Coming to you from The Bricklayers Arms in Copthorne, Shrewsbury, this week's episode features the one and only Tat Effby aka The Caketoonist.

With over 400k followers on TikTok, Tat really is one of of Shrewsbury's brightest stars. Incorporating baking, witty humour and a natural ability to draw in the audience Tat is awesome, you guys will love her.

Tat has a new book coming out on the 12th March called Bake your Sweet Time. You can pre order your copy HERE You will want a copy too as this book is stunning. Alex was thumbing through it as he spoke to Tat and it truly is one of the most beautiful books he'd seen.

Tat is incredible and this interview is a lot of fun. If you don't already, give The Caketoonist a follow on TikTok, Instagram or Facebook.

Intro/outro music: Talk by Ease The Artist

After 5 long years, Rachel Evans aka Spirograph Girl returns to The Shrewsbury Biscuit Podcast. In this time, Rachel has been working on massive works of art that have captured the hearts and imaginations of many. Rachel talks about staying focused while working with ADHD, and how the soothing effects of spirographing help her do her thing.

There is also an exciting development happening between Rachel and the family of Spirograph inventor Denys Fisher, who passed away in 2002. An investigative search for Spirograph's Grandad's family has turned up some surprising results.

This is a fun, free-flowing chat that has sparked a creative flow that could have a lasting impact on The Biscuit. Watch this space.

Learn more about Spirograph Girl here - https://sites.google.com/view/spirographgirl/

Intro/outro music: Talk by Ease the Artist.

This week’s episode comes to you from the Soldiers of Shropshire Museum inside Shrewsbury Castle, and it’s a big one. The Traitors is coming to Shrewsbury… well, a very close cousin anyway. Traitors at the Castle is a brand new immersive event set in 1940s Great Britain.

Alex Whiteley is joined by event organiser Nick Trevor and Richard Gough from the museum for a spoiler-free chat all about the event, how it works, what people can expect, and why hosting something of this scale is such a big deal for the museum and the castle.

It’s also a bit of a call to arms for anyone who wants to collaborate, get involved, or help put Shrewsbury Castle and the brilliant Soldiers of Shropshire Museum firmly on the map.

Tickets are selling fast:

https://www.soldiersofshropshire.co.uk/traitors-at-the-castle/

P.S. I’ll be there on the night… so be on your guard.

Intro/Outro music: Talk by Ease The Artist

This week’s episode of The Shrewsbury Podcast comes to you from Oswestry Library. Oswestry?! Yes, Oswestry. I’m there because of an idea that’s so simply brilliant, I had to get a mic on it.

I’m speaking to Lizzie Dibble about the shared wardrobe based inside Oswestry Library. Called With Love From, it’s a beautifully simple concept: borrow occasion-wear using your Shropshire Library card, wear it, then return it once it’s been laundered.

Cool, right? But this idea goes far beyond a fun community project. Lizzie talks about the environmental impact of mass-produced, fast-fashion clothing and how With Love From gives items sitting at the back of wardrobes a brand-new lease of life.

Towards the end of the episode, you’ll also hear from Oswestry Library’s Operations and Development Manager, Siobhan Shaw, who discusses the constant changes and challenges facing a modern, evolving library.

Find out more about With Love From here:

https://www.withlovefrom.org.uk/

Intro/Outro music: Talk by Ease The Artist

Alex Whiteley is joined on The Shrewsbury Biscuit Podcast today by Alice Nester who is on the show to talk about her journey through the discovery, treatment and recovery of a brain tumour.

This is a story of a girl who went through hell and back, yet here she is sharing it all in it's candid and real form. Alice doesn't hold anything back in her telling of her story in order to let the listener know exactly what she went through.

Alice is a star and this podcast episode was designed only with awareness in mind. If you need help while going through your own journey with similar health problems here are some handy links for you:

The Brain Tumour Charity: https://www.thebraintumourcharity.org/

Lingen Davies: https://www.lingendavies.co.uk/

Shropshire Mental Health Support: https://www.shropshiremhs.com/

Thank you Alice for sharing your story. Hopefully this episode helps raise awareness the way you want it to. We will be back for part II.

Intro/Outro music: Talk by Ease the Artist

Today’s episode features long-time friend of the show, producer Luke Allen, who turns up with a mystery guest. Alex had no idea who was coming or where the conversation was heading.

That guest is Merryn Rae Peachey, an experienced script supervisor from the world of TV and film. Merryn joins Luke to talk openly about her decision to step away from the industry, and why meaningful change around inclusion still feels a long way off.

With movements like #MeToo bringing promised reforms around safety and fairness, the question remains: are these changes truly being implemented, or are they just industry optics? Luke and Merryn dig into the realities of working on set, the changes they’d like to see, and what true inclusivity should actually look like.

Merryn has since written a powerful parting piece titled Leaving the Dream, reflecting on her exit from the industry, which you can read on her Substack.

Big thanks to Luke for bringing a great conversation, and to Merryn — always nice to make a new friend. That’s what this podcast game is all about.

Intro/outro music: Talk by Ease the Artist

Join Alex Whiteley as he comes to you from Exotic Zoo in Telford, broadcasting from what will soon be their brand new palaeontology lab. Alex sits down with newly appointed palaeontologist Tom Moncrieffe to dive headfirst into the world of dinosaurs, mass extinctions and… trees?!

Yes, trees. Alongside big talk of extinction events, fossils and how we piece together Earth’s past, the conversation takes some wonderfully unexpected turns — including spiders the size of cars (slight Alex exaggeration) and how everything around us connects to the bones that will soon be studied in the very room this episode was recorded in.

We may not have time machines, but experts like Tom help bring the prehistoric world to life through decades of research, evidence and theory. And the best bit? When this lab opens, you’ll be able to get hands-on yourself at Exotic Zoo’s Young Palaeontologist Fossil Experience.

This ongoing creative partnership with Exotic Zoo is just getting started, and the possibilities are huge. Let us know what you’d like us to explore next.

Alex Whiteley welcomes back a good friend of the show, Hans Donner — a skydiving, base-jumping badass from Shropshire.

A lot can happen in 18 months (or however long it’s been since Hans last joined Alex), and this guy has been up to some pretty incredible adventures. Not only does Hans live an extraordinary life involving jumps out of planes and backflips off bridges dressed as Spider-Man, he also gets invited on some very cool trips.

Most recently, Hans took part in a skydiving expedition over Mount Everest, which in itself is a pretty great story to tell.

It’s always great catching up with Hans — he always has the best stories — and we’ll be doing part three in the new year, hopefully from an airfield.

Note: This episode was edited on a new laptop with a higher processing rate, so my outro music file got corrupted and I was away from the original source. No outro music… but maybe that’s a sign, eh?