Leeds Sanctuary

Press play for a Leeds Sanctuary meditation encouraging you to take time to reflect on Fear. What are you holding, and how do you process it? If you enjoyed this Meditation, why not visit the Meditations Library on our website, or come to our weekly Monday Mindfulness group. You can find out more about these on our website: www.leedssanctuary.org.uk Background Music is Relaxing Piano Music by Kevi...

In this episode of Leeds Sanctuary's Social Solidarity Podcast, Emma and Anna talk to Simon Dixon, Venue Manager at Imagine Leeds. They discuss: - What Imagine Leeds is; how it started and how Simon got involved, - How Imagine Leeds has supported activism in Leeds, - How Imagine Leeds supports community voices, - Where Simon could envision Imagine Leeds going and progressing. Find out more about I...

In this episode of Leeds Sanctuary's Social Solidarity Podcast, Emily talks to Sarah Dransfield, Director of local Leeds charity, Joanna Project. They discuss: - The work of Joanna Project, - The situations that might caused women to enter the sex industry, - The barriers that sex workers face when accessing support services, - How these challenges and barriers have changed over time, and - The im...

Press play for a Leeds Sanctuary meditation encouraging you to take time to reflect on Building Relationships. If you enjoyed this Meditation, why not visit the Meditations Library on our website, or come to our weekly Monday Mindfulness group. You can find out more about these on our website: www.leedssanctuary.org.uk Background Music is Relaxing Piano Music by Kevin MacLeod on a creative commons...

In this episode of Leeds Sanctuary's Social Solidarity Podcast, Eleanor and Anna talk about "Creating Community". They discuss: - Why so many find creating community difficult as adults, - How we can "find our tribe", - Creating meaningful, valued relationships, and - Holding boundaries, and adjusting and responding to other people's boundaries. Community and belonging are two important concepts u...

In this episode of Leeds Sanctuary's Social Solidarity Podcast, Emily chats with Chris Fields from St George's Crypt, a local charity which aims to end homelessness and restore lives. They discuss: - The work of St George's Crypt, - The vulnerabilities that people supported by the Crypt might arrive with, - How the issues and challenges these vulnerable people face have changed over the last 10-20...

Welcome to the "Good Neighbours" stream of the Leeds Sanctuary podcast, where we discuss how our Christian faith drives our work and calls us to live well in community. In this episode, Emily and Judith explore what Chaplaincy is. They discuss: - What Chaplaincy is, - How Chaplaincy differs from the role of more well-known Ministry, - What is valuable about Chaplaincy, and - The benefits for peopl...

Press play for a Leeds Sanctuary meditation encouraging you to take time to reflect on your Winter Wellbeing. If you enjoyed this Meditation, why not visit the Meditations Library on our website, or come to our weekly Monday Mindfulness group. You can find out more about these on our website: www.leedssanctuary.org.uk Background Music is Relaxing Piano Music by Kevin MacLeod on a creative commons...

In this episode of Leeds Sanctuary's Social Solidarity Podcast, Emma and Anna interview Lewis Hemingway from Roadblock CIC, a community interest company which specialises in creating people-powered devices . They discuss: - How Roadblock CIC came about, - How Roadblock's original sound system is connected to the climate crisis, - How the sound system has made a difference in local communities, - H...

Thanks for choosing to listen to The Suffragette Sketch Walk! At Leeds Sanctuary, we host Sketch Walks with local artist and historian, Clifford Stead. These Walks are an opportunity to learn some of our city’s history and creatively capture what we notice at the sites we visit. Please visit our website for the route and sites you will visit on this Walk: www.leedssanctuary.org.uk/podcasts/the…-sk...

Thanks for choosing to listen to The Rainbow Sketch Walk! At Leeds Sanctuary, we host Sketch Walks with local artist and historian, Clifford Stead. These Walks are an opportunity to learn some of our city’s history and creatively capture what we notice at the sites we visit. Please visit our website for the route and sites you will visit on this Walk: www.leedssanctuary.org.uk/podcasts/the-rainbow...

Welcome to the "Good Neighbours" stream of the Leeds Sanctuary podcast, where we discuss how our Christian faith drives our work and calls us to live well in community. In this episode, Emily asks City Centre Minister, Judith Marshall, what it means to follow Jesus. They discuss: - What it meant for Jesus' first disciples 2000+ years ago, - What following Jesus means for us in modern times, and -...

Press play for a Leeds Sanctuary meditation encouraging you to take time to reflect on your coping strategies for dealing with panic, anxiety and sadness in Polarised Times. If you enjoyed this Meditation, why not visit the Meditations Library on our website, or come to our weekly Monday Mindfulness group. You can find out more about these on our website: www.leedssanctuary.org.uk Background Music...

In this episode of Leeds Sanctuary's Social Solidarity Podcast, Emily interviews Elizabeth Powell of local learning centre, The Dear Academy. They discuss: - Why play-based learning is so valuable, - How children benefit from play-based learning - How the confidence and resilience children build empowers them to be active citizens - How The Dear Academy can support families, teachers and schools w...

In this episode of Leeds Sanctuary's Social Solidarity Podcast, Eleanor, Emma and Emily talk about doing arts and crafts badly. They discuss: - What stops people trying new arts and crafts - Why we strive to be perfect - How we can manage the pressure to be perfect, and our expectations - The beauty to be found in "bad" art, and - How to make a start! If you'd like to get creative in a judgement-f...

In this episode of Leeds Sanctuary's Social Solidarity Podcast, Anna and Emma meet with Sarah Housley, author of the book, "Designing Hope: Visions to Shape our Future". They discuss: - Sarah's work as a Design Futurist - The key themes in the possible hopeful futures Sarah describes in her book - The possibilities for a less divided and polarised future, and - How we might play a part in creating...

In this episode of Leeds Sanctuary's Social Solidarity Podcast, Emily interviews Amy Hearn from 100% Digital Leeds. They discuss: - The work of the 100% Digital Leeds team - The importance of confidence and competence in using digital technologies - How digital technologies could reduce inequalities, and - How organisations can support people to build confidence and competence. You can access Digi...

Press play for a Leeds Sanctuary meditation encouraging you to take time to reflect on the transition from summer to autumn. If you enjoyed this Meditation, why not visit the Meditations Library on our website, or come to our weekly Monday Mindfulness group. You can find out more about these on our website: www.leedssanctuary.org.uk Background Music is Relaxing Piano Music by Kevin MacLeod on a cr...

WHAT IS GENTLE PROTEST? In this episode of Leeds Sanctuary's Social Solidarity Podcast, Anna and Emma chat about Gentle Protest. They discuss: - What Gentle Protest is - Why we at Leeds Sanctuary favour Gentle Protest - The role that Gentle Protest can play in an increasingly polarised society - How you can get involved. You can find out more about our Justice-Seeking activities at www.leedssanctu...

WHY IS MINDFULNESS SO GOOD FOR US? In this episode of Leeds Sanctuary's Social Solidarity Podcast, Emily and Eleanor talk about the value of Mindfulness. They discuss: - What Mindfulness is - Why people practice Mindfulness - What you can expect from a Leeds Sanctuary Mindfulness session - How you can get involved You can find out more about our weekly Monday Mindfulness sessions at www.leedssanct...

HOW CAN WE RESPOND TO POVERTY? SHOULD WE BE MEETING NEEDS OR MAKING CHANGE? This special episode of the Leeds Sanctuary podcast is a live recording of the panel discussion from our March 2025 Social Justice Lunch in collaboration with Leeds Church Institute, entitled "Prophet or Provider: How can we end poverty in Leeds?" The panel for this event was Nic Harte from Rainbow Junktion; Georgia Whatna...

HOW HAVE NON-VIOLENT ACTIVISTS STOOD UP TO POWER, AND WON? In this episode of The Leeds Sanctuary Podcast, Emma speaks to Emma Goodway of The Commonweal Trust, a charity sharing a collection of printed materials on the topic of nonviolent social action. You can find out more about them and how you can support and access the library here: https://www.commonwealnonviolence.org/ We hope you enjoy thi...

WHAT'S IT LIKE TO BE AN ENTHUSIAST? At Leeds Sanctuary, we run popular Retreat Days and a Book Club all about The Enneagram - an ancient personality typing tool which many people still find helpful and relevant today! In this podcast series, join Emily and Anna as they discuss the strengths and challenges of each Enneagram type, their core motivations and fears, defence mechanisms, and tips for be...

WHAT'S IT LIKE TO BE A LOYALIST? At Leeds Sanctuary, we run popular Retreat Days and a Book Club all about The Enneagram - an ancient personality typing tool which many people still find helpful and relevant today! In this podcast series, join Emily and Anna as they discuss the strengths and challenges of each Enneagram type, their core motivations and fears, defence mechanisms, and tips for being...

WHO MADE YOUR CLOTHES? This simple question is the basis of our Winter 2025 Leeds Craftivists campaign, called "Transform Trade". In this podcast episode, Emma talks to Pippa Woodhams, local artist and activist, who has a wealth of experience and knowledge on the clothing industry. Pippa shares the story of how she came to be an activist in this area, how she's been able to keep campaigning for se...