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  • Hello You 166: 'If you can be nice to people in life, be nice to people'

    Hello You 166: 'If you can be nice to people in life, be nice to people'
    2026/07/05

    Welcome to the inside of my head …

    I don’t want to be part of anything where other human beings are called ‘scum’

    … and I nearly was, on Saturday.

    Instead, I went to a favourite Shrewsbury café for a lemonade, and had something of a rant into the Hello You recorder.

    ‘One life, enjoy it while you’re here’

    Then I sat on a bench in the Square in Shrewsbury and recorded some lovely, uplifting conversations with random people who happened to sit next to me.

    Hear all about what happened on this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast!

    Also in this episode:

    • what are you worth in beer?

    • staying positive when bad things happen

    • the Big Pool at Snailbeach

    • cyclists racing to the Oxfam shop

    • taking a random crash trip

    • the loneliness of the Sunday-league referee

    • do pigeons know that their heads go back and forth?

    … and lots more intelligent, informed, progressive and quirky conversation for and about Shropshire and the wider world.
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    1 時間 13 分
  • Hello You 165: Subscriptions and Stoke Heath

    Hello You 165: Subscriptions and Stoke Heath
    2026/07/02

    A better deal for Hello You the Shropshire podcast subscribers

    Hats off to the Shropshire Star (no, really)

    Stoking unrest in Stoke Heath

    Join us to show love, not hate

    Recording on a bench in Shrewsbury this weekend!

    Go to jimallthetime.substack.com
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    16 分
  • Hello You 164: 'It's the little seeds throughout your life …'

    Hello You 164: 'It's the little seeds throughout your life …'
    2026/06/29

    Have you ever explored the Victorian cemetery in Shrewsbury? Do you even know where it is?

    I went to the recent Open Day at the cemetery, organised by Friends of Shrewsbury Cemeteries and the excellent national burial grounds charity Caring for God’s Acre. When I posted some pictures on social media I had lots of comments from people who’d lived in Shrewsbury for years, even decades, and had no idea the Victorian cemetery existed, where it was or what and who could be found there.

    Yet it’s the final resting place of sixty-eight thousand former Shropshire residents, some of whom led remarkable lives and whose stories can now be told.

    In this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast you’ll hear about just a few of those sixty-eight thousand people. Their stories are told by passionate Shrewsbury volunteers who have been caring for their graves and researching their histories. And if you’re in Coton Hill, Crowmere Road or King Street, Shrewsbury, you might find out something about someone who used to live in your home!
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    1 時間 7 分
  • Hello You 163: 'Can you sponsor my mid-life crisis?'

    Hello You 163: 'Can you sponsor my mid-life crisis?'
    2026/06/01
    Every so often, I take myself off to sit on a bench somewhere in Shropshire, and record conversations with whomsoever happens to sit on the bench with me.On Whit Sunday (the Sunday of the last bank holiday weekend) I went to Haughmond Hill, a fascinating and beautiful place managed by Forestry England. There are about a dozen picnic benches arranged under conifer trees outside the delightful Haughmond Hill Café. On these benches walkers, cyclists, dog-parents, families, and outdoors enthusiasts sit and rest after exploring the hill, or prepare themselves for exploring. Some of these people stopped to talk with me, and you can hear what they have to say in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast. If you enjoy it, why not share it with a friend, wherever they might be in the world? Ian, David, Heather and Pat are 'missionaries’ from Yorkshire! They’d been to a concert at Shrewsbury Abbey the previous evening. Ian and Pat are happily settled in Shropshire, David and Heather come down to visit, and to explore pubs that Ian can’t remember having been to (but often he has!). Lily’s a barista at Haughmond Hill Café. She loves her job, and she loves the saxophone … but she doesn’t play it! What’s it like, being a barista? Find out why this qualified zoologist jumped at the chance of working on Haughmond Hill in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast! Liz Townsley (second from left in the above photograph, with her support crew) is about to set off on a charity bike ride from London to Paris, raising money for Cure Leukaemia. It’s a 500-kilometre ride, and Liz only started training for it in February! She’s had the support of friends from Shrewsbury she’s met while dog-walking; that’s them in the picture.Hear Liz’s ‘Couch to 500k’ story in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast … and ‘sponsor her mid-life crisis’ here on Justgiving! If you enjoy this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast, why not tell a friend about it? Mention it in conversation at work, on the bus, in the pub, on Facebook or WhatsApp, in your café of choice, place of worship, whilst on your parkrun … Voices you wouldn’t otherwise hear, and people you wouldn’t otherwise meetPart of the aim of Hello You the Shropshire podcast has always been to enable you to hear the voices and stories of people that you’d never hear were it not for Hello You. How well do you think I’m achieving that aim? And what did you enjoy (or not) about this episode?Let me know in the comments? And if you enjoy Hello You, then I’m pretty damn certain you know other people who’ll enjoy it too. They might be in Shropshire, they might not be, and it really doesn’t matter. Perhaps they’re friends or colleagues. Maybe it’s a family member. Or you could be part of a WhatsApp group of like-minded people who’ll get what this is all about.Whoever they are and wherever they are, why not share this episode with them?Thanks to Forestry England for their help with this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast.Where else should I sit myself on a bench?Think about the places you’re familiar with. They might be everyday locations, or somewhere that’s special to you. They could be bustling with people, quiet on weekdays but thronging on weekends, or frequented by a select but fascinating few.Where could I sit myself down for a couple of hours, on a bench or at a table, and stand a chance of chatting with some people I might never otherwise meet?Tell me where you have in mind? I’m compiling a list of ‘bench’ recording locations to visit over the next few months, and I’d love to add your suggestion to my list. Let me know in the comments!
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    54 分
  • Hello You 162: A Sunday afternoon in the park in stereo

    Hello You 162: A Sunday afternoon in the park in stereo
    2026/05/12

    Sunshine, families, picnics, dogs, a regatta, a brass band and more in a soundscape recorded in Shrewsbury's Quarry (Park!)

    It’s been a while since I published a ‘soundscape’ episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast. Sunday afternoon, though, presented the perfect opportunity to record one.

    The afternoon was sunny, if not quite as warm as it at first looked. It was the perfect time to go to the park, in this case the Quarry (Park) in Shrewsbury.

    There was plenty going on there. Shrewsbury Regatta was taking place on the River Severn, based at the Pengwern Boat Club, and the Wellington Telford Brass Band was playing on the Quarry Bandstand. People in all sorts of combinations, with children and dogs, buggies and bikes, picnics and blankets strolled or sat on the grass enjoying the day.

    I went to the Quarry (Park!) because Shrewsbury Town Council is working on a Conservation Management Plan for it, and also to tell you about Shrewsbury Moves and my new e-bike!

    Most episodes of Hello You the Shropshire podcast involve me in conversation with people; people with personal stories to tell, with thoughts to share, with ideas to discuss.

    Sometimes, though, I just go somewhere and listen to it.

    I record the sound of a place in Shropshire and invite you to join me there, just by slipping in your earbuds.

    As Hello You 161 was the first ‘bench’ episode of 2026, this is the year’s first ‘soundscape’ episode. The recording starts at about 2:20pm and concludes around 3:40pm on Sunday May 10th, 2026. If you know someone else who’d enjoy this episode, share it with them?

    Where in Shropshire would you like to listen to?

    It could be outdoors or indoors, a public place or a private one, somewhere really busy or a spot that’s pretty much deserted. There might be loads going on, an event or a special occasion. Or there might be apparently nothing happening at all!

    Send me a message and tell me where I could capture a soundscape this summer!
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    22 分
  • Hello You 161: With the bikers at Montford Bridge

    Hello You 161: With the bikers at Montford Bridge
    2026/05/03

    'You can't have a bad time in the biking community'

    It’s the first Bench episode of 2026!

    ‘It’s just the nicest feeling in the world’

    Every Tuesday evening during British Summer Time dozens, often hundreds of bikers descend on the picnic area around the Montford Bridge Café, just off the A5, for tea and coffee, burgers and chips but mostly just to hang out and chat.

    This struck me as a great opportunity to record a ‘Bench’ episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast, and Amanda Mullins of Shropshire and Powys Advanced Riders had the same idea.

    So last Tuesday I went along. In this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast you can hear what happened.

    I met some wonderful people, learned about great ideas like Motorbiker Acts of Random Kindness’ brilliant Bike and Brew Passport, felt the warmth of the welcome from the biking community and heard some fantastic stories about what biking means and has done for people.

    ‘The freedom and self-belief from it has been phenomenal … I can be me’

    Whether you’re astride a bike or not, I can definitely recommend a Tuesday evening at the Montford Bridge Café!

    Where else could I sit on a bench and talk to people?

    If you know of a bench where there are plenty of people around, let me know?

    It could be in a town centre in Shropshire or one of our villages. It might be at an event, as in this episode. It could even be a ‘virtual bench’ somewhere, as long as there are folk for me to chat with and listen to.

    Message me your bench suggestion and I’ll put it on the list!

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    58 分
  • Hello You 160: There is everything to look forward to

    Hello You 160: There is everything to look forward to
    2026/04/27

    ‘It really is as though one person is speaking directly to you, saying it’s going to be all right’

    Formerly the Emergency Poet, offering poetry on prescription from her vintage ambulance, Deb Alma is now best known as co-founder of the world’s first walk-in Poetry Pharmacy, based in Bishop’s Castle here in Shropshire.

    In this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast, Deborah Alma talks about how poetry can help us, and tells her remarkable story which encompasses using poetry with people with dementia, in hospice care, with women’s groups and with children in schools, right up to opening Poetry Pharmacy branches in York and on London’s Oxford Street!
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    39 分
  • Hello You 159: 'It's MASSIVE to be able to help people’

    Hello You 159: 'It's MASSIVE to be able to help people’
    2026/04/12

    ‘There’s something inside you that’s never broken’

    Sarah-Charlotte Peace has been through a lot.

    And I do mean, a lot. In this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast, she explains how her experiences have fed into her work as Peaceful Warrior Wellbeing.

    I recorded part of this episode stretched out on the floor of the meeting room in Oswestry Library! Hey, I’ll go where I need to go and do what I need to do …
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    31 分