Spare a Thought

In this episode, Tom chats with Amanda Hamilton, Director and Patron of the National Association of Licensed Paralegals (NALP). They delve into the crucial role paralegals play in helping the public gain access to the justice system. Amanda shares insights into her fascinating career in law, how she rose to become CEO and now patron of NALP, and the significant impact of legal aid cuts from 2010-2...

The world’s media has very little access to Gaza. Reports from aid agencies and local news sources suggest 2 million people are at risk of famine. Amidst the horror, the people of Gaza endure. In this special edition of Spare a Thought, Tom shares Dalia’s story.  Dalia is a Business Administration student who lives in Gaza. Life under the Israeli blockade is dire. Despite this she volunteers, supp...

Tom talks to Dr Julia Patterson, the Chief Executive of EveryDoctor. EveryDoctor is a campaigning organisation fighting for patients, staff and the future of the NHS.  This episode focuses on Julia’s journey from NHS doctor to campaigner and the personal costs of campaigning, what Wes Streeting’s reforms mean for NHS England, Julia’s book Critical and much more. You can find out about the work of...

Tom talks to Kim Mamhende, the Chief of Staff at The CAE, a Swansea-based charity that supports migrant, immigrant, refugee and asylum seeking communities in Wales.  Together Tom and Kim’s conversation centres on the work of the CAE, how work helps migrants and immigrants integrate into society, why the UK wouldn’t run without migrants and what role entrepreneurialism plays in bringing communities...

Tom talks to Will Hayward, a Wales based freelance journalist, columnist and podcaster. Together they talk about how Will got into journalism, his books about Wales, the Welsh media environment and who is most likely to become next First Minister after the 2026 Senedd Elections.  You can subscribe to Will’s Substack here: https://willhaywardwales.substack.com/ and listen to his podcast For Wales,...

In this episode of Spare a Thought, Tom speaks with Luke Young, Head of Policy at Citizens Advice. Luke has previously worked for organisations including NUS Wales, Stonewall, the Senedd, and the Labour Party. Tom and Luke discuss the people who shaped Luke’s worldview, the work of Citizens Advice, the unique challenges facing Wales, recent UK Government changes to Personal Independence Payment (P...

This month Spare a Thought celebrated 1,000 downloads. As a way to celebrate, Tom has put together a retrospective of Season 1, to look back at the conversations he had with the first cohort of guests.  You can find the links to the individual episodes from Season 1 below: Spare a Thought for the Iris Prize Spare a Thought for Refugees Spare a Thought for International Students Part 1 Spare a Thou...

In this episode of Spare a Thought, Tom speaks with Paul Hargreaves, CEO of Cotswold Fayre, a UK-based wholesaler committed to ethical and sustainable business. Paul is also the author of two influential books, Forces for Good, which explores how businesses can help create a better world, and The Fourth Bottom Line, a guide to flourishing in a new era of compassionate leadership. Together, they di...

At the end of January, Cardiff University announced plans to cut academic staff in a bid to plug a £30 million shortfall in its finances. A formal consultation with staff, titled Securing our Academic Future, is underway and will conclude in May. Universities across the UK are facing financial pressures thanks to student visa restrictions causing a dip in international student numbers, growing com...

Content warning: This episode features personal experiences of living with long Covid. While some listeners may find aspects of this discussion difficult and triggering, we believe these stories are important to share. Listener discretion is advised. In this episode, Tom is joined by breathing coaches Vikki Jones and Jackie Baxter to explore what it means to live with Long Covid, how breathwork ca...

Content warning: This episode features personal experiences of living with long Covid. While some listeners may find aspects of this discussion difficult and triggering, we believe these stories are important to share. Listener discretion is advised. Five years after the pandemic started, we live parallel lives. There are those who have returned to the ‘old normal’, they have retained their routin...

Recent surveys seem to indicate that many in society, particularly young men, believe equality has gone too far, that women’s rights are infringing on their ability to succeed. In this conversation, recorded in February 2024, Tom speaks to Dr Iain McKenzie about feminism, the role men can play in the feminist debate and, why reading feminism is like wearing a new pair of glasses that helps us unde...

To celebrate international women’s day, Tom speaks to Professor Laura McAllister CBE and Lowri Roberts about Welsh Women’s football.  Together Tom, Laura and Lowri discuss the development of the women’s game in Wales, Cymru’s journey to the 2025 Women’s Euros and the opportunities that will open up. Professor Laura McAllister is Vice President at UEFA, she is a former Wales Women’s football intern...

Gwern Gwynfil is the acting Director of New Wales, a new Welsh cross-party think tank, and is the former CEO of Yes Cymru, Wales’ independence campaign group.  In this episode Tom speaks to Gwern about the Welsh language, surprising facts about Wales, the successes and shortcomings of devolution, and the future of Wales. You can find out more about New Wales by heading to their website: https://ne...

Briony Goffin is a writer, tutor, and mentor. She teaches creative writing at Cardiff University and is a specialist in facilitating creative writing experiences in community and healthcare settings. In this episode, I spoke to Briony about where ideas come from, being creative, getting back into writing and facilitating workshops. You can find out more about Briony and the sessions she runs by vi...

Stephen Wheatley is a volunteer crew member for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in London. In this episode Stephen speaks to host Tom Spare about the RNLI’s mission, its history and his experience of volunteering for the 200 year old charity.  So, sit back and spare a thought for the RNLI.  Stephen’s Just Giving Page raising money for the Royal National Lifeboat 200th anniversary: h...

Content warning: This episode includes reference to genocide, sexual assault, coercion, torture and other topics listeners might find distressing. Listener discretion is advised. Dima Hamdan is a Palestinian filmmaker and former journalist. In this episode Dima Hamdan talks about why she became a filmmaker, her experience of being a member of the Palestinian diaspora and why she made the Iris Priz...

This fifth episode of Spare a Thought completes a miniseries focused on international students studying in UK universities.  In this episode Tom interviews Tanya Thomas, a partner at Spencer West solicitors, who specialises in Higher Education disputes and dispute resolution. During their conversation Tom and Tanya discuss the issues that students raise when their experience at university goes awr...

This fourth episode of Spare a Thought continues a mini series focused on international students studying in the UK. In this episode, Tom interviews four former international students and one current, all from Cardiff University - Sidd, Lily, Sumani, Zuzanna and Nathan. He finds out why they chose to study in the UK, the barriers to living here and how their experiences differ from living in their...

This third episode of Spare a Thought starts a mini series focused on international students studying in the UK. In episode three, Tom chats with Julie Campbell, International Student Advisory Manager at Ulster University about international students and the Higher Education sector.  International students provide a net contribution to the UK economy of £37.4 billion, but their contribution goes w...

In the second episode of Spare a Thought, Tom chats with Dr Samantha James, an NHS doctor who volunteered for the German charity Sea Watch collecting refugees in distress in the Mediterranean in 2022.  Together, Sam and Tom discuss why Sam became a doctor, how she found out about Sea Watch and explore her experience in the Mediterranean.  To donate to Sea Watch: https://sea-watch.org/en/   To foll...

In this inaugural episode of Spare a Thought, Tom chats with Berwyn Rowlands, Director of the Iris Prize, the world’s largest LGBTQ+ short film prize. Together, Berwyn and Tom discuss first cinema memories, delve into the origins of Iris, consider the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community, and reveal what’s in store for the upcoming Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival. The Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Fe...