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The Unsung Heroes of 2018

2018 has been a complicated year.

But while politicians are stuck in gridlock in Westminster, people like you are showing that you won’t stand by and wait for change. You’ll take it into your own hands.

Up-and-down the country, we saw people coming together to create more positive change than ever before.

This year, the people of Birmingham helped the most petitions declare victory. While communities in East London, Edinburgh and Sheffield topped the list for being the most active areas for signing petitions.

Together, the public signed, shared and stood up for campaigns at record levels.

Every single day of the year we saw;

So today, I want to look back and celebrate the stories of the unsung heroes of 2018. They don’t all get the credit they deserve but these are the people who change laws, save lives and rewrite history. 

This year proved once again that change knows no age-limits. From 6-year-old Dylan campaigning to ban palm oil, to teenager Belinda Bradley who took on tech giant Google to make Google Maps wheelchair friendly. To the 92-year-old British war veteran Anne who traveled 3,606 miles from Canada, to deliver her petition to Downing Street calling for fairer pension laws.

To all the mums using Change.org to create a better world for families – you are our heroes. Like Hannah Deacon, who after winning a hard battle to legalise medical cannabis to treat her son Alfie’s medical condition, continues to fight so it is accessible to more suffering families. And Lucy Herd, who tragically lost her 4-year-old son Jack and went on to change legislation for better bereavement leave for all families in the UK.

Law changing couple, Rebecca and Charles, won their campaign to make civil partnerships available for mixed-sex couples in the UK.  While Matthew Smith, pictured above, who lost his brother Dan to Suicide, campaigned for a mental health minister. Over 390,000 of you signed his petition, which led to suicide prevention officially becoming a minister’s responsibility.

This year, you did so much more than sign petitions at record numbers.

To the hundreds of you who shared a photo to show support for Sudanese teenager Noura who was sentenced to death for stabbing her rapist.

To all the kids and families who wrote and shared letters to Santa to save Rang-tan and all orangutans from the destruction of palm oil.

To those of you who spring into action every time Richard Ratcliffe updates his petition as he continues fighting for his wife Nazanin’s release from prison in Iran. From sending in jokes, to writing birthday cards, your support has brought joy to their family during this very difficult time.

Thank you so much for an incredible year of change. We’re so excited to see what you’ll do in 2019.

You can support more unsung heroes all year round by becoming a Change.org Subscriber today. Each contribution we receive means our small team can help petition starters win their campaigns.

Written by
Change.org
December 17, 2018 11:50 am