The Shrewsbury Biscuit Podcast

AL and Julie welcome the team behind GlouGlou and Iron & Rose to the studio. Firstly we talk with Robin who started Iron & Rose in the Market Hall in Shrewsbury Town. We find out the dynamics behind his business and how passionate he is about wine, no seriously! If you need to buy wine off someone who knows what he is talking about, Robin is your guy. After the Wine shop, comes the wine bar and th...

In what is the first Crumb we've released in a while, AL speaks to Michelle who has recently just opened The Vegan Hub in the Parade Shopping centre in Shrewsbury. Again, another business opening post Covid-19 it really is interesting finding out about the hurdles that have to be faced when dealing with a challenge like the lock-down. Michelle seems to be gleaming at the prospect of bringing her b...

AL got the chance to have a really good chat with Dave Courteen and his daughter Rose.  Dave has a fantastic story and he talks about his journey with his company Mosaic. How it all started for him and how he moulded it over the years which has lead him to being a huge part of dozens of Health and Spa Clubs including The Shrewsbury Club. Of course things have been challenging for Dave and everyone...

AL and Jules join Darren Campbell at Shrewsbury Prison to catch up with him. Not since the Biscuit first launched have we spoken to him, so it was nice to check in and see how things have been. Well the end of 2019 and of course 2020 have not been favourable to most in Shrewsbury. Joel has felt the wrath too but instead of burying his head in the sand, he shows drive and determination to come at t...

AL sits with ex mayor and Share charity founder Jane McKenzie. In a relaxed but very frank conversation we get into great detail in the signs to look for with addiction, how you could approach a friend or relative if you feel like they have a problem without pushing them away, an inspiring celebrity that AL hails as a hero, some signs to spot when someone suffers from addiction and some great advi...

For the time being we are going to be looking at discussing local independent businesses, events planners, charities and local interests. We start with speaking to promising young entrepreneur Minola Moss. Alex and Deedee talk to Minola about her business which she is launching post Covid-19. This is such a unique/challenging time for everyone but starting a business, right now, can seem like swim...

AL and Max speak to a group of extremely talented creators from Shrewsbury. They are Isobel, Anthony and writer Michael and when it comes to creating a fun and clever book, these guys from Critical Tales are a powerhouse. Creating a business and a book in just 6 weeks, these 3 absolutely knocked it out of the park. Their first book Game Of Gnomes is a fun fantasy novel for adults. AL read the book...

Team Biscuit sit back and catch up this week, in fact AL and Deedee welcome new Biscuiteer Max Brown to the crew. Max has been such a positive influence on the town lately, being in the press for making a huge effort to keep The Quarry immaculate. Welcome to the team Max we're glad to have you on board! The team discuss some positive news that is coming out of the town lately. There is an exciting...

AL speaks to Jamie Edwards from Shrewsbury Town in the Community (STITC). The last time Alex and Jamie met, they only got 5 minutes to sit and chat. This time we have a full 45 minutes to sit talk about the great deeds that STITC do for the community. Of course between then, things have changed and there are a lot of vulnerable people that are affiliated with STITC that are left without means to c...

AL and Deedee speak to Ali and Sophie from The Shrewsbury Cup. In a show that was a long time coming, The Biscuiteers chat with the creators of one of Shrewsbury's most recognisable names "The Shrewsbury Cup". You will have seen the branding, read the stories and maybe even drank out of one of their cups. But do you know why this initiative was started? When it all began? Who were the first people...

With AL taking the role pf producer on this episode. Shane and Jules bring you a fantastic interview with Sal Tonge. Sal calls herself a Teller of Tales, a Twoddle Monger, Trader of Taddle-Tales and Collector of Oral Bric-a-Brac. In essence Sal is a storyteller with a whole lot of experience and empathy. Sal has fine tuned her art and her skills to be able help people with dementia and memory impa...

Alex and Julie speak with Annie House. During these unprecedented times we are all facing uncertainty, especially for those that are making the return to work. What positive steps can you take to make sure going back to work doesn't overwhelm you? What does work mean to you and what tools are around you to help you? Annie works for Enable, a service that offers people advice and support for gettin...

How do assistant dogs adjust to a nationwide lock-down? We forget that a dog, that has been trained to help their owners, may not understand the 2 metre rule or be able follow the arrows around the aisles in Asda. AL sits down with Rachel Rodgers from Dog Aid, a Shrewsbury based company that helps to train assistant dogs all around the country. We find out ways that these guys have adjusted to off...

This week Alex gets to sit and chat with Birgitta Zoutman a photographer who has beautifully illustrated the essence of community, that was picked up and displayed by the national press, in what seemed like a rare piece (by the press) about how people have come together. This was a well thought up idea, that managed to show the country, that Shrewsbury are standing together through these unprecede...

AL and Julie speak to the High Sheriff of Shropshire Mrs Dean Harris. Not knowing much about the role, we find out what a High Sheriff is now and how duties have changed over the last 1100 years. Mrs Harris' first month of being the High Sheriff hasn't exactly been textbook to say the least. But that in no way means that things aren't going to get done! Trying to raise the profile of the county an...

These are trying times for businesses and Shrewsbury has been hit hard this year, with the floods and now, Covid-19, its been horrific. Alex Whiteley and Deedee Fullwood speak to Reuben Crouch, co-owner of CSONS about the year that they've had. Having popular restaurants in both Shrewsbury and Ludlow, most locals know who they are and the difficult times that they've had. During the floods, the Lu...

This very special episode of The Biscuit is a new feature that has been put together in partnership with Share, a local charity founded by Jane Mckenzie. The idea is to use poetry as something positive to help with addiction and mental health issues. This will be a regular thing we are going to be doing and asking people to send in either poetry or music submissions that are relevant to the subjec...

Alex Whiteley and Julie Fox spend a bit of time speaking to the guys from 90's Revival. They've been working hard keeping everyone partying during the Lock-Down so we thought we'd find out more about the guys. Dave Prince and Paul Bennett know how to party and they've been operating a virtual retro nightclub from their homes and people have been enjoying what they do. We find out what the 90's rev...

Alex Whiteley and Julie Fox spend a bit of time speaking to the guys from 90's Revival. They've been working hard keeping everyone partying during the Lock-Down so we thought we'd find out more about the guys. Dave Prince and Paul Bennett know how to party and they've been operating a virtual retro nightclub from their homes and people have been enjoying what they do. We find out what the 90's rev...

The current lock-down situation has made incredibly challenging impacts on people's lives. There are a lot of parents out there who may be struggling with the task of having to keep their children entertained, motivated and of course educated too. A lot of whom are trying to work from home themselves. In an attempt to get a look at this situation from 2 different perspectives AL and Julie speak to...

AL and Julie speak to David Fairclough and Jenny Robey from the Royal British Legion. We find out how the Legion are helping the vulnerable people that they support, during this difficult period in time when social isolation is in place. We discuss the values that the RBL had when it started in 1921 and how they compare today. In a bid to start online awareness and keep the Poppy Appeal moving vir...

During these difficult times when everyone is locked in quarantine there have been a few online initiatives that have caught our eye. One of the things that we saw that impressed us was local dance and yoga instructor Cat Merrick, who decided to start running some yoga classes online for the youngsters stuck at home.  At a time when we are confined to our quarters, it is important for us to keep o...

Before the lockdown AL managed to get to speak to Vanessa from her wonderful shop, Condover Furniture. Vanessa takes a lot of time beautifully restoring old forgotten pieces of furniture, turning them into visually stunning works of art. Find out about Vanessa's processes, the dynamics behind being environmentally friendly, an artist that sells unbelievable artwork from her store and of course, wh...

A day before the pubs closed AL was lucky enough to visit The Wood Brewery, home to the famous Shropshire Lad bitter. This episode had been in the planning for a long time. Wrought with the constant bombardment of crisis in Shropshire, we are so happy to finally bring this episode to you. The episode begins with AL following Rory around the brewery while he expertly explains the process in how Woo...

AL speaks to Olivia from Hive Shrewsbury. A wonderful place that has creativity at its heart. The Hive is a place where people can go to use creativity as a healthy way to escape, learn and grow. With over a decade of experience in helping young people through the medium of music, production skills and many other forms of art. The Hive really does have an excellent reputation within the Shrewsbury...