaryuk.bsky.social @peopleandplanet.bsky.social
thecanary.co
More universities are banning fossil fuel industry recruitment
Since the start of 2025, eight UK universities have committed to excluding oil, gas and mining companies from their careers and recruitment
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The Progress Network @progressntwrk.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
😬2025 has been rough going for America. 🧐But did anything good happen at all? 🥰Thankfully, yes. theprogressnetwork.org/good-news-un...
theprogressnetwork.org
What Could Go Right? - Did Anything Good Happen in the US in 2025?
Yes, and we have the receipts.
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Anna Patton @annapatton.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
The latest @reasonstobecheerful.world newsletter is all about giving - and it includes my story from a little while ago, about the wealth advisors helping their clients to give more money away. Read it here: reasonstobecheerful.world/giving-away-... #philanthropy #wealth #giving
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