Wish us luck!!!! We're in London for the Publisher Newsletter Awards. Mirror Together newsletter has been nominated for an award! @roswynnejones.bsky.social @clairedonmedia.bsky.social @journomaryamq.bsky.social

We’ve been on tour across the country speaking to people doing amazing things, from a Birmingham charity who support 400 people a week at their coffee mornings, to a group of dedicated volunteers in Bradford, who butter up to 400 slices of bread a day in the school holidays so no child goes hungry.

When #riots struck the local asylum hotel, the climbing community rallied to stand by their friends. The film follows Sev, a gifted local climber & his ‘Boulder Buddy’ Ali, a #refugee from Iran, as they find resilience, strength & belonging on the walls of The Climbing Hangar in #Merseyside.

With the rising threat of tech-facilitated abuse of women and girls, we speak to Marnie who experienced domestic violence and coercive control as a teenagers ahead of Refuge's Tech Summit this week. #RealBritain with @roswynnejones.bsky.social @mirror.co.uk www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

Chandni Hanif turned to One Can Trust when she and her young son became homeless. "There have been times I haven't been able to afford essentials like pasta or nappies and I've been able to send a message to One Can Trust who've turned up with nappies. They genuinely care."

In 1964 Smethwick was the scene of the most racist election in British history. Tory MP Peter Griffiths was elected on the slogan "If you want a n***** for a neighbour, vote Labour." Last year, 60 yrs on Labour's Gurinder Singh Josan became the first person of colour to be elected MP for Smethwick.

As students opened their #GCSE results yesterday, guest columnist Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester says there needs to be a major overhaul of our education system.

Andy, who was a carer for his son with cerebral palsy, became homeless. "I'd had a family & a stable home then suddenly it all went. I literally had nowhere to go, I was facing having to sleep on the streets, I didn’t know if I could hack it, but what else could I do?" #RealBritain @mirror.co.uk

"From the moment they refused to allow me to come home to the UK, everything changed. It’s dehumanising, because you create a situation where people can't easily get a home, get a job… when you're in a third country that is hostile, that's very difficult."

Community leader Sacha Bedding warns the country stands on the brink again, after major disorder in #Epping. This week @roswynnejones.bsky.social visits the town to speak to residents & hears how community power could be the answer. In today's @mirror.co.uk

Bin workers have been on full-strike action since March. Adrian told @journomaryamq.bsky.social “I broke down in tears with my gaffer saying I couldn’t make a decision. I couldn't even think straight, my mind was not in any fit state." @unitetheunion.bsky.social @roswynnejones.bsky.social

Hear what Inaaya has to say 📽️

Daughter Coleen told @journomaryamq.bsky.social there was a lack of internal communication at Nottingham City Hospital & failures by social services: "The whole system is so bad.They just kept saying he needed to go into a care home, but dad was adamant he didn’t want to." @roswynnejones.bsky.social

Within a fortnight, the man who once asked, "Do I want to spend every Friday for the next 5 years in Clacton?" jetted off to the US to "say hello" to President Donald Trump. He's made at least 8 trips to the US – but not held one single surgery for constituents. In today's @mirror.co.uk

Jayden, 14, has been at the youth club, since he was nine. "We're aiming to achieve reaching zero on the bills by adding batteries, enhancers & optimisers to maximise the energy we get. Saving the club money that can go towards things we wouldn't be able to experience otherwise."

Parent Simon Morley: "Our lives would be apocalyptic without The Ark. The Ark is like the oxygen mask on a plane, it helps us to then help Ruby. Without it being there, her life would be so diminished, she would not be the happy girl she is." @journomaryamq.bsky.social @roswynnejones.bsky.social

Child #poverty affects 4.5m children – yet the gov’s flagship Child Poverty Strategy has become mired in delays. Last week's Spending Review saw no mention of lifting the #TwoChildBenefitCap or other measures that could dramatically shift the dial on child poverty. 📷 Simon Williams

"There were times growing up I was told not to open the door because of the bailiffs. All the physical things – like having nits for months because we couldn’t afford the treatments – have a real impact" - Georgia #REALBRITAIN @roswynnejones.bsky.social @journomaryamq.bsky.social

"I lost boxes of my children’s memories, hospital memorabilia, little handprints, the first drawing of Postman Pat. I had to get the fire service to pump us out. It took nine months to put our house back together" - @floodmary.bsky.social with @roswynnejones.bsky.social @journomaryamq.bsky.social

Despite a national rise in antisemitism & Islamophobia linked to the war in Gaza & Oct 7 attacks, the project has kept going. "We couldn't shy away, because people felt so different about things. But we came together & we united on humanity. What we’re doing here is what counts"- co-chair Ferzana.

It began as a community meal for 30, now serves weekly dinner for over 100 people, 700 takeaway meals are handed out & 500 bags of groceries given monthly. @journomaryamq.bsky.social visited the #Nottingham project, which was set up to bring their communities together, @roswynnejones.bsky.social

In Bolton @clairedonmedia.bsky.social visited All Souls, a derelict church once a magnet for anti-social behaviour until it was saved by local council community worker, Inayat Omarji. Claire also visited Stretford Hall & Future Yard - a music venue in Birkenhead.

JENGbA was set up by two extraordinary mums, Jan Cunliffe & Gloria Morrison. Their work has also inspired a new podcast, 'In It Together' by actor Maxine Peake & inspired Jimmy McGovern's drama, Common - the story of a boy, Johnjo O'Shea whose trip out for pizza ends in a life sentence. #RealBritain

Jozef Nowak was 17 when his town in Poland was invaded by the Nazis. He came to Britain to keep fighting. "It’s important to me that there are hundreds of thousands of stories of people like Granddad Joe, who never made newspaper headlines, but stood up against fascism" - @paulnowaktuc.bsky.social

June now works in a care home -"The work is so hard, 8.45pm to 8am with no break. I make food, but I bring it home again, I don’t get time to eat it. The only person who speaks to me, or ever says thank you, is the clocking-in machine." @clairedonmedia.bsky.social @roswynnejones.bsky.social

We're delighted that @mirrortogether.bsky.social has been shortlisted for a Publisher Newsletter Award in the Best Local & Community Newsletter category. Thank you to our readers for their continuous support. Congrats to @untoldreach.bsky.social (also run by our amazing team) for being nominated!

"As a man you really feel it when you can’t provide financially. My wife had post-natal depression and I developed depression. The financial uncertainty was awful" - Tom, a father-of-two from Wiltshire. In today's @mirror.co.uk with @dadshiftuk.bsky.social

"I have been rejected for roles as I’ve refused to wear hot pants, or bikinis. Yet I saw men in t-shirts and trousers. Why isn’t that the same for women?" - Raven Dixon-Biggs. @roswynnejones.bsky.social @journomaryamq.bsky.social @youngwomenstrust.bsky.social

We also headed to the Open Kitchen Nottingham run by Muslim Hands UK. They feed 130 people daily, 365 days a year! The service is a lifeline to many in the city. This Ramadan they are also hosting weekly Iftars for all. In today's @mirror.co.uk @roswynnejones.bsky.social & @journomaryamq.bsky.social

Former finance specialist David has a benign bone cancer & has bipolar disorder, anxiety & depression. "I’ve had to miss meals, so my son eats. This winter I went over a month without heating – you could see vapour when I talked. I only put the heating on when my son comes." In today's @mirror.co.uk