The Shrewsbury Biscuit Podcast

Today AL and Shane are joined by Amanda Jones from The Shrewsbury Flower Show. Of course this year, the main show was cancelled due to lock-down. But that hasn't stopped Amanda from being determined to bring the Shrewsbury Flower Show to people's homes. They are planning a fantastic Virtual Flower Show that will be accessible to all on the 14th and 15th of August, not only that, there is still tim...

The one thing people have been asking for is an episode about Alex and the story behind The Shrewsbury Biscuit. So Shane, Deedee and special guest Tom Bruno (who is a long time co-host of AL's, from America) all sit down and interview Alex as a guest! This episode has been a long time coming so Shane, Dee and Tom make the most out of the occasion by discussing where the idea for The Biscuit came f...

Alex speaks to Anna and Scott Bowler from the Shropshire Virtual Show. The 22nd of August will be an amazing day of entertainment that is being put together from participants all over Shropshire that will be accessible online. From celebrity chefs to local music, horse jumping and even a virtual open garden event, this show looks to be a real spectacle. In a bid to raise money for 5 local charitie...

This Crumb is a collection of interviews that were gathered by AL while he was at the Shropshire Drive in Festival's Circus weekend. We wanted to look at this event from the perspective of the people working, the families that were watching and the businesses that offered fantastic services throughout. AL speaks to the DJ who warmed up the crowds before the main event, Polly's Ice Cream Parlour, K...

You may have walked past the guy that hires canoes in The Quarry before, you may have even hired one off him. Well here is his story. Alex speaks to Nigel, a man who has many years of adventure training under his belt. We discuss his years of progressing from learning how to stay alive himself on the waters and then him training others too. What kind of person does it take to be responsible for ot...

AL and Shane sit down and get to know Brendan James. Many of you will know of Brendan from his popular vlog that has taken Shrewsbury by storm recently. The vlog of him walking through Shrewsbury in the height of Covid-19 to test social distancing safety was a huge hit and that's where he caught our eye. We discuss the learning process of starting something like a vlog, the mannerisms that one has...

Alex and Deedee speak to Martha, a photographer with a huge following on social media. Focusing on the niche of equine photography, Martha is a super talented photographer who has a very respectable passion for what she does. With Dee being a horsey person too, the conversation ignites and we cover a few furlongs in this episode. From how to get a horse to perform for photos, the stereotyping of h...

AL and Deedee speak to Jessica from Vanitas Tattoo in the Parade. We have been dying to speak to Jessica for a long time but usually she is a busy bee. We find out about Jessica's fantastic journey from Italy to owning her own studio in Shrewsbury. We discuss the pressure behind getting it right when it comes to creating permanent piece of art on someone's body. Something that can very much be tak...

Cat Merrick joins us on The Biscuit again but in person this time. AL and Max find out how Cat has been getting on during Lockdown. We find out how her Yoga classes have been doing and what her plans are for when things loosen up a bit. We also talk about Max's recent Yoga journey and how its helped him in his day to day. We are mainly here to talk about Cat's other businesses though. As Lockdown...

Our Mayor Phil Gillam has not had the easiest year in his position, but he still had that charisma and charm that he always seems to have when AL spoke to him this week. When Phil was last fully featured on The Biscuit, he had just become Mayor and he was adjusting to the role. After what has been an extraordinarily turbulent 2020 we still had so many amazing highlights of Phil's year as Mayor to...

Once upon a time Alex set out on a quest to enter a short film competition that he had no right in entering. Not knowing anything about making short films he reached out to Gareth from Rocking Horse. Gareth turned out to be brilliant and helped Alex make a (slightly) less than mediocre film for the competition. Rocking Horse is a media production company based in Oswestry and after 12 months away,...

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...