Sussex & Surrey Soapbox

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: Chelle Lucas Roundtable Featuring: Abigail Chapman-Miller (Labour) , Jacq Inwood, Maureen Jones, Aga Es and Mags Rahman. Host: Clive Hilton . Alcohol is woven into British life so tightly that not drinking can feel like you’re breaking a rule. From champagne toasts and pub culture to “wine o’clock” on the sofa, we ask a question that’s easy to dodge and hard to answ...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: Chelle Lucas Roundtable Featuring: Abigail Chapman-Miller (Labour) , Jacq Inwood, Maureen Jones, Aga Es and Mags Rahman. Host: Clive Hilton .  Childhood has not just changed, it’s been rewired. One minute you’ve got kids who can outsmart an iPad before they can tie their laces; the next you’ve got parents using tracking apps because the world feels less safe, even w...

Send us Fan Mail Planning is meant to turn housebuilding into liveable places, but across Sussex & Surrey it often feels like we are pouring concrete first and asking awkward questions later. We sit down with Abigail Chapman-Miller (Labour), Matt Brewin (Green), James Tidy (Reform UK), Iqbal Khan and Paul Taylor-Burr to unpack why housing development planning keeps producing the same result: n...

Send us Fan Mail  SPOT: a slightly different format to the Roundtable discussions where we step back from the debate to Spotlight a social initiative, local event or charity. The Soapbox recently tackled knife crime with special guest Keith Collyer, Crawley Combat Academy .  A knife threat isn’t just a physical problem, it’s a decision-making problem under pressure. We head to Tilgate Huts in Craw...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: - Matt Brewin, Primary School Teacher in Haywards Heath and Chair of Mid Sussex Green Party - Paul Taylor-Burr, Community Volunteer and Parent of two children with ASD/ADHD  Roundtable Featuring : Abigail Chapman-Miller (Labour), Iqbal Khan (Tess' Kitchen) & James Tidy (Reform UK). Host: Clive Hilton.  The SEND system was built to protect vulnerable childre...

Send us Fan Mail  SPOT: a slightly different format to the Roundtable discussions where we step back from the debate to Spotlight a social initiative, local event or charity. Saturday 6th June and it's the  Midnight Walk 2026! Orange T-shirts, glitter, LED tutus, and a range of routes from 2miles to 17miles - walking through the night in the memory of friends, family and for a hospice that de...

Send us Fan Mail  SPOT: a slightly different format to the Roundtable discussions where we step back from the debate to Spotlight a Charity or in this case a local arts festival - Reigate Summer Festival with Tim Glynne-Jones.   A rock set in the mouth of a tunnel, choirs in a church, an art exhibition, and a pop-up photo show inside an estate agent. Reigate Summer Festival is the kind of bold, cr...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: Keith Collyer, Crawley Combat Academy and Shariff Boolaky, Menshare Listening Group. Plus Roundtable Featuring : Maureen Jones, Micaela Leal, Abigail Chapman-Miller & Iqbal Khan. Host: Clive Hilton.  A knife doesn’t just threaten one person, it detonates consequences across families, schools, and whole streets. We sit down to talk honestly about knife crime, why...

Send us Fan Mail   Special Guests:   - Michelle Lucas, Only Dogs Ltd - an award winning Dog grooming business on Lingfield High Street. - Sami Ella Bristow, Blossoms Brunch & Coffee - a thriving community cafe in Godstone adept at navigating the challenges of rising costs & the sinkhole! Plus Roundtable Featuring : Maureen Jones, Micaela Leal, Georgie Lucas, Aga Es, Abigail Chapman-Miller,...

Send us Fan Mail  SPOT: a slightly different format to the Roundtable discussions where we step back from the debate to Spotlight a Charity or in this case a local social initiative FALB (Find A Local Business) helping local independent businesses thrive. This SPOTlight compliments the Roundtable episode which lands Sunday 24 May, where we get into the High Street and challenges facing local busin...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: Shariff Boolaky, Menshare Listening Group & BRING YOUR SH*T host.  Plus Roundtable Featuring : Maureen Jones, Micaela Leal, Abigail Chapman-Miller, James Tidy & Iqbal Khan. Host: Clive Hilton.  If your mental health has felt heavier in the last few years, you are not alone and you are not “too sensitive”. We sit down as the Sussex & Surrey Soapbox roundt...

Send us Fan Mail  SPOT: a slightly different format to the Roundtable discussions where we step back from the debate to Spotlight a Social Initiative or in this case a Charity making a huge difference in our local community. Crawley doesn’t need to be “made cultural” from the outside, it needs the spotlight put on what’s already here and the space to build what’s next. We’re joined by Louise Black...

Send us Fan Mail   Roundtable Featuring: Michelle Lucas (Special Guest), Maureen Jones, Micaela Leal, Georgie Lucas, Aga Es, Abigail Chapman-Miller, James Tidy & Magdalena Rahman. Host: Clive Hilton.  Social media can make grown adults talk like strangers at war, and we’ve all felt that shift. Around our Sussex & Surrey Soapbox Roundtable, we dig into a blunt question: does the internet re...

Send us Fan Mail  SPOT: a slightly different format to the Roundtable discussions where we step back to Spotlight a Charity or in this case a Social Initiative making a positive difference in the local community. Amanda Foster, Youth Worker In Charge with Crawley Community Youth Service (CCYS) shares why they recently adopted a neglected local train station and how quickly things improve when peop...

Send us Fan Mail  SPOT: a slightly different format to the Roundtable discussions where we step back to Spotlight a Charity or in this case a Social Initiative making a positive difference in the local community. We’re joined by Hamzah Khan , a Crawley local and the driving force behind Crawley Muslim Network , to unpack what real community support looks like when you prioritise dignity, access, a...

Send us Fan Mail In this Homelessness Part 2 episode, we continue the conversation with Ian Wilkins, Crawley Open House and Michelle Harfield, Turning Tides to explore what truly helps people move beyond homelessness—and why simply offering a roof, without long-term support, can sometimes do more harm than good. Together, we unpack homelessness as a complex, non-linear journey—more “snakes and lad...

Send us Fan Mail  SPOT: a slightly different format to the Roundtable discussions where we Spotlight a Charity or in this case a Social Initiative making a positive difference in the local community. Sheet music can be a comfort blanket, but it can also be the thing that stops people from showing up. We talk with Hannah Carter, Managing Director at Ensemble Reza about the Crawley Music Collective...

Send us Fan Mail In this first episode of two parts, we sit down with special guests Michelle Harfield, Turning Tides and Ian Wilkins, Crawley Open House for a candid, eye-opening conversation about the real causes of homelessness in Sussex & Surrey — and why the story we often hear barely scratches the surface. In the next episode we will tackle escaping homelessness and the services provided...

Send us Fan Mail We explore how divided are we as a society? and hear from a number of voices with soundbites from: - Maz, ex Anti Nazi League Member, supporting the Gaza march 22Feb - ' G', a local patriot Dad who has had enough of the 'hotel economic scam' - Hampshire Resistance, at the Horley Protest alongside 'G' on 22Mar - Tim Charters , Chair of Reform UK, Crawl...

Send us Fan Mail We talk frankly about why life in Sussex & Surrey seems to get more expensive every month — from energy and water bills to rent, trains and the weekly shop. We share the everyday frustrations people are feeling and the practical ways households are trying to cope, cut waste and push back against rising costs. In this episode we cover: • Rising utility bills and the debate arou...

Send us Fan Mail  SPOT: a slightly different format to the Roundtable discussions where we Spotlight a Charity, Social Initiative or in this case an inspiration in the community. It's Easter Monday. A lively teenager Poppy May feels a sudden pain in her back. Within weeks, she can no longer move or feel anything from the waist down. Eight years later, that same teenager is lining up at the st...

Send us Fan Mail SPOT: a slightly different format to the Roundtable discussions where we Spotlight a very personal story from Sean Orr. Cancer doesn’t just happen to the person with the diagnosis. It happens to the partner making the calls, the spouse lying awake, the carer holding it together in public and falling apart in private. We sit down with Sean Orr the man behind Menshare Listening Grou...

Send us Fan Mail One in four adults will face a mental health problem each year, but numbers don’t capture the quiet part: the loneliness, the slow slide, and the moment someone realises they’re not coping. From the Red Lion & Cellar Room in Betchworth, Surrey, we talk plainly about mental health in Sussex & Surrey and why it’s showing up more in everyday life, workplaces, and friendships....

Send us Fan Mail Sussex & Surrey Soapbox – SPECIAL: Local Elections Roundtable, Featuring:  Cllr Richard Biggs (Conservative) - Leader of Reigate and Banstead BC, Councillor for Horley West and Sidlow. James Tidy (Reform UK), Vice Chairman of Reform UK, Crawley. Cllr Abigail Chapman-Miller (Labour) - Parish Councillor & sits on East Surrey Executive Committee. Cllr Mark Smith (Independent)...

Send us Fan Mail SPOT: a slightly different format to the Roundtable discussions where we Spotlight  Iqbal Khan 'Q' and the volunteers behind Tess’s Kitchen in Crawley, from its “Spag Bowl Sunday” beginnings to serving around 40 hot meals three times a week. We also hear from people relying on the food, and why dignity, chat, and being seen can matter as much as dinner.  • the value of h...