Hazel and Lydia are joined by award winning author and journalist Ali Sparkes. Ali has had a fascinating career spanning print media, BBC radio and magazine editing, marketing, events, training and PR, before moving into children’s fiction writing. She has now written an incredible 63 books, published by Oxford, Scholastic, HarperCollins, Franklin Watts and Stairwell Books.

The National Year of Reading is the biggest campaign in a generation designed to help more people (re)discover the joy of reading and make it part of their everyday lives. The campaign is not about putting away your devices. The National Literacy Trust don’t mind what or how people read. Today’s readers engage with stories and information across multiple platforms, from printed books to audio books, digital magazines to graphic novels.

Every kind of reading counts, even listening to Podcasts!

National Year of Reading: National Year of Reading 2026 | National Literacy Trust

Ali Sparkes: Ali Sparkes - Children's author of the popular Shapeshifter series of books

In this episode, Molly, Hazel and Noah are curious about addiction and recovery in one of our most vulnerable and honest conversations to date.

They are joined by Harry, who is now 3 years clean from drugs and alcohol. He speaks of journey, including how he lost his dream job and had to rebuild his life after 10 years of addiction.

We would like to say a special thank you to The Gregson Foundation for sponsoring this episode, Express FM for hosting us, #BeeWell for statstics as well as The Council for Social Responsibility for arranging this episode.

Please note, these episodes may contain topics which some listeners may find challenging. If you are affected by anything which is spoken about, please speak to a trusted adult.

You can find further information and resources on: https://www.youngminds.org.uk/profess...

If you are a professional, business or organisation who would like to support this project, please access the CSR website for contact information: www.csrnet.org.uk

In this episode, Binit, Lydia and Hayley are discussing all things Sex Education, including topics such as misogyny, porn and staying safe online.

They are joined by Jo, a multi-award-winning educator, speaker, author, and consultant. She has spent 15 years in education, including a decade leading Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and in 2024, Jo published Empowering Relationships and Sex Education: A Practical Guide for Secondary School Teachers. Alongside her consultancy work, Jo continues to speak publicly on issues including misogyny, consent, pornography, online harms, and violence against women and girls.

We would like to say a special thank you to The Gregson Foundation for sponsoring this episode, Express FM for hosting and #BeeWell for supporting this episode.

Please note, these episodes may contain topics which some listeners may find challenging. If you are affected by anything which is spoken about, please speak to a trusted adult. You can find further information and resources on Young Minds: https://www.youngminds.org.uk/young-person/coping-with-life/sex-and-consent/

If you are a professional, business or organisation who would like to support this project, please access the CSR website for contact information: www.csrnet.org.uk