The Slice: Somerset

Earlier this summer I chatted to Jack Linnell, Centre Director at St Giles Animal Centre and Rescue in Taunton, Somerset. Jack's family established the centre, so animal care and rescue are in his blood, so to speak, and his passion and compassion are clear in everything he says about his work and his life. Listen to this episode to find out more about Jack and the centre, including lots of v...

My guest Emma Busby of Taunton-based homeless centre, Open Door, talks candidly about the homeless community in her home town and the work that goes on to help those who find themselves rough sleeping find their way back to permanent accommodation. Caring and compassionate, my chat with Emma is moving and uplifting, helped along, of course, by a little slice of something nice...aka CAKE. If you en...

My guest Kate Olver is an NHS midwife and also provides invaluable pre and post natel support to women in her local town of Taunton. As 'the village midwife', Kate ensures mums to be and new mums (and dads too of course), are equipped with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their baby's birth and care. But of course, things don't always go to plan... and n...

Coleen and Di work tirelessly to find foster homes for young adults aged 18+ who need the continued support of a family to help them navigate their way to independent living. Their compassion and understanding of the challenges faced by youngsters who have spent some or all of their young lives in the care system is palpable; these ladies deserve your ears! Oh yes, and Coleen bakes a mean sultana...

Teresa Wort found mindfulness after a serious accident, and has worked with many people who struggle to find focus and happiness in the busy modern world. But it isn't all about sitting under a tree and mediating (although it is that too), Teresa encourages her clients to be mindful about everything they do...whether they like it or not! Including picking up the dog's poo! In the last co...

Graham Harvey spent 34 years guiding the story-lines in the world famous Radio 4 soap opera, The Archers and is also a well-respected journalist who has written five books of his own on the themes of climate change, food quality and farming. Right now he is on the board of the Somerset Food Trails Festival which runs annually every year with the aim of bringing Somerset's organic and regenera...

It was really just by chance that my  guest Emma Britton found herself with a long career in local radio. But her next career move was more considered...she uses her experience of talking to people to underpin her new role as a celebrant, which is someone who officiates at non-religious ceremonies such as weddings and funerals. Listen as we chat about how cake has kept Emma going through years of...

Sophie Luff is one of England's leading female batters; currently captain for Western Storm and previously captain for Somerset County Cricket Ladies, she is riding high on the growing popularity of women's cricket. Join us as we explore the impact competitive sport has on life as a young women growing up in Somerset and discover how Sophie likes to relax away from the field in her home...

Special episode sans cake! I was so engrossed in what 100 year old Taunton resident had to say that I completely forgot the cake! But this episode is special because it celebrates a lifetime in which many things have changed and yet, so much stays the same. Listen to find out what Geoffrey Bailey has to say about his life as a young man and how he believes he has reached this milestone birthday. I...

Rob Ewers wants his home town of Taunton to be a better and safer place for everyone. He is part of the team organising the 2023 Taunton Pride festival, an event that he hopes will play an important part in changing attitudes towards the lgbtqia+ community. Rob's voluntary work in his local community does not end there, he is also on the Board of the Somerset Community Credit Union, encouragi...

Sarah Mead's mother was a founding force of iconic Somerset organic dairy brand, Yeo Valley Organic Ltd. Mum is still involved in the business of course, but Sarah is very much the 'front of house' face of the company involved in all the customer and visitor orientated activities and promotions. With a passionate committment to organic farming and a deep-rooted love of her home coun...

Theo Paphitis 'Small Business Sunday' Award winner, Rachel Smith designs enamelled jewellery from her home studio in Somerset.  She is one of those fortunate people who have turned their passion into their work. Alongside designing, Rachel also wants to create a Somerset-wide network of local creative people who can offer each other support and encouragement because, as she knows very we...

My guest Rachel Mead has already walked 4 miles and travelled by bus to get to meet me at 10am in Taunton, Somerset! That's dedication! Rachel is a walker and a writer...she writes about her walks for magazines and websites and is currently preparing her first book. Her first love is exploring Somerset, usually by foot of course, but she is also known to jump on her bike or pull on her runnin...

Bold or bonkers? Brave or barking mad? What makes a group of women in a coastal town in Somerset decide to build an architecturally striking arts and culture centre slap bang on the town's harbour walls? You might well ask.... listen to my chat with Georgie Grant, one of the co-founders of The Onion Collective, the team behind the strking East Quay in Watchet to find out. And why exactly did...

'Nourishing the body' is how my guest Elle Tipping describes her approach to health and well-being. She believes that once we understand something about how the body works and responds to the food we give it (and other aspects of our lifestyle), we become empowered to make the often small and incremental step by step changes needed to improve how we feel about our bodies and how we exper...

A warm space, information and support, classes and workshops are all part of what the local community can find at The Hub @ Bridgwater. My guest Melissa Lewis is the Digital Co-ordinator responsible for finding ways to help people improve their digital skills and widening access to the internet and the online world. But she does so much more than that! Listen to this episode to hear how The Hub ca...

Paul Smith champions the written word in print form in this epsiode of The Slice: Somerset. But he is a fan of digital too and believes that both are required for business success, and he makes sure his clients understand that! But his magazine is a hub for community news as well and this is primarily what motivates him - a desire to build community networks, a mission to make things happen and a...

As we all know, our young people are the future. Somerset charity, PROMISEworks trains adults to be mentors to children and teenagers who need that bit of extra support to thrive and build their confidence in the world. My guest Christell Charles is the coordinator for West Somerset and Taunton and, as a mentor herself, sees first hand how valuable having an 'adult friend' can be when a...

My guest, Bethan Turner, is passionate about the good work local chambers of commerce are able to do in the local community, bringing people together, sharing ideas and harnessing the power of combined voices to champion and challenge as required. Listen as we chat about the impact of the pandemic and the current climate for local businesses as well as share, taste and critique our chosen slice of...

The Octagon Theatre in Yeovil, Somerset is about to undergo a massive £28 million transformation and just weeks before they close the doors for up to two years, I was lucky enough to have Theatre Manager, Adam Burgan as my guest on the show. His passion for theatre is clear; as a teenager he found his tribe in his local drama group and fell in love with the performing arts, going on to study theat...

Tim Walker has built quite a reputation already in his home town of Taunton as an eco-activist and sustainable living practioner and adviser. His Taunton Litter Pick initative won him a BBC Make A Difference Award and his regular column in the county's newpaper means he can get his voice heard across the community.  However, mainly you will find him either in his eco-shop 'My Carbon Coac...

Single mum of two little girls, Somerset resident Jo Middleton jumped into blogging in 2009  before it was fashionable, and without any experience or know how.  Her blog 'Slummy Single Mummy' was born and rode the crest of the wave of a new form of communication that involved sharing advice, gossip and insight that we now  call 'being an influencer'. I talk to Jo about her jour...

I so enjoyed talking to Pip Harris, a young producer at Somerset Film. She spoke with such eloquence and passion about how and why she believes film and digital media are important within our communities, giving people who are sometimes unheard a voice and enable wide sharing of unique stories, forgotten histories and important factual information in easily accessible ways.  Oh yes, and we eat cak...

After losing her mother, Cheryl sat with her partner and her father to contemplate the future. Lucky for us all that, on the toss of a coin, they decided to work out their grief by setting up a microbrewery in the heart of Somerset. The Quantock Brewery was born and has flourished; nestled at the base of the hills after which it is named, Cheryl, Rob and Ken now employ a brewery team that has prod...

Somerset Art Weeks is a key event in the cultural calendar of the county and I am delighted to this week be speaking to Paul Newman of SAW (Somerset Art Works) who co-ordinates the entire event. After a few tricky years due to... guess what... COVID, the 2-week long event made a successful returned to the towns and villages of the county in September 2022 and work has already begun on the 2023 edi...