Changing Lives

Google Maps, for some unknown reason,  doesn't show the lovely oasis of the Cluny Gardens Allotments in Southend-on-Sea as green.  Don't they realise that the Benedictine monks of Prittlewell Priory gardened there for 400 years until Henry VIII scattered them to the four winds?  The current King of the Cluny Gardens is Tony Wagstaff who is a Reparation and Community Practitioner with Southend's  ISSP (Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme)...and, in ordinary language, a thoroughly nice bloke.  Since 2011 Tony has designed a garden at the Hampton Court Flower Show and won ten medals and awards.  Each year he takes a group of young people from the Early Help Family Support and Youth Offending Service and they create a memorable garden, some of which then go on to have a future life brightening up different parts of Southend.  In this podcast we hear from Tony and three of his volunteers, Rob, Curtis and Jake and from case worker, Ricardo, and social worker, Jane.You can catch up with them at the Hampton Court Flower Show this year which runs from 5-11 July.  They are creating one of the big show gardens, The Ability Garden.  https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-hampton-court-palace-garden-festival/gardens/2021/the-ability-gardenYou can see The Therapeutic Garden talked about by Tony and Rob in the podcast here:https://www.southend.gov.uk/community-1/hampton-court-flower-showhttps://www.shootgardening.co.uk/article/southend-young-offenders-a-place-to-think-gardenThe music is The Parisian played by Kevin Macleod (with thanks for making this available under Creative Commons license).

In Kolkata in India the virus is spreading rapidly through the city.  Many people are out of work and there are many newly homeless families living on the street with nothing to eat.   There have been two catastrophic cyclones and widespread flooding in the region.   The government is increasingly concerned about what is going to happen to the 'Covid orphans'.  In this final podcast about Future Hope we hear from founders, Tim and Erica Grandage, CEO, Sujata Sen, School Principal, Madhu Ravi, and Senior Girl, Jhili, who sang and composed the music.  We also hear from alumni Rajesh and Mintu, who was the very first Future Hope boy.  Don't miss little Naitik at the very end.  You can catch up with all Future Hope's news on Twitter or Instagram or on their website www.futurehope.net.    They never stop helping other people to make the world a better place.It is Mintu as a young boy who we see in the picture.

Education is a human right but one that millions of children are still denied. By providing underprivileged children with an education Future Hope School in Kolkata gives them the key to unlock opportunity; a chance to get a decent job, to escape poverty and to support their families & communities.   In Episode 2 of the Future Hope story we hear from three students who are achieving their dreams and also the amazing plans for the future from the founders, Tim and Erica Grandage, and their CEO, Sujata Sen.https://www.futurehope.net/our-work/our-school/Music from the pupils of Future Hope school in celebration of the birthday of Bengali poet, Rabindranath Tagore.In the final episode we will hear about the extraordinary outreach work the whole school has been doing during the pandemic and Cyclone Amphan last summer and Cyclone Kaas which devastating West Bengal right now.

There are 100,000 street children in Kolkata.  At the railway stations children on their own take refuge on lit platforms at night, hoping to protect themselves from abuse. During the day they make a few rupees by rag picking, working as coolies or in roadside food stalls. Many are ill and malnourished and often they become addicted to glue, which helps them forget the trauma of their life.  Over the past three decades the lives of 3,000 of these children have been transformed by a an extraordinary couple, Tim and Erica Grandage, and their team at Future Hope.  I am telling this story in three parts, the first is The Early Years and in the next we'll hear from the children and the amazing things they have achieved with their lives and in the last we'll look at how everyone at Future Hope, teachers, students and alumnae have all reached out into the local community and much further afield to help during the Covid crisis and the devastation of the cyclone that ravaged the Sunderbans last summer.  Have your handkerchiefs ready and prepare to feel very humble.You can catch up on Future Hope's news here:  https://www.futurehope.netThe music is a very old well-known folk song called 'Thakur Jamai' sung by Swapna Chakraborty.  The lyrics are about a woman telling her sister-in-law to put some extra rice in the cooking pan, dress up in a beautiful yellow sari because her husband (her sister-in-law’s husband or Jamai) is coming home, he’s on the way from the railway station, all dressed up like a dandy, chewing paan to make his lips red...'Get fish from the fisherman, get vegetables, get all ready to welcome him'.   It’s happy, celebratory song.  With thanks to the Bengal Foundation.

Salt marshes fringe much of the world’s low-lying coasts and they provide the perfect natural defence to the battering of the sea and increasing storm surges as a result of climate change and rising sea levels.  A day doesn't seem to go by without news of a further crumbling of the coastline so I thought it would be a great idea to talk to Dr. Ben Evans who is a coastal geomorphologist at the University of Cambridge with a particular interest in coastal wetlands and salt marshes.  He grew up on the Walton Backwaters in Essex and mud has dominated his life ever since.   Below are links to the Resist project he has been involved with and a couple of films that show the work they've been doing to calculate the resilience of a salt marsh to increasing force from the sea and help inform international policy of shoreline management...literally 'Hold the line, advance the line or retreat'....With many thanks to Daniel Girdner for his exquisite playing of Niccolò Paganini's 'Romanza'.You can listen to much more of his repertoire on his Youtube channel at   https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpWzv0rZVxH8tLzMMnLJFNmUlDxZBeoSYhttps://www.nerc-resist.ukhttps://youtu.be/4ZoPBfm2aBYhttps://youtu.be/P9m7vAdqsWchttps://data.unep-wcmc.org/datasets/43

Petra Potasse is a talented shipwright...a rare female in a male world.  She lives on her beloved 118-year old Dutch barge, the 'Cornelia Anna', and she sails to where the work is.  Since she came over from the Netherlands 13 years ago, leaving a career as an English and Arts and Crafts teacher behind,  she has worked on several projects up and down the East Anglian coast as lead shipwright and as teacher and trainer, with the Mayflower Project, to a younger generation of boatbuilders.   For the last three years she has worked with Richard and Steve Wyatt at Bedwells Boatyard  in Walton-on-the-Naze. Waltz in A minor by Frederic Chopin played by Aya Higuchi in 2015.  With thanks to commons.wikimedia.org.This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication

The historic port of Mistley in Essex has been blighted for the past 12 years with a 2-metre high fence which appeared, with no consultation, all along the quay...130 metres.   All the barges and little boats that used to come could no longer dock, no more crabbing, no feeding of the swans and the view of the estuary from the old cottages on the quay was forever pixellated.   This is the story of how a community fought back.   We hear from Nancy Bell, Head Housekeeper of the Grayson Perry house at Wrabness, James Christopher ex-film critic of The Times, Dame Edme Beverage (aka William Meston) keeper of the Grapevine Inn, ex-lawyer Simon and Bettina Bullimore, joint driving force of the campaign, Dina Southwell artist, Sherri Singleton proprietress of The Mistley Thorn and other highly talented members of the cast of the pantomime, long in the making, 'The Curse of Foggy Quay' written and directed by James Christopher.  You can find out all about it and join the fundraising campaign at:www.freethequay.co.uk

HMP Warren Hill sits right next to the sea on the Suffolk coast and, in non-pandemic times, it buzzes all day long with activity and purpose.  The prison takes residents serving long-term sentences from the rest of the prison system and aims to prepare them for release.  They are out of their cells for 12 hours a day.   The Vestey Project and the music workshops run by Britten Pears Arts are two of many initiatives that are welcomed and facilitated by the prison.  In this podcast we hear from Rebecca White, founding director of Your Own Place, and her mentee who, through sheer determination, has happily settled on the outside.  He’s doing voluntary work and is very articulate about the benefits of being mentored and the ‘enabling environment’ at HMP Warren Hill.  We also hear from Judy Dow, who is Head of Philanthropy at the Norfolk Community Foundation about her journey as a Vestey mentor.   I wasn't able to interview Judy's mentee for reasons that will be apparent by the end of the podcast.  The music was recorded by residents of the prison with Britten Pears Arts in 2019.   They've worked with the prison for many, many years and each series of music workshops ends in a concert which is open to family and friends. https://www.yourownplace.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer-mentoring-prisons/https://snapemaltings.co.uk/criminal-justice/

The last in the current series is this Christmas wreath of flowers, rosehips and bramble foliage entwined together with all the voices, the sounds and the music that have appeared during this extraordinary year. I had no idea that when I called this podcast, back in January, 'Changing Lives', the title would prove so prescient. The podcast suddenly changed completely as it ran along to keep up with events and reinvent itself...interviews moving from homes, offices and community halls to Zoom and more Zoom. But with Zoom I could suddenly travel all over the world and, with YouTube, I discovered a bewitching world of musicians who have allowed me so generously to use their work. All the details of the podcasts you'll find in their own introductions but the musicians I will mention here. The next series of 'Changing Lives' will start at the end of January. Happy Christmas and thank you very much to all the brilliant people who let me into their lives with my microphone and to you for listening!Guitar played by Daniel Girdner 'Sí Bheag, Sí Mhór' composed by Turlough O'Carolan and 'Valse Française' by Francis Kleynjans https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCygDSDPO59LBldtbnoG8lMQBand music: The Pinnacle with the Irene Taylor Trust https://irenetaylortrust.comPiano played by Henrietta Faire (my sister).Hurdy-gurdy played by Andrey Vinogradov https://andreyvinogradov.comFlute played by Tim Macri accompanied by Luis Avila https://www.youtube.com/user/tootuncommon51210

Jenny Hudson was paralysed in a riding accident four years ago but, despite being told that she would never walk again, she is walking with the help of an exoskeleton and a gifted physiotherapist, Louis Martinelli, from Hobbs Rehabilitation in Winchester. The Ekso Bionics company's mission statement is 'we use technology to empower human mobility' and it feels like the potential of the exoskeleton is boundless.'Sarah you have made me sound rather glorious in this clever podcast which is very kind - I have to add that I could not have been anywhere near the person you portray without two key people - my husband who we hear in the podcast and Joanne Simpson. Jo was my carer when I left hospital and she has been with me ever since. I cannot tell you or make anyone understand just what having Jo’ s support truly means . She is reliable, smart, unflappable, observant, good company and funny - I could not imagine life now without her and I certainly could not be the remarkable person that you say I am without her. ' Jenny Hudson.With many thanks to Daniel Girdner for his playing of Estudio en Mi Menor by Francisco Tárrega. You can hear his music on his YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCygDSDPO59LBldtbnoG8lMQThis is the website for Jenny's pool/studio: https://www.lawfordhousepool.co.ukand the link to the company who makes the exoskeleton: https://eksobionics.com/company/and the organisations who have been instrumental in helping Jenny on her road to recovery:https://theairambulanceservice.org.ukhttps://www.spinal.co.ukhttp://www.rstrust.com

In a week when a new vaccine for Covid 19 has been unveiled, this is a podcast focussing on Getting Fit. My doctor daughter broke it to me several years ago that, as we get older, we have to exercise more, and more, and more...it appears it's exponential...especially with the threat of further viruses around the corner. This is a montage of old newsreel and recordings of the really extraordinary Mary Bagot-Stack and her daughter, Prunella, often described as Britain's first 'perfect woman', who founded The Women's League of Health and Beauty in 1930, mixed with my attempts to get fit with the NHS app 'Couch to 5K', and pilates with Danielle Moye of www.lebarrecolchester.co.uk. and a guest appearance, from an ancient LP, of Winnie the Pooh voiced brilliantly by Kenneth Connor with the Wonderland Singers and Alyn Ainsworth and his Orchestra. The picture shows members of the The original Bagot-Stack Dancing Academy dancing at Clacton-on-Sea in Essex in 1928... ‘in harmony with the rhythm of the wavelets lapping the sand and with the vibration of the sunlight on sea and shore. Every movement was an object lesson in the expression of the strength and health and passionate joyousness of pulsing natural life.” Thank you to Dr. Lucy Vermont.

Bouldering is a relatively new take on an old sport which has boomed in popularity over the past few years. Traditional images of climbing focus on athletic body types, but increasing numbers of people are realising that it offers something for everyone. Yasmin is a paraclimber who's discovered its magic. Indirock is a new bouldering wall on a mission. In their own ways they want to increase diversity within the climbing community and encourage a new generation to discover the sport. You can follow Yasmin's journey on Instagram @the.climb.to.healthy (beware, you will find yourself inspired to climb a rock face!) and her diversity work through @unitedweclimb and @all_in_beta. You can follow Emily Vermont and Indirock, Southend's first bouldering wall, on both Instagram and Facebook @indirock_ and their café will be run by @hugos_pantry. And if you'd like to help make their vision a reality, on 5 November Indirock will launch a crowdfunding campaign to raise £25,000 towards their start up costs. Links will be shared through their social media and on their website indirock.co.uk Many thanks to Tim Macri and Luis Avila for their beautiful playing of the Stabat Mater of Antonio Vivaldi and to Chris Jones for his 'Southend Song' performed for Southend Radio in 1981 (copyright Essex Sounds).

At this time when everything is so uncertain around us, it is pure joy to listen to the recordings of Vladimir Kryuchev in his home town of Sergiyev Posad in Russia. He is an international award-winning audio producer and has just won the top radio prize in Russia for 'The Bots and Spammers Dating Club' but it's his portrayal of his community, his town and surrounding villages, that, for me, is his overriding achievement. Just sit back and enjoy his gentle voice and the touching vision of a Russia that we never normally see.This podcast features the following field recordings made by Vladimir Kryuchev all available to listen to on his website https://www.oontz.ru/en which has a choice of viewing in Russian or English.1. The Dubrava Muzyka festival.2. Sounds of twilight in Sergiyev Posad: from the open windows and elsewhere3. The beggar’s song, Blinnaya Mount4. Sound recording of the construction workers from Uzbekistan plastering a wall of a building on Vifanskaya street5. The would-be priests choir (Moscow Theological Academy)6. Krasnozavodsk brass bandand we end with 'Ringing Up The Curtain': 'Operated by the ticket-collector the old-fashioned buzzer marks the beginning of a play at the Oktyabr concert hall and youth centre on the outskirts of Sergiyev Posad. People rushing in a hurry, tip-up seats’ claps and the background music once used as the weather forecast signature tune by the USSR TV.'and several others!With many thanks to Vladimir and all the people and trees and traffic and trains and rivers and rain he has recorded!

This first podcast in the 2nd series of 'Changing Lives' is a tribute to a truly remarkable man. Richard Jameson was a brilliant scholar at Magdalen College, Oxford, a fêted young actor and President of the Oxford Experimental Theatre Club when he was struck down with extraordinary hallucinations up at the Edinburgh Festival where, instead of acting his character, he became that character: 'Ask a man to play a raving lunatic withmethod acting and you are asking for trouble. It is so close to the real thingthat it becomes the real thing.' Treatment for schizophrenia in those days was primitive and he went in and out of hospital until finally the right drug regime was found. Richard was the subject of a BBC television series 'The Human Brain' and he wrote and broadcast extensively on the subject of his illness. His autobiographical play 'Is It A Crime To Be Happy?' was performed by Samuel West in London and he carried on until the end of his life performing his cherished magic show to cheer up the infirm and elderly. These are some precious dictaphone tapes which were left, with his suitcase of tricks, to his nephew, Mark Jameson, also known as Mr. Squash, an inspirational teacher and entertainer himself. We hear Richard's bravery and vulnerability, his indomitable spirit, the wisdom of knowing what is reality and what is delusion....a wistfulness for a life without pain. The last word on the tape is the last word he left. Below are some links to articles written by Richard and one by Esther Rantzen describing the man she knew at Oxford. Piano by Henrietta Faire (Richard's niece): Enrique Granados' Twelve Spanish Dances Op. 37 No. 5.'No Longer On The Fringes'. https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2002/01/10/no-longer-on-the-fringes/British Medical Journal 'Personal View' by Richard Jameson https://www.bmj.com/content/291/6494/541'Survival is Magical' https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2002/06/13/survival-is-magical/'A Direct Line To Sanity' https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2002/04/17/a-direct-line-to-sanity/'The Bliss of Madness' https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4997178/?page=1'Schizophrenia Experienced First Hand.' by Esther Rantzen https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/theatre/schizophrenia-experienced-first-hand-6331992.html

(This is the last episode of Series 1 of 'Changing Lives'. Series 2 will start in September 2020)Children across the world are being taught in a myriad different ways at the moment. Schools are having to reinvent the very nature of schooling. Some are relishing the opportunity and encouraging their teachers to be as creative as possible and some are not. This is one young teacher's story.I include a few short clips from an interview with the Head of OFSTED (the Office for Standards in Education in the UK), Amanda Spielman, with presenter Nick Robinson on BBC Radio 4's morning news programme 'Today' last week. I am very happy to make a follow-up podcast with any reactions, responses, any comments at all from anyone anywhere in the world on this subject. Please contact me via Twitter @vermont_sarah

Vulture populations are being decimated across the world and yet they are essential to the circle of life, disposing of carrion in a matter of minutes and allowing what remains to return to the earth. In India the vultures are crucial in the ancient burial rite of the Parsi-Zoroastrian community but they have all but vanished in the past few years, poisoned by Diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug given to cattle. This podcast takes a literal and metaphorical look at the vulture and the circle of life as it applies to our ecosystem and its imbalances and the role of destruction and rebirth in the economy and business. There are interesting lessons to be learnt from the ancient faiths of the Jain and Parsi-Zoroastrian communities which both aim to live in complete harmony with the environment.Very many thanks to my interviewees: Deli Saavedra in Barcelona, Regional Manager for Rewilding Europe, Peter Fiala, entrepreneur from East London, Anahita Havaldar from the Parsi-Zoroastrian community of Mumbai, Sonali Shahpurwala from the Jain community of Mumbai and Michael Mainelli, Emeritus Professor of Commerce at Gresham College in the City of London.'Righteousness is the best goodand it is happiness.Happiness is to him/her who is righteous for the sake of the best righteousness.' One of the two most important Zoroastrian prayers, the 'Ashem Vohu', recited by Nyrika Mehta.Piano: Henrietta Faire. No.98 from Czerny’s 160 'Kurze Ubungen' (short excercises).

Albert Camus' philosophical novel, 'La Peste', is being read voraciously all over the world at the moment. Written in 1947 it resonates with us today in a way Camus would probably never have imagined. In this podcast we hear excerpts of his Nobel Prize acceptance speech in 1957 in which he describes the role of the writer in a world under constant threat by malign forces. As we make the first tentative steps to come out of lockdown and emerge into a world where we will be living with an ongoing pandemic for the foreseeable future, I asked three academics to look at the lessons we can take from and parallels we can see in plagues from the past, using 'La Peste' as a springboard. This is a montage of their reflections which are diverse but complementary and their message, like Camus', is one of guarded optimism. We hear from Professor Rosemary Lloyd, Fellow Emerita of Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge, and Professor Emerita in French at Indiana University, Dr. Rowan Williams, Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, and former Archbishop of Canterbury and Mark Bailey, Professor of Late Medieval History at the University of East Anglia and High Master of St. Paul's School. Professor Bailey delivered the James Ford Lectures at Oxford University in 2019 on his specialist subject of thirty years, the Black Death, 'The End of Serfdom and The Rise of The West'. The excerpts from Camus' speech concerning the role of the writer translate as follows:'Art, in my view, is not a solitary pleasure. It is a means of stirring the greatest number of people by offering them a privileged picture of common joys and sufferings. It obliges the artist not to keep himself apart; it subjects him to the most humble and the most universal truth.' '..the nobility of our craft will always be rooted in two commitments, difficult to maintain: the refusal to lie about what one knows and the resistance to oppression.''..the silence of an unknown prisoner, abandoned to humiliations at the other end of the world, is enough to draw the writer out of his exile, at least whenever, in the midst of the privileges of freedom, he manages not to forget that silence, and to transmit it in order to make it resound by means of his art.' 'Each generation doubtless feels called upon to reform the world. Mine knows that it will not reform it, but its task is perhaps even greater. It consists in preventing the world from destroying itself.' 'Truth is mysterious, elusive, always to be conquered. Liberty is dangerous, as hard to live with as it is elating. We must march toward these two goals, painfully but resolutely, certain in advance of our failings on so long a road.'The full speech is available on the Nobel Prize website at https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1957/camus/speech/With many thanks to the Nobel Prize organisation for the use of excerpts of Albert Camus' speech and the photograph from their archive.Many thanks to Ian Claussen, freelance existentialist, for translating and reading the passage at the beginning of the podcast from 'La Peste' and to the Estate of Albert Camus for allowing use of this extract.Piano: Tamás Vásáry playing Frédéric Chopin's 'Nocturne Op. 09 Andante in E flat major' (Internet Archive)

Many people are reinventing themselves under lockdown. So, when an email popped into my inbox 10 days ago inviting me to 15 minutes of smiling, laughing and connecting to boost my immune system and lift my mood for the rest of day, I thought 'Yes...that's exactly what we ALL need' so I made a podcast about it. Flora Wellesley Wesley is a dancer, choreographer, teacher and writer and sits on the council of Equity (choreographers' seat). She is also a founder member of Nora, a contemporary dance ensemble who make highly original work constantly challenging boundaries. In this podcast we hear pieces of Nora's work woven through Flora's laughter workshop and a sung portrait of her made for '52 portraits' at Sadler's Wells.“When you laugh, you change and when you change the whole world changes around you.” – Dr Madan Kataria, medical doctor and founder of Laughter Yoga.Daily classes are listed at www.florawellesleywesley.com.'52 Portraits' is a digital project by choreographer Jonathan Burrows, composer Matteo Fargion and video maker Hugo Glendinning. Flora's song was performed by Francesca Fargion.'BLOODY NORA! 'Concept, writing, choreography and direction: Liz Aggiss Music: Richard Strauss Also Sprach Zarathustra played by Portsmouth Sinfonia; Dead Belgian (by kind permission) Mazurka Limouson and Ne Me Quitte Pas; Johan Sebastian Bach Sheep May Safely Graze (Extract) and Prelude No. 5 in D; Alan Boorman/Wevie Hornpipe.'Digging' Choreography: Simon Tanguy. Text: Eleanor Sikorski, Simon Tanguy and Flora Wellesley Wesley. Dramaturgy: Marzena Krzemińska.Guest appearance at the end by Emily and Lucy Vermont (recorded for BBC Radio 5 in December 1991).

In the last week of February the wind blew me in to The Training Flat in Norwich where an eager group of young people were tucking into pizza, some chatting and laughing, some quiet and shy but all engaged. This was a 3-day Tenancy and Independent Living Skills Plus (TILS+) training course to help set them up on their feet in the outside world. The course is one of many invented and run by the social enterprise, Your Own Place, which was set up by Rebecca White in 2013 with the specific aim of preventing homelessness. They also have a network of mentors in the community who they train to support people leaving home or care and people approaching and after release from prison. The team has suddenly, like every single social enterprise, or other business across the country, had to completely rethink how they operate under lockdown and how to reach all the people who need their support more than ever. In this podcast we hear from CEO Rebecca, talented trainers, Jarrod and Jess, and past TILS+ trainee, Simon, who is now a member of their Youth Advisory Board... and last, but not least, a roomful of bright and lively young people who have all had many challenges in their lives.Piano: Henrietta Faire'Fantasie und Fuge A-moll' by Johann Sebastian Bach'Vals Poético' by Enrique GranadosYour Own Place have a fund-raising campaign called #MoreThanEver on Crowdfunder. CEO Rebecca White says: 'We mustn't close as the government scheme requires - because we're needed more than ever. Many people are isolated, scared, unsupported as well as losing their jobs and at risk of losing their homes too. People who struggle to trust others need the people they already have trusted relationships with - that's us. More than ever people are going to need support finding work, keeping on top of bills and keeping their home. We have to keep going.’ www.yourownplace.org.uk

These are three interviews with three remarkable people from my previous podcast who I caught up with to find out what their experience of the last few weeks has been as the corona virus has taken hold in the UK and the whole country is under lockdown. The Breathe Music classes were cancelled two weeks ago and Elmi and Noel are in the strictest form of self-isolation and Linda, who has worked as a specialist respiratory nurse for 20 years, is about to join the team of hard-pressed staff working in intensive care. She has volunteered for this post and I spoke to her on Monday evening after a day's training in how they are managing in daily changing circumstances on the front line. Her description of a set of lungs that were examined post mortem will stay with me for the rest of my life.

In September 2019, when most of us would hardly have been giving a thought to the functioning of our lungs, I went to record a singing session with Breathe Music in Essex. It was a beautiful autumn day. Children were playing in the playground outside the community hall. Nobody had any idea what lay over the horizon. This podcast comes in two parts...Before and After. In the first we hear harpist Mary Anne Barclay who founded Breathe Music five years ago and Linda Leech, a nurse specialist in lung health who prescribes singing for her patients. All the singers you hear here are under the strictest form of self isolation now and Linda is about to join the hard-pressed specialist nurses working in intensive care. I catch up with them in the second part of this podcast. Mary Anne's harp-playing weaves its way through the piece and I have deliberately left the ending unedited so you can experience the calm felt by the singers at the end of the session. No more coughs...just peace and companionship. Mary Anne can be contacted at www.breathemusic.org.uk 'Colchester Breathe Easy is a friendly support group for people suffering from lung conditions and their partners/carers. We hold monthly meetings in which we have guest speakers and refreshments. Membership is free. All you have do is fill in a registration form.''Once you become a member this entitles you to join our weekly Exercise [£2] and Singing {£3] sessions. We are always welcoming new members, if you are interested please contact John Price at jprice73@hotmail.co.uk '

Darren has the charm of the Devil and Lorraine is the love of his life. As I edited their story, I realised I was editing 'West Side Story' cut-and-pasted into the heart of East London. It is a story of love...deep, abiding love, murder in self-defence and 28 years in prison with a life-defining ending. The song 'You and Me' was written by Darren for Lorraine after one visit when she was finding life particularly hard. Performed by Darren and members of band, The Pinnacle, as part of the Sounding Out project with The Irene Taylor Trust.Darren is now working with The Message helping advise and re-settle ex-offenders.Photograph: Nigel Henderson (1917-1985) 'Gillian Alexander at play, Chisenhale Road c.1950'

A stone's throw from the ruins of St. Botolph's Priory in Colchester is an extraordinary shop which bustles with happy people and works some sort of magic on all those who enter there. Here I met Sheelagh Ross and her favourite client, Hereward Brown, art historian with an eclectic interest in all things ancient and a great attitude to life. Let the story unfold...With many thanks to Andrey Vinogradov who has given me permission to use the hurdy-gurdy music from his album 'Distant Calls' available from Bandcamp.

This is a soundscape from two weeks' travelling in Chile just after the start of the 18 October revolution in 2019. They are all sounds recorded on my iPhone in the street, in bars, in Santiago, Valparaíso and the Atacama Desert. The demonstrations continue with the burning down of the carabiñeros' church in Santiago in January and violent clashes between protesters and police on the opening night last Sunday of Latin America's largest music festival in the resort of Viña del Mar. President Piñera has promised constitutional change and a review of the pensions system. Thank you to my friend Manuela for giving us her insight into events. Listen to the howling dogs of the desert at the end.....1974 Labour Movement Poster seen at the Museum of Human Rights in Santiago Nov. 2019

Music from 'The Pinnacle' in rehearsal and interviews with band members in their dressing-room after a performance at The South Bank Centre in London. Frank speaking about what music means to them on their journey through prison and now on the outside. 'Since 2012 the Irene Taylor Trust have been running their ‘through the gate’ programme, Sounding Out. The two year traineeship aims to provide longer-term rehabilitative opportunities to previous project participants in order to help bridge the gap between life inside and outside prison. Through a combination of live music performances and paid training placements participants are able to demonstrate on a very public platform the positivity, talent and creativity locked inside our prisons, challenging the often negative perceptions of people who have spent time in prison.' https://irenetaylortrust.comArt installation by Nam June Paik 'the father of video art' seen at Tate Modern 2019

This is the story of Sam in his mother's words. 'Totally brilliant! Have just sat entranced listening.’ ‘What a heartbreaking yet uplifting story.’ ‘A privilege to listen to it.'‘What a wonderful mother! What an extraordinary woman’