This is our one-year anniversary episode of Assa Marra, and it is here to delight you because it’s a corker

An uplifting, joyful, laugh-out-loud conversation from start to finish. I give you nine-year-old Frankie McMillan.

In his short life so far, Frankie has already walked nearly 900 mountains, including some of the biggest and most iconic. He has travelled the world, reached Everest Base Camp, and somehow remains the most chirpy, curious, and grounded young human you could ever hope to meet.

Frankie is currently preparing for his 10 x 10 challenge, climbing the highest peak in ten European countries. Frankie moves the mountains and the mountains move Frankie.

As you are prepping your turkey, bicarbing your sprouts on Christmas Day, I humbly suggest you have Frankie playing in the background. His optimism is infectious, his energy irresistible, and the trajectory of his star feels inevitable.

Frankie receives voice messages from Bear Grylls. Of course he does.

He may well be among the greats one day, but for now we meet him right here, at the start. And alongside Frankie, this becomes a podcast within a podcast, as we also meet his wonderful mum, Basia McMillan, who has been on his shoulder and by his side every step of the way. Anyone who is a parent will understand what that takes, encouraging a child to reach full potential while quietly managing your own fear.

So here it is, our Christmas special.

Frankie McMillan.

And if you can, do donate to this stellar young chap's GiveStar page: https://givestar.io/gs/10-countries-10-highest-peaks-one-10-year-old

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Julieanne Mitchell. A West Cumbrian woman with an undeniable West Cumbrian voice. Speaking into a subject many people still tiptoe around or consigned to the 80s .

Julieanne Mitchell was diagnosed with HIV in her twenties, more than two decades ago. She was seriously unwell, and the diagnosis took so much longer because she did not match the profile.

Not the expected picture.

Not the stereotype.

And that tells you everything about how silence and assumptions still work.

But here she is candid, forthright and deeply human.

Speaking pragmatically yet sensitively about something most people think belongs to another decade. It does not.

Numbers are still growing. And most of us may have never knowingly spoken to anyone who is HIV positive.

That is why this episode goes out on World AIDS Day. Because the need for continued awareness is vital. Julieanne’s message is a country mile away from fear-laden adverts of the 80s that haunted us rather than informed us. Julieanne’s interview cuts through the awkwardness and fear - better still, it will leave you better informed and very endeared to this warm, honest and refreshingly honest woman.

We give you the courageous and supremely candid Julieanne Mitchell.

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Blimey, what a bright and articulate chap is Sonny Smith. One minute we are talking AI, the next minute he is unpacking lupus, then he is off reflecting on Marcus Aurelius or Notre-Dame. It surprises you in the best way. He’s a humble chap with a powerful intellect who thinks deeply because life pushed him that way.

Sonny is Harrington born and bred. A West Cumbrian with a hidden illness that has shaped more of his life than anyone would guess at first glance. Lupus is no small thing. It is unpredictable and unforgiving, and it meant COVID was a real threat. So while Rishi was dishing out his Eat Out enticements and everyone was piling back into the noise, Sonny stayed inside. Same view. Same chair. Same caution. Not because he was nervous. Because he had to be.

That long stretch of quiet did something to him. It slowed him down in a way he never asked for, but it opened something too. He read. He wrote. He thought his way through days that felt stuck. Out of that came Where the Light Comes In, a book that feels like someone thinking out loud and refusing to pretend everything is tidy.

And now he is turning that lived reality into his doctorate. He is trying to crack how AI enhanced telehealth might actually work for West Cumbria. Not on paper. In real homes. In places with patchy signal. In families who cannot drive miles for a short appointment.

And here is the thing. Sonny has a depth that arrived early, but he is still young. He wants what any young lad wants. That mix makes him compelling. You feel the old soul and the young man at the same time. Yours brains going to get a Reet good workout Marra

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Hear ye, Hear ye marra!

Our next guest Marc Goodwin is a Tigger not an Eeyore. He is the Town Crier, the beautiful collision of theatre and tradition. He is also a ninja natural connector who is blindingly brilliant at pulling people together. West Cumbria feels brighter more hope filled when he is about. This fine fella is warm, funny, thoroughly decent, and the role in his hands becomes something bigger, the true embodiment of centuries of tradition with a hint of mischief.

Marc is about to step on stage as King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar. Let me say it plainly, he is as far from a despot as you can imagine. If Herod had Marc’s heart, we would be telling a different story.

This conversation is about family and love. It also touches the tender place of grief, as Marc speaks with care about losing his mum.

Settle in Marra. This one feels very close to home.

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Emma Williamson lived through a childhood witnessing domestic violence, chaos, and addiction. When the challenges came, they weren’t small ones — and it’s true to say, when it’s bad anywhere else, it’s extra bad in West Cumbria. The experience is amplified. When it’s dark here, it’s dark. When it’s light, it’s light.

For every ounce of darkness Emma endured, she’s channelled it back tenfold into light. From her own addiction struggles to that solitary moment where she chose radical change, she has turned pain into power. From not being able to put a full stop in a sentence, to earning a master’s degree, she’s taken bitter beginnings and transformed them into a force for good.

Now, she pours that resilience into making a difference for young people in the care system — living proof that no matter how dark it gets, light can return, and when it does, it shines brighter than ever.

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Rachel Holliday – Firestarter, Problem-Solver, Community Builder

By 20, Rachel Holliday had crammed in more than most people manage in a lifetime – the rough, the raw, and the downright chaotic. Sofa-surfing. Addicted. Homeless. The kind of life that could have gone one way and stayed there.

But Rachel doesn’t do standing still. Motherhood lit the fuse. Family backed her all the way. She’s blasted out of that old life and now she’s pulling others with her – running Calderwood House in Egremont, turning rock bottoms into fresh starts.

She’s unstoppable, unmissable, impossible to ignore – a ball of charisma and drive, whirling through your Spotify feed with a story that’ll have you hooked from the first word.

https://www.ttcwestcumbria.org/donate/

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Originally from the North East, Christine Smeaton made West Cumbria her home at 21. But it wasn’t until her late 60s — facing homelessness and uncertainty — that her most extraordinary chapter began.

When Christine walked through the doors of Calderwood House in Egremont, she wasn’t just seeking shelter. She was choosing a new life.

Now in her late 70s, she’s a self-taught musician, playing multiple instruments, helping refugees, and serving as a trustee for a local charity. Her faith runs deep. Her presence is calm. And her story is a masterclass in courage, reinvention, and hope.

🎙️ This is a story of starting over, standing tall, and shining brightly — no matter what age you are.

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Episode 13 brings us Dianne Richardson – raised in Mirehouse, West Cumbria, a place lacking polish and sophistication but deep in community spirit. Her career path is eclectic - swearing never to work in nuclear Dianne has ventured through many careers - but nothing is wasted - everything repurposed.

West Cumbria once rang with industry – from Marchon’s chemical works to Kangol’s iconic headwear, and the coal mines that powered a nation. But as those employers disappeared, they took thousands of jobs with them. Today, one major employer remains: Sellafield. It supports livelihoods, but it also dominates the landscape.

That’s where Dianne steps in. As CEO of BECBC, she brings together the businesses that orbit the nuclear sector – helping them connect, collaborate, and build a more balanced future.

Dianne’s never been driven by status. Her fuel has been denied value – hers and others’ – and a deep belief in giving back and seeing your neighbour right.

This episode follows her husband, Gerard Richardson, in Episode 12 – a love story in two parts, with the elemental majesty of the West Cumbria as its backdrop .

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