Forever Mancunians

School never felt like the right fit for Liam Heeley. It wasn't until he found his tribe of creatives that everything clicked. Now, at just 24, Liam has travelled the world as a photographer, founded HEADS Manchester, and helped launch the Manchester Creative Council. In this episode, Sophie Sveinsson sits down with Liam to talk about the power of community, backing yourself, and how finding the r...

Simon Wood joins Sophie Sveinsson for a powerful conversation about passion, pressure and starting over. From growing up cooking with his grandad to feeling trapped in an IT career, Simon always knew food was where he belonged — but winning MasterChef changed everything overnight. Thrust into the spotlight, he built his dream restaurant and a team that became family… until it all came crashing dow...

In this episode of Forever Mancunians, Sophie Sveinsson chats to Katie Lloyd, bassist of The Lottery Winners. Raised by musician parents, music was always her norm—but her experience of being bullied growing up as a “mosher” helped shape her resilience. She shares how she found her place through performing, built a band that feels like family, and helped create a loyal fan community—from home to o...

From Essex to Manchester, Olympic BMX and World Champion Beth Shriever joins Sophie Sveinsson to share her journey: leaving home to live in Manchester and train with British Cycling, navigating life as the only woman on the team, and discovering the female riders who make her feel at home.

In this punchy episode, DJ Paulette (Paulette Constable) speaks with Sophie Sveinsson about facing racism in the church, finding freedom and acceptance on the dancefloor, and how queer club culture led her back to music — while opening up about being made to stop clubbing during her marriage, and why she’s still judged today as a woman behind the decks.

In this episode, Sophie speaks with musician and composer Aziz Ibrahim (The Stone Roses and Simply Red)  about growing up in Longsight, discovering the rich, multicultural life of South Manchester, and the sounds that brought people together across faiths and backgrounds. Aziz reflects on choosing music in the face of community expectation, and the judgement that can come with stepping beyond pres...

In this episode, artist and DJ Stan Chow sits down with host Sophie Sveinsson to talk about how he found his tribe in the hallways of art school and carried that creative spark into Manchester’s underground. Stan shares how a need to make something—to carve out a space where art, music, and identity could collide—led to the creation of a genuine community in the club. From late-night experiments t...

In this episode we meet Rachel McFarlane, the founder of Ampliied Voices CIC. Beyond her own record of remarkable personal achievements, Rachel's dedication to community outreach is evident in her work with this pioneering initiative allowing her to showcase her commitment to leveraging the power of music to empower and foster a sense of belonging through singing programmes specifically designed t...

The Forever Mancunians Podcast shares the stories of featured guests whose vision, commitment and determination in making a difference to the lives of others in our local communites is often interesting and inspiring. In this episode we chat with Esther Whittaker, CEO of Down's Syndrome Manchester. DS Manchester is an inclusive, member-led charity for individuals with Down’s syndrome, their parent...

Forever Mancunians shares the stories of featured guests whosevision, commitment and determination in making a difference to the lives of others in our local communites is often interesting and inspiring.  In this episode we chat with the founder of the award winning WAVE Adventure, Grahm Wood and Trustee Fay Wiblin. Passionate about outdoor adventure and the environment, WAVE love introducing peo...

In this Forever Mancunians episode we chat to the founder of Manchester based Colibri Mexican Folk Dance company, Magali Flores. Hailing from Mexico, a country steeped in rich music and dance heritage, Magaly studied ballet, folklore and traditional contemporary dance to become a graduate teacher of Arts Education before moving to England in 1989. As a widely traveled researcher, choreographer and...

“I feel comfortable when I’m combining a touch of class with a touch of craziness, you should try wearing chicken slippers” The Forever Mancunians podcast series aims to share the stories of featured guests whose vision, commitment, and dedication in making a difference to the lives of others within our local communities is often interesting and inspiring. In this episode (018) we meet Olga Gerke...

“When life is tough, and you don’t want to get out of bed” The Forever Mancunians podcast series aims to introduce and tell the stories of featured guests whose vision, commitment, and dedication in making a difference to the lives of others in our local communities is both interesting and inspiring. In this episode, we meet the founders of Headspace Bolton, Stehpen Pilling and Ginny Allende. Upon...

Forever Mancunians aims to introduce and tell the stories of featured guests whose vision, commitment, and dedication in making a difference to the lives of others in our local communities is both interesting and inspiring. In Part 2 of this two part (Episode 016), we meet Lesley fisher, the founder of Dancing with Dementia, who says being a hairdresser helped her acquire some of the patience and...

“Dementia comes in many forms, no dementia journey is the same” Forever Mancunians aims to introduce and tell the stories of featured guests whose vision, commitment, and dedication in making a difference to the lives of others in our local communities is both interesting and inspiring. In Part 1 of this two part episode, we meet Lesley fisher, the founder of Dancing with Dementia, who says being...

Forever Mancunians aims to introduce and tell the stories of featured guests whose vision, commitment, and dedication in making a difference to the lives of others in our local communities is both interesting and inspiring. In this episode we meet Shaun O'Brien from Trafford based sensory theatre company, 'Theatre of the Senses' (ToTs). Our chat sheds light on both the inspiring work ToTs does and...

Forever Mancunians aims to introduce and tell the stories of featured guests whose vision, commitment, and dedication in making a difference to the lives of others in our local communities is both interesting and inspiring. In this episode we meet Jamie Dennis, founder of Mandem Meetup for a candid chat about Men's Mental Health. After a difficult upbringing left Jamie "a bit rough around the edge...

Forever Mancunians aims to introduce and tell the stories of featured guests whose vision, commitment, and dedication in making a difference to the lives of others in our local communities is both interesting and inspiring. In this episode we meet Jamie Dennis, founder of Mandem Meetup for a candid chat about Men's Mental Health. After a difficult upbringing left Jamie "a bit rough around the edge...

Forever Mancunians aims to introduce and tell the stories of featured guests whose vision, commitment, and dedication in making a difference to the lives of others in our local communities is both interesting and inspiring. In this episode we meet Katarzyna Pryzbylska, one of the directors at The Together Family Centre in Irlam which initially started out as a Junior Football Club before further d...

Forever Mancunians aims to introduce and tell the stories of featured guests whose vision, commitment, and dedication in making a difference to the lives of others in our local communities is both interesting and inspiring. In this episode we meet Sharon Davis, founder of Mums Mart Wythenshawe, a women’s group that came together after a local mum broke down in the school playground. Exhausted from...

Forever Mancunians aims to introduce and tell the stories of featured guests whose vision, commitment, and dedication in making a difference to the lives of others in our local communities is both interesting and inspiring. In this episode (Part 02), Rod Maxwell, co-founder of community radio station Radio Alty shares the story of overcoming a brain hemorrhage, community radio involvement and what...

Forever Mancunians aims to introduce and tell the stories of featured guests whose vision, commitment, and dedication in making a difference to the lives of others in our local communities is both interesting and inspiring. In this episode (Part 01), Rod Maxwell, co-founder of community radio station, Radio Alty, shares his story of overcoming trauma following a Brain Hemorrhage, finding comfort i...

Forever Mancunians aims to introduce and tell the stories of featured guests whose vision, commitment, and dedication in making a difference to the lives of others in our local communities is both interesting and inspiring. In this episode, Maureen Holcroft and Noreen Bond from Daffodils Dreams in Wigan, share their story, commitment and response to the concerning issue of child poverty inpacting...

Forever Mancunians aims to introduce and tell the stories of featured guests whose vision, commitment, and dedication in making a difference to the lives of others in our local communities is both interesting and inspiring. In this episode (Part 02), Elliot Sparks, founder and CEO of Pennine Mencap introduces The Rhodes Bank Inclusive Choir, shares his views on Public Perceptions and Attitudes and...

Forever Mancunians aims to introduce and tell the stories of featured guests whose vision, commitment, and dedication in making a difference to the lives of others in our local communities is both interesting and inspiring. In this episode (Part 01), founder and CEO Elliot Sparks of Pennine Mencap shares his story of volunteering, overcoming ill health and settling in Oldham alongside sharing some...