Podcast appearances and mentions of chris fitch

How green is your city? And what can we learn from the international urban metropolises that are bringing inviting nature back? Last week, Wild Cities was published, and Emma was invited to join author Chris Fitch at Stanfords bookstore in Bristol to chat about the book. We chatted about fast-tracking ancient forests, gardens in skyscrapers, beavers, birdwatching and, of course, asked, 'What one good thing have you done for the planet this week?' Send us a voice note listener question (via Instagram @forwhatitsearthpodcast or email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com) for your chance to win a Wild Cities seed bomb packet!  Thank you to Chris, Stanfords, and Harper Collins for putting the event on and for letting us record the evening for a bonus episode of the podcast.    Get in touch We're on Instagram, Bluesky, and email forwhatitsearthpod@gmail.com. Send us your Listener Questions and weekly One Good Thing For The Planet.   Support the show: Help us cover our running costs with a donation through Ko-fi or grab an organic cotton FWIE tee. & subscribe so you never miss an episode! For What It's Earth is hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Sophie Pavelle, and edited and mixed by Mark Skinner (2024).

My guest today is Chris Fitch, author of the upcoming book Wild Cities: Discovering New Ways of Living in the Modern Urban Jungle. In this episode we discuss case studies of cities around the world that embrace wilder nature.We go beyond the usual case studies like Singapore to explore lesser known examples like:Tallinn, Estonia - the city with pollinator corridors Tokyo, Japan - mini forests in a hyper-dense cityFlagstaff, USA - the Dark Skies cityWellington, New Zealand - a hotspot for native birds+ many othersPre-order the book Wild Cities here - out on 10 April 2025More about Chris Fitch here.*Correction: At 44:10, Chris says that Sydney harbour has more marine species than the British Isles or Mediterranean. He actually meant fish species rather than all marine life. It's also more accurate to say that the biodiversity in Sydney harbour is equivalent to the Mediterranean. - - - https://greenurbanist.org/ Consulting: Book a Discovery Call to discuss your project Course: Urban Sustainability Career Kickstart Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter The Green Urbanist podcast is hosted by Ross O'Ceallaigh. Register for the Webinar (25 April): Nature-based Masterplanning

Recorded live from the London launch event of the FCA's much-anticipated review of how financial service firms are treating customers in vulnerable circumstances, Chris Fitch talks to Charlotte Clark about what the review's findings mean for firms, consumers, and the regulator too, and whether consumer vulnerability can really sit alongside wider economic growth objectives. Charlotte Clark - https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-clark-a44b75121 Review press release - https://lnkd.in/emwe2XXz Review of firms' treatment of customers in vulnerable circumstances - https://lnkd.in/eH9iT_3H Delivering good outcomes for customers in vulnerable circumstances – https://lnkd.in/eEhtJxHM Consumer research report - https://lnkd.in/eCz6YC-k

Shaun Conner talks to Chris Fitch about setting-up an ‘Empathy' or 'Accessibility Lab' to help staff better understand the barriers that disabled people face in their interactions with essential services. But what sort of kit do you find in an ‘Empth' Lab? And can such simulation ever really work in practice? Shaun Conner (LinkedIn) https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaun-conner/ Government Accessibility Personas/Posters: https://alphagov.github.io/accessibility-personas/ Crip For a Day: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170411151019.htm

Drawing on his experience of supporting people involved in the Grenfell Tower fire, Manchester Arena bombing, and other national emergencies, Andy Langford talks to Chris Fitch about the key steps that we can take during and after such high-impact events to restore safety and diminish distress, and what essential services can learn from this. https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-langford-548979204/

Grace and Phil draw on new consumer and survey data to identify the major vulnerability trends, policy launches, and practical impacts that we'll see in 2025, and explain to Chris Fitch just what the key events of 2024 were that got us here. https://www.moneyadvicetrust.org/vulnerability

Katie Orme talks to Chris Fitch about Octopus Energy's decision to employ a team of eight in-house social workers for its customers. Katie shares what a typical day involves as Head of Service for Social Work, the types of customer cases she is helping, and the impact her team of eight are having for Octopus Energy and the customers they serve. https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-orme-764b41282/

Elizabeth Anderson talks to Chris Fitch about what ‘digital poverty' actually is. Cutting through the most common myths, Elizabeth explains what living in a ‘digital first' world looks like to the 11 million UK adults who lack the skills to navigate it, or who cannot afford the costs of online life, and what essential services can do for digitally vulnerable consumers. https://www.linkedin.com/company/digital-poverty-alliance https://digitalpovertyalliance.org/

Holly Tuke explains to Chris Fitch how understanding the everyday joys of cooking chips, make-up tips, and going to gigs as a blind person, can help essential services tackle the challenges that their blind customers and colleagues face in a majority-sighted world. Holly also schools Chris on visual language, self-descriptions, and why Braille isn't everything. https://lifeofablindgirl.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollytuke/

Just how are 999 staff trained to talk, listen, and remain calm as vulnerable callers seek urgent help? In this episode, Mike Modder-Fitch shares his experience of running Police Force Control Rooms and NHS Integrated Care Contact Centres, and explains just what essential service staff can learn from their counter-parts in 999 settings. Mike also explains what his journey from previously running energy and financial service telephone contact centres, to now being Head of Service (IUC) at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, has taught him about the meaning of ‘vulnerability'. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-modder-fitch-6b318229

In this episode, Swindon Borough Council give away (for free) their AI tool which translates documents into an Easy Read format for people with learning disabilities or literacy difficulties. Chris Fitch picks up his jaw from the floor as Annie Baker explains more about ‘Simply Readable', and Tom and Lilly describe their expert by experience role in the project. www.youtube.com/watch?v=leQegdK-1M8 source code: github.com/aws-samples/document-translation

Kicking-off our new Season, Celia Chartres-Aris takes us on a crash-course on ‘ableism' - a term many disabled people have embraced as reflecting their specific experience of discrimination, but which others have sceptically viewed as another buzzword in an already complex discussion. Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/celia-chartres-aris/?originalSubdomain=uk https://unlearningableism.com/

This episode dives into the fascinating world of accessible numbers with Laura Parker, a ‘numbers' specialist. Laura explains to Chris Fitch what accessible numbers are, how they affect everyone's life (including her own experience of dyscalculia), and shares five tips for making numbers more accessible for everyone. https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauramarieparker/

Kathryn Townsend, the out-going Government Disability and Access Ambassador for Banking, asks the question we've all asked ourselves at some point: have I actually made things better here?   In a personal and frank conversation, Kathryn reflects on the extent to which she has reformed the banking sector for disabled customers, the obstacles and conflicts she has encountered in doing this, and how to make progress in a role which has been both celebrated and criticised for its potential to bring about change. You can find out more about Kathryn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathrynjanetownsend/

In the UK, we send around 110 million texts every day. In today's episode, Victoria Hornby (Chief Executive of Shout, the UK's only 24/7 text service for anyone struggling to cope) talks with Chris Fitch about text-based conversations and crisis, how Shout works, and what essential services can learn from Shout's strategies for managing crisis conversations on a digital channel. You can find out more about Shout at www.giveusashout.org. Or if you are struggling to cope and need to talk, you can speak to a trained Shout Volunteer by texting the word ‘Shout' to 85258.

In this 20 minute episode, we examine what it is like to work on ‘vulnerable consumer' issues for a living, while personally experiencing vulnerability, harm, and difficulty at the same time. Sharing their thoughts, experiences, and advice with Chris Fitch on “being vulnerable, while working in vulnerability” are Makedah Simpson (UK Regulators' Network) and Rosie Lyon (Vulnerability Specialist at AIB). Makedah Simpson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/makedahsimpson/ Rosie Lyon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosie-sarah-lyon/

Our latest 20 minute episode focuses on the issue of dependency, addictions, and what essential services can do to support customers with drug, alcohol, gambling, or other related problems. Jamie Compton-Rea explains to Chris Fitch about the steps that services can take, and just what is realistic and effective action in such dependency situations. Find out more about Jamie at his upcoming course on addiction and essential services at www.moneyadvicetrust.org/training and follow the link titled 'addictions'.

Our latest 20 minute episode focuses on the more than 5 million unpaid UK carers who are supporting someone with a physical, mental health, or old-age related problem. Trevor Salomon explains to Chris Fitch about the reality and impact of being an unpaid carer to his wife Yvonne (diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's in 2013), and how essential services can better identify and support carers. Find out more about Trevor and Yvonne at https://uk01.z.antigena.com/l/LVTCyv5xA3zInZmZsWhCgC54AfGguVgMXnQEEEky96GQy4tBR1NRt~rcSQbiRj~y2qoVYYK7wjhgM7yTgCFfmTaV8jq0pP2S-vnfnSHcM2QwRm5ZPRyJd~nfDvl03HNQLWFVXyv3B7pp5DG3PmuxqcXFN-3dvXZc5BXJkwimS4pBwoeWL7KshOU6N6vifhNQggoJxzx5fit6aULebGH0CaSOaYvac-QdkjUrG6DsZ3wR-71cdCOnArg~MJzs-0fKM8KXDq~erS0j00D7UX9Nj3qMLc , and access the Alzheimer's Society guides for essential services at: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-involved/dementia-friendly-resources/organisations/resources

In the UK, half a million older people report going 5-6 days a week without seeing or speaking to anyone, while a younger cohort aged 16-29 are now reporting loneliness twice as much as those over 70. So in this episode, Chris Fitch spoke to Amy Perrin from the only charity in the UK dedicated to tackling loneliness: the Marmalade Trust (named after Paddington Bear's friendly qualities). Chris asked Amy about the extent of loneliness across the UK, what types of support essential services can realistically give to people who are lonely, and just how we can start a conversation about loneliness from scratch. Amy Perrin: www.linkedin.com/in/amy-perrin-marmaladetrust | Marmalade Trust: www.marmaladetrust.org/stats | Loneliness Awareness Week (10-16th June): www.lonelinessawarenessweek.org

In this episode, we focus on the 1-in-5 UK consumers living with some form of facial or bodily scarring, mark, or condition that makes them look or feel significantly different. Known as ‘visible difference', our host Chris Fitch talks to Sudha Vijay from the charity Changing Faces about her experiences as a consumer with visible difference, while Jane Rodrick and Michaela Baker explain the approach that Lloyds Banking Group staff are taking in branches and face-to-face contact with customers like Sudha.

Around 12 million UK adults - 1-in-every-5 of our customers - are living with hearing loss which makes following speech and conversations difficult. Inclusion specialist Tim Scannell – profoundly deaf and a BSL user – joins Chris Fitch to discuss improvements to essential service design and operation, and what can be done to avoid customers with hearing loss feeling overlooked, forgotten, or treated as an ‘after-thought' by our services. More on Tim's work is at www.timscannell.co.uk and www.linkedin.com/in/tim-scannell. You can also watch this podcast with BSL interpretation at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OB_NeZLOFU&feature=youtu.be

Everyone is talking about the importance of ‘lived experience' and ‘experts by experience', but what exactly do these phrases mean?  Just how do we practically involve people with this experience in our work? And what difference does it all make anyway? Answering these questions is researcher, writer, and lived experience expert Dan Holloway (from Oxford University spin-out Rogue Interrobang), and asking them is our host Chris Fitch.

Like vulnerability, trust matters. Behavioural scientist, Charlie Nixon from Cowry Consulting talks to Chris Fitch about how trust determines what products we buy, which organisations we agree to let deliver our essential services, and just what we tell these firms about ourselves. And, most importantly, how vulnerable consumers decide who is trustworthy and who is not? Charlie can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/cnbnixon/ and Cowry at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cowry-consulting/ In the podcast, Charlie also talks about the following resources: David Maisters “The Trusted Advisor”( https://bit.ly/3Su34oi), Ken Rotenburg “The Psychology of Trust” (https://amzn.to/3SJvUCp) and Paul Zak on the Harvard Business Review on “the Neuroscience of Trust” (https://uk01.z.antigena.com/l/Hi2Fxuahf8j2KNJlXvG7XYgAjY64Ur-2jHfcSIIxbXFu-f9g3x-SvaphvaZON5SXt9SIobgrdRKAov8SFKNg88l4Q9qrUpkUQV~uQvZl5~-tZ~vqRKqWJLZxGOj1Cz0dwQul3mRej2tkJ27JqIa-KHrvFMy7fmLuIIf-rdRAZexnnuh0PmxkMsIm0a7xwzGNfWwyUYlIga8VbsIbwBRhpYib325hU81nI-3~pCnbf~ZURYXE_rq5hDDWJEmvmLPV5dlooekJ5zuigy7JR2u9 ).

This episode focuses on stammering (also known as stuttering). Talking with Lyndsay Edgington from the national stammering charity STAMMA, our host Chris Fitch listens as Lyndsay explains how staff in banks, energy, and retail organisations can better understand and meet the needs of the 1 in 100 customers who will stammer. You can find out more about STAMMA at https://stamma.org/, including their guide for contact centre staff https://stamma.org/about-stammering/stammering-customer-contact, while Lyndsay is at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyndsay-edgington-672090198/

In this episode on empathy, Chris Fitch asks Mathieu Lajante: just what is empathy? Is it possible to train people to become more empathetic? And are empathy training courses a worthwhile investment in terms of time, money, and results for our organisations and staff? Mathieu is Associate Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, Director of its Consumer Neuroscience Laboratory, and lead author of a new review of the scientific literature on the effectiveness of empathy training. More at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathieu-lajante-ph-d-b5b3461b2/?originalSubdomain=ca and mathieu.lajante@torontomu.ca, while Mathieu's paper is at: https://uk01.z.antigena.com/l/Bk274bwsgooqOwaAQymiEvetfqZ4yYl0wu2ZtR061K7P42Vw9fKOul1EC~E15OcpYSuUGhJJrh-rWbeA3NEPQKTnCyGIdaJ~Q0YMeOyg8B_~ekrapyJ-_xDAsXK2Jx82yIx3X2SFp0FLzmXassrsSZF3OOk7a-o4wLojWWI9gMwDssPMVvaKyYc0qaNlnQCRQqio

For this fascinating ‘end of 2023' episode, Lee Walls talks to Chris Fitch about the science, experience, and lessons for life and vulnerability, of being a fire-walker. Lee explains how walking over 350 degree red hot coals can help understand and reframe situations of personal and customer vulnerability, and how her own lived experience of alcohol addiction led to her stepping into, and onto, fire-pits across the world. Lee and Firewalk Scotland can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-walls and https://www.firewalkscotland.co.uk/

Katie Mackay and Jack Hatcher – from the Nationwide Building Society – talk to Chris Fitch about their ‘Speak Easy' initiative to support non-speaking and non-verbal customers. Katie explains how her experiences of being non-speaking in certain situations informed its development, while Jack shares findings and communication lessons from the ‘Speak Easy' pilot in Nationwide branches. You can find both on LinkedIn, and access the finalised ‘Speak Easy' card system at: speakeasy@nationwide.co.uk | https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-mackay-a2a90512a/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-hatcher/

Joshua Aspden – a specialist in financial inclusion among refugee and asylum seeker populations joins Chris Fitch to talk about his work in helping helped thousands of people to make sense with not just a new country and culture, but with an entirely different system of financial and essential services. Josh talks about his own experience of being new to the UK, his work with asylum seekers and refugees, and the difficulties and vulnerabilities that people can experience with money. Josh can be found at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-aspden-0730423b/

Best-selling author Tim Farmer joins Chris Fitch to chat about mental capacity, decision-making, and his latest book “Grandpa on a Skateboard. The practicalities of assessing mental capacity and unwise decisions”. Clinical Director at Comentis, Tim takes Chris on a tour of the practical action needed to identify and support customers with decision-making limitations (both online and off-line), as well as explaining the definitions and law that can surround and cloud this topic. More on Tim and the work of Comentis (the cognitive assessment specialists) can be found at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timfarmertsf/

On this week's episode of the ShopNotes Podcast, Phil is hosting special guests, Creative Director of the Woodsmith and ShopNotes Magazines, Chris Fitch, and Editor and "Multimedia Extraordinaire" at Fine Woodworking, Ben Strano, to talk about using technology in the woodworking realm and more! Find out more about this episode on our Show Notes Page: https://www.woodsmith.com/article/shopnotes-podcast-174-special-guest-ben-strano/ Thanks to our sponsor, Titebond Wood Glues, they have the glue you need to get the job done with confidence. For more information, visit www.Titebond.com Subscribe to Woodsmith to receive tips, plans, projects, and techniques both in print, and in video. It's all at www.woodsmith.com. Follow us at https://www.facebook.com/woodsmithmagazine/ https://www.woodsmith.com

Steve Donovan from Ovo Energy talks with Chris Fitch about a tool that everyone working with customers will use every single day, but which most of us probably don't give enough attention, care, or love to: our voice. Steve walks Chris through the Ovo training team's ‘tone of voice' model (covering pitch, pace, volume, energy, and articulation), talks about using this with vulnerable customers, and shares his top tips on how to protect and look after our voices. Steve is Vulnerability Lead at Ovo Energy and can be found at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-donovan-865a40131/

Rose walks our host Dr Chris Fitch through the science, experience, and impact of ‘being cold'. Explaining how the cold affects us in physical, mental, financial, and social terms, Rose outlines the actions that staff can take to help customers likely to experience detriment from colder temperatures and fuel poverty. Inclusive designer and researcher for a fair, low carbon energy future, you can find out more about Rose and Energy Systems Catapult at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rose-chard-35526625/

Elizabeth discusses her own experience of chronic pain, how it affects millions of customers in the UK on a daily basis, and how organisations can work to support customers living with it. Advocate, policy specialist, and writer, you can find out more about Elizabeth at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethblakelock/

Phil shares new research data on what essential service firms are saying their biggest themes, fears, and challenges are for consumer vulnerability in 2023/2024. Senior Training Consultant at the Money Advice Trust, Phil can be found at: https://www.moneyadvicetrust.org.uk/vulnerability

Sarah talks about working more effectively with trans customers, life as a transwoman, and how she is bringing about change herself. Co-founder of Simply Equality and Joint Head of Equality and Diversity at Oxford University, Sarah can be found at: https://www.simplyequality.com/

This week, we've got my Q&A with Phil Huber and Chris Fitch, hosts of the PBS television series, The Woodsmith Shop. To say I left this conversation with some new information would definitely be an understatement. It was fun. It was educational. And frankly, it really inspired me in my work ethic and the way I approach not just my business, but the craft of woodworking. And I have no doubt that it's going to be one for the books for you guys too! Get ready for a heapin' helpin' of awesomeness...right here, on Everyday Woodworking! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/everydaywoodworking/support

The Bob Rose Rewind features special interviews from the past week. Remembering 9-11 with a local first responder Chris Fitch who answered the call to help at Ground Zero 20 years ago. A unique perspective on the tragic days after the terror attacks, and uplifting ways Americans came together. Pedestrians, car burglaries, and how the community can do better with Art Forgey, spokesman for The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. The ongoing challenge of dealing with the hidden wounds of war, as Bob speaks with Dan DiMarco at Soldiers’ Freedom Outdoors. Getting people out of Afghanistan, and the ongoing crises created by the Biden Administration, with Florida 3rd District U.S. House Rep. Kat Cammack.

‘Expert by experience’ is increasingly recognised as an approach to help ensure markets are inclusive, especially for customers in vulnerable circumstances. Charities and people with a lived experience of vulnerability want to increasingly shape the thinking and practice of organisations. Most regulators (including the FCA) recognise this and expect firms to consider such an approach. However, just how do organisations practically do this when there are 28 million vulnerable customers (all with different needs) and just 24 hours in a day to make this all work? Our latest podcast recorded as part of MALG's Virtual Connect, brings together five experts to explain just what an ‘expert by experience’ is, how organisations go about selecting which experts and charities to work with and what difference this engagement can make to the way in which organisations operate. Joining our Vulnerability Lead Consultant, Chris Fitch are: Multi award-winning disability campaigner and Euan’s Guide Ambassador, Jon Attenborough. Head of Customer Vulnerability, Strategy, Insight and Engagement at Lloyds Banking Group, and Vulnerability Academy graduate Jane Rodrick. Chair of the Money Advice Hub, St Georges House Leadership Fellow, and service design innovator, Sam Nurse. Managing Director at Three Hands, an organisation that brings people with lived experience of vulnerability with organisations who want to understand and connect with the lived experience perspective, Jan Levy. Head of Corporate Engagement at Fair By Design (funded by the Barrow Cadbury Trust), Carl Packman. www.moneyadvicetrust.org

To mark the release of the finalised FCA vulnerability guidance, the Money Advice Trust held a special webinar to discuss what the guidance means for firms and how you and your organisation can change the regulator’s expectations into reality for your customers. Joining Vulnerability Lead Consultant, Chris Fitch for a very special discussion on the content of the FCA guidance are: - Sarah McKenzie - FCA, Head of Consumer Strategy and Policy - Mike Songer - Lloyds, Director Group Customer Vulnerability - Fiona Turner - UK Finance, Head of Vulnerability - Tim Hawley - Capital One, Head of Customer Vulnerability - Ian Phillips - Vulnerability Academy, Co-Facilitator Listen for insight, practical discussion, and the opportunity to hear directly from the FCA what your firm should do in response to vulnerability. You can also download our new free whitepaper to help your firm meet the FCA expectations and achieve positive outcomes for your vulnerable customers here: https://mailchi.mp/fd7a2c10e676/meeting-expectations-and-achieving-outcomes

On this episode of the ShopNotes Podcast brought to you by Inventables and the X-Carve Pro, Phil and Logan welcome special guest Chris Fitch. Chris is the Creative Director at Woodsmith Magazine and star of the Woodsmith Shop Tv Show. Chris recently designed and built a router powered CNC for Woodsmith Magazine. The guys discuss this project, as well as, how a CNC can fit into a woodworking shop.

Some argue that ‘design’ is the new tool for tackling vulnerability: • regulators are telling firms to design inclusively • firms are telling staff to design with vulnerability in mind • and products and services are now appearing for once overlooked consumer groups. But just what is ‘design’ when it comes to vulnerability? Can we really design inclusively, accessibly, and for everyone at the same time? Chris Fitch, our Vulnerability Lead Consultant, is joined in conversation by: Tim Hawley - Head of Customer Vulnerability, Capital One Bailey Kursar - CEO & Founder, Touco Sian Williams - Director of Policy and Innovation, Toynbee Hall Dr Rose Chard - Consumer Insight Specialist, Energy Systems Catapult Subscribe to our Vulnerability Matters newsletter for updates on future webinars, podcasts and training resources for creditors: https://mailchi.mp/moneyadvicetrust.org/vulnerability-matters-newsletter

In the UK, banks and essential services must offer support to their vulnerable customers, but who even counts as vulnerable? And what support should they expect? Bristol University researcher, Chris Fitch, explains.We also discussed how people react to the word 'vulnerable' and what that means when you're trying to influence a sector like financial services to do right by everyone, not just the fashionable 'deserving' causes. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sharing their views on World Suicide Prevention Day, our expert panel discuss what more can essential services do to help vulnerable customers with thoughts of suicide to stay safe, and to stay alive whilst keeping staff safe in the process. Chris Fitch, our Vulnerability Lead Consultant, is joined in conversation by: Nick Barnes - Suicide First Aid, CEO & founder, National Centre of Suicide Prevention Education and Training Neil Taylor - Industry Liaison Manager, NatWest Group Gareth McNab - Lived Experience Expert & Money Advice Liaison Manager, Nationwide Subscribe to our Vulnerability Matters newsletter for updates on future webinars, podcasts and training resources for creditors: https://mailchi.mp/moneyadvicetrust.org/vulnerability-matters-newsletter

Underground is where humans have kept our most sacred treasures and darkest secrets. From the subterranean cities of Cappadocia to smuggling tunnels on the US-Mexico border, caves full of tiny blind dragons and a seed vault located 1300km inside the Arctic circle, there are incredible worlds beneath us. Writer and geographer Chris Fitch explores these extraordinary places in his new book Subterranea. Fitch's 2017 debut The Atlas of Untamed Places was nominated for a 2018 Edward Stanford Travel Writing Award, and translated into several languages.

In July the FCA published its proposed “Guidance for firms on the fair treatment of vulnerable customers.” In this podcast, we digest and discuss how the guidance might realistically change firm practice, and consider how the FCA will monitor and supervise firms in relation to vulnerable customers. Recorded in front of a live audience, Chris Fitch is joined by a leading panel including: •Fiona Turner - Interim Principal, Financial Inclusion, Capability and Vulnerability, UK Finance •Tim Hawley - Operational Excellence, Capital One •Suzanne Wood - Head of Customer Outcomes, Newcastle Building Society The panel share their views and discuss the proposed guidance – as organisations continue to develop their response to the consultation.

We discover author Chris Fitch's amazing new book, Atlas of Untamed Places, An Extraordinary Journey Through Our Wild World"    We discover an isolated island of India (North Sentinel Island) where the natives might attack you with bows and arrows if you try to land ashore.  We investigate modern day Chernobyl and a city abandoned in the US because of a 1000 year fire.

Chris Fitch, a senior staff writer for Geographical, discusses his new book “Atlas of Untamed Places: An Extraordinary Journey Through Our Wild World”, that takes reads on an adventure through historic habitats, untouched lands and peculiar wild phenomenon. www.ChrisFitch.co.uk

This episode of Big Blend Radio aired live on Oct. 13, 2017. Chris Fitch – author of “Atlas of Untamed Places: An Extraordinary Journey Through Our Wild World”; Tam Warner Minton – author of “ALL FISH FACES: Photos and Fun Facts about Tropical Reef Fish. Guitarist Steve Hunter discusses his new blues/rock solo album “Before The Lights Go Out’. www.BigBlendRadio.com

Klaus Dodds explores what Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's proposed constitutional changes would mean for Japan's military, and Japan's role in the world. Presented by Chris Fitch

In the Kosovan city of Prizren, close to the borders of Albania and Macedonia, the Shehu family keep Europe's centuries-old Sufi tradition of piercing alive. Presented by Chris Fitch. Report by Darragh Mason Field

After forty years divided in two, could Cyprus be genuinely set for reunification? Klaus Dodds explains how we reached this position, and speculates on what might happen next. Presented by Chris Fitch

What could be more exciting than three months working in the Alps? Doing so with helicopters and drones, of course. Mark Allen tells Geographical about his technology-assisted research project. Presented by Chris Fitch

Switzerland has found itself under the spotlight recently, in the wake of another FIFA scandal. Klaus Dodds explores the country's unique neutrality, and what these events could mean for it's international reputation. Presented by Chris Fitch. "Plans in Motion", Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Thirty years ago, visitors to Taipei would have been met by rubbish-filled streets and a spiralling waste problem. Chris Fitch reports on how a new mindset has taken hold and how the locals are embracing a cleaner lifestyle

A border dispute between Nicaragua and Costa Rica gives Klaus Dodds the opportunity to explore how nations can manipulate their physical environments for geopolitical purposes. Presented by Chris Fitch. "Odyssey", Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Isabella Bird was the 19th century's most renowned female travel writer and a pioneer of travel photography. Deborah Ireland recounts how the 'First Lady' of geography took to life behind the lens. Presented by Chris Fitch. "Finding Movement", Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The Falkland Islands remain a hugely contentious issue between the UK and Argentina. Klaus Dodds explores some of the recent geopolitics developments surrounding the islands. Presented by Chris Fitch

Jane Labous meets the forward-looking alangizi (or 'initiators') who are revolutionising one of Zambia's most ancient traditions. Presented by Chris Fitch. Report by Jane Labous

Following the tragic murder of a young woman on a Turkish bus, Klaus Dodds explores the relationship between gender and geopolitics, and how our domestic public spaces can cause more conflict than external threats from beyond national borders. Presented by Chris Fitch

Porters are often the unsung hereos of a Himalayan expedition, making a trekker's dream become reality. Rob Fraser decided to find out what their life really entails, and whether a 51-year old westerner could carry his share of the load. Presented by Chris Fitch

New Zealand has arrested three ships for IUU (illegal, unreported, unregulated) fishing. Klaus Dodds explores the geopolitical situation surrounding fishing in the Southern Ocean. Presented by Chris Fitch

As the international development sector prepares for a very important year, we find out how a photography project is ensuring that the very people affected by global progress have their voices heard in the wider conversation. Presented by Chris Fitch

Deforestation in the Amazon fell by 18% last year, reversing a brief spike in tree loss that had alarmed environmentalists. With forest loss falling for most of the past ten years, is the battle for the Amazon finally being won? Presented by Chris Fitch. Report by Mark Rowe

For centuries the Baka indigenous people lived in the forests of eastern Cameroon. But with logging destroying their traditional home and little support from the government, many now believe that the key to their future lies in education and modernisation. Presented by Chris Fitch. Report by Jane Labous