The RG10 Podcast - featuring the people, places and events of interest across our area of the Thames Valley

Henley Festival CEO Jo Bausor gives us the lowdown on the 40th anniversary of Henley's iconic music and arts event, being held this week from Wed 6th to Sunday 10 July. After two years of disruption due to the Covid pandemic, everyone is looking forward to getting 'back to normal'. Many festival goers will be focusing on the key attractions on the floating stage, including Sir Tom J...

Ben has outdone himself this time. Our intrepid podcast host has donned his wetsuit and gatecrashed the regular early morning river swim of a pod of Twyford mermaids. Wait, one of them sounds familiar... it's the voice of Jules Lang, well known to listeners of BBC Radio 2 and Radio Berkshire. The broadcaster lives locally and is a dedicated open water swimmer.  After braving the water for a w...

This doesn't sound like work at all...  Picture a sunny afternoon in May, at the beautiful setting of Stanlake Park Wine Estate in Twyford. Cue RG10 Podcast producer Ben, enjoying a guided tour and fascinating chat with General Manager Natalia Pezzone - over a bottle of white wine, naturally. How did this former vet from Argentina come to be so passionate and knowledgeable about good quality...

After more than two years living under a pandemic, everyone is eagerly anticipating the opportunity to have some fun over the extended holiday weekend marking the Queen's 70 years on the throne.  Our local communities have plenty going on, and we caught up with just a few organising something a bit different... The Fearlessly Odd Festival in Twyford - with the organisers Sabrina (Brie) Findla...

Have you felt traumatised by the end of a marriage or other significant relationship? You are not alone. It can be hard to believe that you could ever be happy again, let alone that the best might yet be to come. Many people have found it helpful to attend a course run over two consecutive weekends by the Divorce Recovery Workshop, aimed at helping people make sense of their feelings, understand a...

2022 is the 60th anniversary year for local choir, Twyford Singers. We catch up with them during rehearsals for their traditional Easter concert, to be held in St Mary's church in Twyford on Palm Sunday, 10 April. The concert will include music from the 8th century to the 20th, as well as a new composition of 'Gloria, laus et honor' by Simon Rigby, a previous musical director of Twy...

Plenty of famous people play the ukulele, including George Clooney, Pierce Brosnan, The Rock, Tom Hanks, Barack Obama, Taylor Swift and Madonna. George Harrison was a huge fan, apparently, keeping ukuleles all over his house in Henley. However, the instrument is accessible to all: relatively inexpensive to buy and easy to pick up quite quickly, it provides anyone with an enjoyable way of making mu...

This is a story weaving together royal connections with a bit of local history, highlighting an activity suitable for all ages and a community social hub, the fundraising effort towards a building fit for purpose, and the resilience and humour of club members faced with the aftermath of a storm. Ben visited Hurst Bowling Club in February 2022, soon after Storm Eunice felled a large tree by the adj...

Do you suffer from chronic pain? Do you wish you could be free of it for good and take back control of your life?  Stay tuned for this interview with Dr Sarah Bryan, a physical therapist dedicated to achieving that freedom for every client, drawing on the services of a multidisciplinary team as necessary. Sarah talks us through her holistic approach, working with the body to find imbalances, relea...

Spoiler alert: Kindness is alive and well! We just need to recognise and celebrate it more. In this episode of the RG10 Podcast, we hear about two online spaces dedicated to sharing the good stuff that we humans are capable of. All too often, both in business and in private life, we focus on what's tough or difficult. We forget to be grateful for (or even notice) the everyday kindness we rece...

Happy New Year! Have you resolved to be more active in 2022, take up a new hobby, get outside more or make new friends? Here's an idea that offers all of that and more - the sport of walking football. Yes - walking football is a game in its own right, requiring players to adhere to the principles of minimal contact with other players and, obviously, no running. We chat to Cornelius O'Kan...

Oh, yes it is! Pantomime is that peculiarly British music hall tradition of family-friendly comedy productions, usually based on a fairy tale or fable, with cross-dressing actors in the lead roles and some element of audience participation. Families around the RG10 area are spoilt for choice this winter, with three different pantomimes to look forward to in January. Local theatre groups in Twyford...

This podcast is going out on 8 December 2021: are you feeling festive yet? If not, this will help - a soundtrack of the Twyford Christmas Fayre, held in the village centre last Friday! It was fantastic seeing so many people out supporting the Twyford Together event. Throughout the evening people of all ages were enjoying themselves amongst the stalls, street entertainers and musical performances -...

In this episode we hear how the enjoyment of playing an instrument, the enduring appeal of folk music, and the vision of a local man underpin the continued success of the monthly Twyford Folk Music Workshop. Colin McEwen explains how he set up the group in 2013 largely for his own enjoyment, then discovered a pool of people either interested in progressing their current playing ability or keen to...

Gone are the days when it was cool to boast about only needing a few hours' sleep. We now have a much greater understanding of how important sleep is for our overall health and wellbeing.  Yet what constitutes 'good sleep hygiene', and what is the best approach to take for anyone having trouble sleeping? Who better to dispel the myths and outline best practice than chartered psychol...

Jo Bausor has been busy since being appointed CEO of Henley Festival in January 2021. Her decade-long experience as part of the management team has been invaluable in bringing the event back to life following its cancellation during the 2020 pandemic. After navigating through many challenges through the year, she can finally celebrate the return of Henley's iconic black-tie music and arts fes...

With just a month to go until the Henley Literary Festival, we catch up with Events and Programme Director Harriet Reed-Ryan. Reflecting on the experience of running the 2020 festival online due to the pandemic, she explains how some key successes are being carried over. For example, the schools programme will run online only, having seen audiences increase almost fivefold last year. The 2021 fest...

The Hurst Horticultural Show offers the perfect way to spend an English summer's day, whether exhibiting in any of the 134 classes or just admiring the entries and enjoying the friendly atmosphere of a favourite village tradition. The 108th show will be held on Saturday 21 August 2021. One of the organisers, Frank Whittaker, proudly tells us a little about the history of the event and how it...

Ever fancied trying your hand at bowling? As in lawn bowls, not the indoor ten-pin type - and nothing to do with cricket. Isn't it a sport for old people? Not necessarily. It does have that reputation, but nowadays bowling clubs are attracting younger people and family memberships are gaining in popularity. Our intrepid podcast host and producer, Ben, was keen to have a go (any excuse to bunk...

Could this year's Henley Arts Trail be the best one yet? Absolutely! Offering free entry to 39 venues showcasing the work of around 200 artists over two weekends in July, HAT presents the perfect opportunity to get out and about, explore a beautiful area and combine art with conversation - maybe even some shopping. The dates for HAT 2021 are 10-11 and 17-18 July. A few venues are only open on...

The Hurst Show has been running for over 40 years, bringing the local community together and attracting visitors from surrounding areas for a two-day family-friendly celebration of arts & crafts, traditional country skills, and activities such as a dog show, plant stall, classic car show and hobby-horse racing (yes, really!)We are joined by Vikki Randles from the Hurst Show organising committe...

Ian Wisdom is a busy man in the run-up to the 11th Twyford Beer Festival, so we’re delighted that he took time out to have a chat. As the festival founder, who better to explain the reasons for starting it up in 2010, how much it has raised over the years for men’s cancer charity Orchid, what’s involved in organising the two-day event, and what visitors can expect this year. He also shares a touch...

The Twyford (Berkshire) Facebook group was created nine years ago by local resident Janette Vorster – apparently accidentally! She is still one of the admins who volunteer their time to moderate what has become a very large and highly engaged closed community of people connected with Twyford. Janette tells the story behind the group that has become an integral part of everyday life for many local...

Twyford-based charity Understanding Dementia has been receiving great feedback about its free training course for family and friend carers. We chat to one participant, Helen, whose mother has Alzheimer’s Disease. Unsure how best to support her parents, who live at some distance, she signed up for the course in late 2020. Helen talks about taking part in the online training via eight live Zoom sess...

Vanessa Holburn is a local author, supporter of environmental initiatives,and campaigner against animal cruelty. Her latest book, ‘How to pick a puppy: An ethical guide to choosing the perfect pet’ is aimed at would-be pet owners. With the marked increase in pet ownership during the coronavirus lockdown, we thought it a good idea to ask Vanessa about the potential problems that new dog owners coul...