Sunflowers and Beer

Andy and Steffi Barnett are in the studio for this week's show, with a powerful conversation at its heart. Ez speaks to Loo Fletcher, founder of the Suicide Prevention Collective, about their new Sunflower Hub at Windmill Hill City Farm — a warm, living room-style space open every other Friday where people can just pause, have a hot drink, access confidential support, and feel less alone. They're planting 200 sunflowers in the garden as a therapeutic space, and the conversation touches on post-traumatic growth, the loneliness epidemic, and why prevention matters as much as crisis response.Later, Andy catches up with Paul Stoodley from The Queen Shilling about Queer Beer — a brand new session pale ale (3.4%) brewed specially by Good Chemistry Brewing in Old Market. Paul opens up about his own journey with the word "queer," having grown up in an era when it was used as a slur, and how younger generations reclaiming it helped shift his perspective. The beer launches the night before Bristol Pride, with 10p from every sale going to the festival — and it's vegan, light, and refreshing to boot.Terry is in with the news, including an NHS Trust continuing to allow trans patients to use facilities matching their gender identity despite a Supreme Court ruling, colonial-era homophobic laws in Trinidad and Tobago, and a delightfully queer revelation about the genderless nature of Minions.The show rounds out with chat about the EHRC's 40-day consultation period ending with no government action, the UK slipping from 2nd to 22nd in European LGBTQ+ rankings, and a big reminder that ShoutOut will be live from Bristol Pride on Saturday 11th July from 10am on BCfm 93.2, Bath Sound DAB, and shoutoutradio.lgbt. Whether you're on the Downs or tuning in from home, they're bringing the best of Pride to you.