Hello You - the Shropshire podcast with Jim Hawkins

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit jimallthetime.substack.comA Sunday soundscape in vivid stereoIt’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 Shre…

It’s the first Bench episode of 2026!Here’s something I started doing on the radio about twenty years ago, and I’ve carried on as part of Hello You the Shropshire podcast.It’s a very simple idea: I sit on a bench, somewhere in Shropshire, and talk with whoever sits on the bench with me.‘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! I’ll be returning later in the summer to record another ‘Bench’ session, and I’ll be back just for fun sometime soon … not least because I owe Shirley £10 for my Bike and Brew Passport!What do you think of this episode of Hello You?Join in the conversation in the comments: And if you enjoy this podcast, share it with your friends! 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! Intelligent, informed, progressive, quirky conversation… for and about Shropshire and the wider world.That’s what I aim to deliver on Hello You the Shropshire podcast. It’s not limited to Shropshire! There are listeners and subscribers not just all over the UK, but all over the world. People like you, who care about and are interested other people.Why not become a member of the Hello You family?Click this button to subscribe, either for free or, to support progressive local public-service audio journalism, take out a paid subscription: Thank you for being thereI’m really grateful to you for taking an interest in my work. If you like it, you’ll know other people who’d like it too, so share it with them? Take care of yourselfThese are challenging times, and we need to look out for one another.Take care of the people around you, and I hope they are taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘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!Join in the conversation in the comments: Mentioned in this episode:Poetry Prescriptions by Deborah AlmaDeborah Alma’s poetry and anthologies on Bookshop‘Staying Alive’, an anthology of five hundred poems from around the world edited by Neil Astley‘In Blackwater woods’, by Mary J. Oliver‘Arrival’, by R.S. ThomasIf you enjoy this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast, you probably know someone else who’d like it just as much. Why not hit this button and share it with them right now? A beano, a boogie or a bunfight in Bishop’s Castle?The small town of Bishop’s Castle is a very Hello You type of place. It’s where Deb Alma established her Poetry Pharmacy, and she says it’s ‘full of people who have opted out of the general way of things’.It’s got a very special vibe, one that I think fits with the Hello You ethos. Hence my suggestion, in this episode, that maybe we could get together there?Would you be interested in meeting up and hanging out with other listeners to Hello You the Shropshire podcast? And if so, would Bishop’s Castle be a good place to do it?Send me a message to tell me what you think. Are you up for this? While you’re thinking about it, here’s some Bishop’s Castle info to tempt you, maybe:Visit Shropshire: Bishop’s CastleBishop’s Castle and BeyondVisit Shropshire Hills: Bishop’s Castle Stuff. And thingsThat’s what Hello You is about. People’s stories, largely. And the occasional rant or brain-dump from me (e.g. the first few minutes of this episode!).Or if you prefer, it’s intelligent, informed, progressive and often quirky conversation, for and about Shropshire and the wider world.I’ll include one of those two descriptions in my ‘supporting material’ with the podcast award entries I’m contemplating, if I get my s**t together enough to actually enter the awards. As you’ll hear in this episode, I’m as yet undecided, and the clock is ticking.Anyway, whichever description works for you - ‘Stuff and Things’ or ‘Intelligent, informed yadda yadda’ - I hope you like what I do. Want to hear more? Splendid! There are more than a hundred and fifty previous episodes to check out! I hope you’ll also subscribe, so you don’t miss any future Hello Yous. It’s free to subscribe! Should you feel led by whichever spirit populates your belief system to take out a paid subscription, though, I will be profoundly grateful. Also, you’ll get some paid-tier-only audio (as soon as I’ve recorded some more of it).Click the hell out of this button: Please also click the hell out of any ‘Like’ or heart-shaped buttons you see around Hello You, whether it’s here on Substack, on Apple, Google or Spotify Podcasts (hit ‘follow’ on Spotify too? and if your friends are big Spotify users, send them the link).Thank you for being a member of the Hello You familyI can’t tell you how much it means to me that you even check out what I do. Even though we’re spread all over the world, we are a family. We care for each other. You’re welcome around the Hello You virtual kitchen table anytime.Please take care of yourself. Take care of the people around you … and I hope the people around you are taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘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, Sarah-Charlotte tells her story and explains how her experiences have fed into her work as Peaceful Warrior Wellbeing.Join in the conversation about this episode in the comments: ‘They’re looking for peace, and it’s my role to help them’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 … ‘We’re not shielding, we’re empowering’That’s what I try to do with Hello You the Shropshire podcast, too. Not shielding, but empowering.Please share this episode of Hello You with anyone you think will find it interesting: If Hello You could help empower you, please get in touchMaybe you’re involved in something that’s important to you, and more people need to know about it. Perhaps telling your story or raising an issue will empower you to cross the next bridge towards where you want to be.Or you have an idea for how Hello You the Shropshire podcast could help you and others towards something you’ve been dreaming about or planning for ages.Even if you simply just want to get in touch and say hello, send me a message and let’s see where we go from there: We can support each other in the Hello You familyLike any family, you can get as involved in its goings-on as you’re comfortable with. The first simple step, though, is to subscribe. Click here to find out all about it: Thank you …… for being there. It means a lot.I’d love it if you could drop Hello You the Shropshire podcast into conversation with your friends, family, co-workers, WhatsApp chat group members or whoever at some point over the next few days. They don’t have to be in Shropshire! Some of Hello You’s most frequent listeners live in other countries, let alone other counties.Send them to the main Substack page jimallthetime.substack.com? I hope they like it!Please take care of yourselfPlease also take care of the people around you. If you don’t, maybe no-one else will …And I hope the people around you are taking good care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘It does stretch …’‘Anthrax biscuits’, buses, life after breast cancer and craftivism in action with Jane Hickman from south Shropshire. Also: subversive samplers, village life in All Stretton, and Satan’s sandwich spread, all in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast.Find more about Jane and her work at Gardening Witch Designs, on Facebook and at her Etsy shop too. If you knit, crochet, sew, and/or want to shake up the world, please share this episode with fellow enthusiasts and like-minded others? Revolution, or ritual? Protest, or performance?Have you been in London this weekend? I know quite a few people who travelled down to take part in the Together Alliance march.Such protests serve a psychological function, but do they actually change anything?In this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast, I share my thoughts on this powerful, provocative article by Dr Stacey Patton. Dr Patton says ‘what feels like resistance might actually be obedience in a different outfit’.Now it’s your turnWhat did Jane say that struck a chord with you? Do you agree with Dr Stacey Patton about protests? Join in the discussion in the comments: What’s on your mind?Maybe you have a story to tell or thoughts to share on Hello You the Shropshire podcast. Perhaps there’s a topic that’s not being talked about as much as you think it should. Let me know: Join the Hello You familyAs you enjoy intelligent, informed, progressive and slightly quirky conversation, for and about Shropshire and the wider world, then please subscribe to get more! And open the door for others?Who else would enjoy Hello You the Shropshire podcast? They don’t have to be in Shropshire; people listen to Hello You all over the world.And I’m sure this is up the street of someone you know. It might be someone you work with. A member of your family. Your other half, someone in your faith community or friendship circle, even a whole bunch of people in your WhatsApp chats.Why not share Hello You with a friend? I’m sure it’ll give the two of you plenty to talk about: Thank you for being therePlease take care of yourself in these difficult times. Take care of the people around you … and I hope the people around you are taking care of you, too. Remember:Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘There’s a sewage release into the wild every thirty seconds’Have you seen Dirty Business on Channel 4?It’s a real-life drama about local people investigating a water pollution scandal affecting their local river, and challenging the people in charge over their greed and negligence.Here in Shropshire, the campaign group Up Sewage Creek is doing something similar with regard to the River Severn. Next weekend, Up Sewage Creek will be taking part in a procession through Shrewsbury to mark World Water Day. You can hear about their campaigns and what’s happening next Sunday in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast.What are your thoughts on this episode of Hello You?Join in the conversation in the comments: Also mentioned in this episode:The Shropshire Welcomes group on FacebookThe wonderful Portland Frog BrigadeI’d love to hear from youMaybe this is the first time you’ve listened to Hello You the Shropshire podcast. Perhaps you’ve got a story or some thoughts to share, that could make a future episode of Hello You. Or you just want to say hi. Send me a message? Your friends, family and colleagues would love to hear from you tooWhen you find something great, naturally you want to share it with others.And if you like informed, intelligent, progressive conversation for and about Shropshire and the wider world, you know other people who’d like it just as much.Share Hello You the Shropshire podcast with them with just one click: Thank you for being thereWhy not join the Hello You family by subscribing? I’ll have another episode of the podcast for you very soon. If you subscribe (it’s free! or you can pay if you like, I’d be very grateful) you’ll get an email when the next Hello You drops.In the meantime, take care of yourself. Take care of the people around you. And I hope the people around you are taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘We are not doing a very good job of meeting our young people where they are’(cw: includes references to suicide)Alongside their work as a brand designer, Shropshire-based G Sabini-Roberts has been part of a team delivering LGBTQ+ inclusion training to schools, corporate clients, networking groups, the public sector and more for a long time. As they say, ‘a lot of us in marginalised communities, we’re doing activism all of the time’!That’s led them to set up Rainbow Wise, which delivers essential training to everyone who needs it in easily-assimilated bite-size chunks.In this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast, G explains how Rainbow Wise came about. Why not share the episode with people you know who’ll be interested? We also discussed when a women’s group is not a women’s group, the Women’s Institute (here’s the press release G mentions) and Girlguiding. why you wouldn’t want your kid to be trans in the UK right now … and how getting ticked-off at meetings and conferences led to the launch of the marvellous Ticked Off Tees! What do you think of G’s comments in this episode?Join in the conversation in the comments:… or send me a message, about anything at all: ‘Most people are good humans who want to do the right thing’If you agree with the above statement, then you’re a natural fit with the Hello You family. Why not confirm your membership by taking out a subscription to Hello You the Shropshire podcast? And if you, like me, believe that most people are mostly good, most of the time, then you’re bound to know others who feel the same way. You may live with them, work with them, talk to them on social media, meet them in the café or down the pub. So why not share Hello You with them? If you like it, then so will they! Thank you for being therePlease take care of yourself. Take care of the people around you. And I hope those people are taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

Where to go when the world feels wobblyWouldn’t it be great if there was somewhere you could go, to talk about ‘the big stuff’: hope and heart, courage and community, and how we can try to find a way through everything that’s happening around and to us? Jen Deacon is involved in activities at Shrewsbury’s Unitarian Church. For the next few weeks on Tuesday evenings Jen will be leading Meanderings, a chance for those of us wanting to find how to be and support the good in the world to talk about how that might be done. Jen tells me about Meanderings, and the Wednesday Lunchtime Meditations that she also facilitates, in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast.Hello, new subscribers!There was a lot of reaction to Hello You 154, the interview with Cllr Alex Wagner, the LibDem deputy leader of Shropshire Council and Mayor of Shrewsbury. If you live in Shropshire, there’ll be something in our conversation that connects with your life. And if you’re interested in the challenges and machinations of local government, there’s plenty in there to keep you thinking. I’m thrilled to say that lots of people subscribed to Hello You the Shropshire podcast as a result of the last episode, either before it went out to make sure they didn’t miss it, or once they’d listened to it. If you’re one of them: thank you so much! I’m very grateful that you support intelligent local public-service audio journalism. I couldn’t do this without you.If you’re not yet a subscriber, then hit this button and join the Hello You family: And if you like what I do, please:* smash the hell out of any ‘Like’ button you can see* tell your friends, family, co-workers about Hello You the Shropshire podcast* talk about Hello You in the pub, on the bus, over coffee, at meetings …* and share Hello You with other good people like yourself, using this buttonThank you for being therePlease take care of yourself? It’s a wobbly world, as Jen Deacon tells us in this episode.Please take care of the people around you?And I hope the people around you are taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘If you’re a mayor, put your hands in the air!’While national politics and politicians make the headlines, much of the day-to-day work of providing the services we need and making decisions about the local issues that affect us takes place at grassroots level.No-one’s more aware of that than Cllr Alex Wagner.Alex is the Liberal Democrat deputy leader of Shropshire Council. He’s also a Shrewsbury town councillor, and is currently the town’s mayor, with a decade-long track record in local politics.And - let’s get this out of the way - he’s only twenty-four years old. Thanks for reading Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins! This post is public so feel free to share it.‘Shrewsbury’s unique, it’s exceptional, I don’t know any other place I’d rather live’Alex Wagner and I had a sit-down in the Bird’s Nest Café in Shrewsbury’s multi-award-winning Market Hall to talk over some things I wanted to ask him, and questions suggested by Hello You listeners too. Topics covered include:* the pedestrianisation of Shrewsbury* the 8.99% increase in council tax* buses, including the experimental Night Bus* potholes (of course!)* housing and new developments; what’s needed and where they should go* the North West Relief Road* live music, grassroots venues, festivals and Loopfest* the parlous state of Shropshire Council’s finances, recently saved from going bust by a £190million government loan* beer and pubs* flags, FFS* schools* Shrewsbury Pride* the right to herd sheep, and other mayoral privileges* what makes a vibrant town centre* Greek Orthodox Church services* young people getting involved in politics* how people get in and out of Shrewsbury* scones‘I’ve chosen to make this the place I want to spend my life, because it’s a brilliant town’Join in the conversation about what Alex Wagner had to say, in the comments: Who else do you want to hear from on Hello You the Shropshire podcast? Maybe there are other decision-makers I could talk with, maybe you know someone with interesting thoughts or a fascinating story to tell. Maybe it’s you! Send me a message:Y’dig?If you enjoy informed, thoughtful, progressive and sometimes quirky conversation for and about Shropshire and the wider world, with space to breathe, time to think and people at its heart - well, where else are you going to find it? - you’re not alone. Hundreds of people are already part of the Hello You family. Pull up a chair and make yourself comfortable around the virtual kitchen table; you’re home.This is the moment you subscribe. Click here, and choose paid or free: Sharing = caringIf the aforementioned informed, thoughtful, progressive and sometimes quirky conversation for and about Shropshire and the wider world is your thing, you’re certain to know others who’d enjoy it too. Friends, family, colleagues, neighbours, wherever they are in the world, do them a solid and share Hello You the Shropshire podcast with them. Just click here: Thank you for being there, wherever you are, geographically, emotionally, politically or in a cosmic sensePlease take care of yourself.Take care of the people around you.And I hope the people around you are taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘This is life-changing. He’s never going to walk again’Andrew Clayton had lived an active outdoors life in south Shropshire until an accident befell him about eighteen months ago. Just as he and his wife Carole were thinking of winding down and taking things easier, their lives changed in the blink of an eye. What happened? How have things been for them since? And how does celebrant and funeral director Carole deal with it all?Carole Clayton shares her story in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast.‘Your life is very much one look for other people, and another for when you shut the door of an evening’Maybe that’s true for you also, but for different reasons. Perhaps your inner life, your life when your door is shut, is unlike the life you show to the world. How do you reconcile that? Or do you carry on being the two versions of you, because that’s how you get through things?If you’d like to share your story, I’d love to hear it. Message me? Meanwhile, your thoughts on Carole’s story are welcome in the comments: And if you’ve enjoyed this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast, please share it with someone else who’d find it interesting? Thank you for being part of the Hello You familyIt means a lot to me that you choose to spend some of your precious free time listening to my work. I try my best to make the intelligent, thoughtful, humane local public-service audio that I think you deserve, whether you’re in Shropshire, Serbia, South Korea or Saskatchewan (all places where people listen to Hello You the Shropshire podcast! I know, I’m as surprised as you).If you want to encourage me and support Hello You the Shropshire podcast, please subscribe! You can do so for free. Or you can take out a paid subscription, thereby helping me edge a little nearer my dream of doing this for a living. Click here: Feeling social? There are links to my social media further down this page. Say hello?Take care of yourself?These are difficult times for many of us. We need to take care of ourselves so that we can take care of other people. You know the rule, put your oxygen mask on before helping someone else with theirs … but make sure you do both.Take care of those other people. And I hope those other people are taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘If you can make a difference for one person, it’s worth it’Candlemas greetings, Imbolc blessings, and for me: Happy New Year, again!After a fairly s**t January, I’m starting 2026 again today. And it’s going quite well so far!I took myself to Attingham Park today to see the snowdrops in the rain. It’s the kind of thing I’ve promised myself I’ll do more of this year.And I’ve got this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast out, which is more than I managed to achieve for the last couple of months. Plus I’ve spent the weekend taming my email inbox (also neglected for weeks) so if you’re awaiting a reply from me then you should receive one in the coming week. See also: people I need to respond to on LinkedIn, Facebook, Bluesky, Instagram, Signal …If you’re socially sociable on social media and you’d like to connect with me, there are links to my various socials at the bottom of this email. Or just send me a message?‘He was amazing, flamboyant; he was loved wherever he went … he had the heart of God’Many interviews on Hello You the Shropshire podcast are recorded at Palmer’s coffee shop in the centre of Shrewsbury. Jude James used to manage Central, the building on Claremont Street where Palmer’s is based.Jude’s latest project is named after a much-loved and very recognisable former Palmer’s regular. In this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast, she tells me about Kyle’s Home. It’s being supported by Green Pastures, who believe a future without homelessness is possible.Listening and connectionWould you like to listen better?You might imagine my forty-plus years on the radio were spent talking for a living.Close, but not quite.I was mostly listening. Listening to guests, interviewees, people in the street … and I became rather good at it. I’m still listening; it’s what makes Hello You the Shropshire podcast work.And I’m also sharing my knowledge with you. I can talk to your group, organisation or business about how to listen more effectively. I have a twenty-minute talk about listening and some of my other recent experiences, which is followed by an open Q&A. I gave my talk to the Rotary Club of Shrewsbury Severn last week, and it proved to be a fascinating evening all round, largely because of perceptive questioning by David, Johnathan, Katie, Aidan and otherwise.They drew a link between listening and connection; what makes us connect with one another. I’ve been thinking about that ever since, and it’ll be a topic of a future episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast.If you have a story about a special connection, or making a connection, that you’d be willing to share with me, please get in touch?Intelligent, informed, curious and progressiveThat’s you, right? Thought so. And it’s your friends, family and colleagues as well, isn’t it?Why not do them a favour and share this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast with them? If you enjoy it, then they will too, and they’ll be glad you tipped them off!Become a member of the Hello You familyIt’s good to have you with us. I’m glad you’re here. Why not pull up a chair to the virtual Hello You kitchen table, and join the family? Subscribe at jimallthetime.substack.comTake care of yourself?Take care of the people around you? It’s really important at times like these …And I hope the people around you are taking care of you, too.Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast:What - or who - gives you hope? I explain why I’m asking and unpack my answers in the audio, but I really want to know what gives you hope. Tell me in the comments or by sending me a message, and I’ll share your response in the next episode, anonymously if you prefer: Shropshire Welcomes!There's more positivity in Shropshire than there is negativity. The welcome is warmer than any hostility is cold. If you want to tell the world that Shropshire Welcomes, then please join this Facebook group? Invite all your friends, wherever they may be?‘Nostalgia is not a strategy’Can Mark Carney please just run everything?If you’ve not yet read or seen the speech given at the World Economic Forum in Davos by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, then can I suggest you find a quarter of an hour to do so?‘The powerful have their power. But we have something too — the capacity to stop pretending, to name reality, to build our strength at home, and to act together’You can watch the speech here (merci à Agence France Presse). If you’d rather read what Mark Carney had to say, then Robert Reich has posted a full transcript here in his excellent Substack which is well worth signing up to.On the subject of which:I’m glad you’re part of the Hello You family.Could you please ‘Like’ the hell out of this? And subscribe (free! or not! choice is yours) so you never miss an episode in the future? Hello You the Shropshire podcast is informed, intelligent, positive conversation, for and about Shropshire and the wider world. If that sounds like your bag, then you probably know other people who’d dig it, too. Share it with them? There’s a love … Please take care of yourself?You’re precious and important. Remember that? Treat yourself with the kindness and care you deserve.Please take care of the people around you. This can come at a cost, as Alex Pretti found out in such a horrible, brutal fashion a couple of days ago.And I really hope that the people around you are taking care of you, too.Until next time …Your friendjhHello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

Celebrating 150 episodes with a new look, a half-price offer, and some questions …How was your Christmas? Mine was lovely, the best for years. And New Year is a few days away, which means we’re stuck in this weird limbo period between the two; the Humber Bridge of the calendar. The perfect time to serve you a brand-new celebration slice of Hello You the Shropshire podcast!Take out a paid subscription to Hello You for HALF PRICE! Details below …New graphics for Hello You the Shropshire podcastHuge thanks to Shrewsbury-based illustrator Saffron Russell for creating wonderful new images. I wanted something that looked the way Hello You feels, and I think Saffron nailed it. Understood the assignment, as they say.I hope you like it as much as I do! Let me know in the comments? Tell me where to stick itThanks also to Amanda and Paul at Battlefield Printing Group for my new posters, flyers and business cards.If you know somewhere I could display a poster or a pile of flyers - a noticeboard, a community or arts venue, a shop window, anywhere - send me a message by hitting the button: Half-price Hello You subscription offer!To celebrate my one hundred and fiftieth episode, I’m giving you the chance to take out a paid subscription to Hello You the Shropshire podcast for half price! It’s a deal so good, you could buy a gift subscription for that person you forgot at Christmas …Claim your 50% discount by signing up before January 31st! 150 episodes, 150 new members of the Hello You family?I’d love to celebrate my one hundred and fifty episodes with one hundred and fifty new subscribers, paid or otherwise. So please tell your friends? If you appreciate informed, intelligent, progressive, sometimes quirky conversation for and about Shropshire and the rest of the world, you probably now at least one other person who’ll enjoy it too. Share Hello You by hitting the green button, or just mention it to them the next time you see them? Thank you for being therePlease take care of yourself. Take care of the people around you. And I very much hope the people around you are taking care of you, too.Happy New Year!Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you! Thank you so, so much …I need to show you these figures because I’m very excited and hugely grateful to you for making this happen.Here’s how Hello You the Shropshire podcast is performing on Spotify: Thank you so much for your support, for your interest and for your attention. I’m thrilled that you’re a member of the Hello You family, and that the family is growing.Why not subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode in the future? And share Hello You the Shropshire podcast with your friends? We’re all just trying to get to Christmas, right?Or: Return to the Valley of Where’s Episode 150?There’s so much going on right now for all of us, you don’t need me to tell you about it. And on top of that, each of us has our own s**t to deal with ...And everyone’s inbox is rammed with people trying to tell us something, sell us something, donate to something ...Same’s true for me. So much going on. And it seems to me that if we can ease each other’s burden in these dark times, we should. If we can ease our own, even better.So I’m being realistic.I know I promised you that Hello You 150 would be a kind-of reset, with a new look, new graphics and artwork by a wonderful Shropshire illustrator (I’m so excited to share that with you!) and, for new members of the Hello You family, some backstory and explanation. And there’ll be a discount offer on paid subscriptions, too!I also told you that I have a stash of really interesting interviews to share with you. That’s true. Everything from rock-star memoirs to new arrivals in Shropshire creating art about their experiences to a story of what happens when your whole life changes in a fraction of a second.But who’s got time for anything like that right now?We’re all ridiculously busy, preoccupied, stressed and anxious. (It’s not just me, is it?) Who’s got time to listen to anything, let alone edit or produce anything?Hence, here’s the plan:Hello You Episode 150 will be with you between Christmas and New Year.In the meantime, I hope you have the best festive season you can, in whatever your circumstances might happen to be. Whatever this time of year looks and feels like for you, please take care of yourself.Take care of the people around you.And I hope the people around you, wherever and whomsoever they may be, are taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you! Thank you so, so much …I need to show you these figures because I’m very excited and hugely grateful to you for making this happen.Here’s how Hello You the Shropshire podcast is performing on Spotify:Wow.Just over two years ago, I started this podcast by mistake. And now look! Thank you so much for your support, for your interest and for your attention. I’m thrilled that you’re a member of the Hello You family, and that the family is growing.If you’ve not yet done so, you can follow Hello You the Shropshire podcast on Spotify, or (even better) subscribe right here on Substack: And be a good friend to someone? Share Hello You the Shropshire podcast with them: We’re all just trying to get to Christmas, right?Or: Return to the Valley of Where’s Episode 150?There’s so much going on right now for all of us, you don’t need me to tell you about it. And on top of that, each of us has our own s**t to deal with ... And everyone’s inbox is rammed with people trying to tell us something, sell us something, donate to something ...Same’s true for me. So much going on. And it seems to me that if we can ease each other’s burden in these dark times, we should. If we can ease our own, even better.So I’m being realistic. I know I promised you that Hello You 150 would be a kind-of reset, with a new look, new graphics and artwork by a wonderful Shropshire illustrator (I’m so excited to share that with you!) and, for new members of the Hello You family, some backstory and explanation.I also told you that I have a stash of really interesting interviews to share with you. That’s true. Everything from rock-star memoirs to new arrivals in Shropshire creating art about their experiences to a story of what happens when your whole life changes in a fraction of a second.But who’s got time for anything like that right now?We’re all ridiculously busy, preoccupied, stressed and anxious. (It’s not just me, is it?) Who’s got time to listen to anything, let alone edit or produce anything?Hence, here’s the plan: the fabled Hello You Episode 150 will be with you between Christmas and New Year. You know, in the perineum of the year, when you’re most in need of distraction and diversion. I’m giving you something to look forward to the other side of Christmas! Merry Christmas!I hope you have the best festive season you can, in whatever your circumstances might happen to be. Whatever this time of year looks and feels like for you, please take care of yourself.Take care of the people around you.And I hope the people around you, wherever and whomsoever they may be, are taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

Shrewsbury’s Labour MP answers questions from listeners to Hello You the Shropshire podcastBack in July, around the time of her first anniversary as an MP, I interviewed Dr Julia Buckley for Hello You about how her first twelve months had been.I felt it went well, so I was happy to agree when Julia’s team suggested we record another conversation. And for this one, I asked beforehand on social media: What questions do you want answers to?(If you want to follow me on socials, by the way, there are links to all of them at the bottom of this email.)In this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast, Julia Buckley discusses:* flooding, and floods prevention - ‘We need to stop reacting to floods as if they’re a surprise’* local transport issues - public transport, including the Shrewsbury Night Bus trial that start on Monday November 24th, and the notorious floating bus stop outside the railway station!* when will the people involved in the PPE scandal be brought to account?* digital ID - Julia wanted to hear her constituents’ views, so what did they say?* the environment - does the Planning and Infrastructure Bill provide enough protection for nature? and what about the pearl mussels in the River Clun, for example?* improvement work at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital - ‘You won’t believe your eyes’* farming and rural issues, including water quality and a possible compromise on the matter of inheritance tax for family farms* military accommodation, and the shocking state of RAF Shawbury* could people missing out on the shingles vaccine be the new WASPI victims?* when will people affected by the infected-blood scandal finally receive compensation?* the best and worst thing about being an MP Share this episode of Hello You with just one simple click: Who else do you want to hear answering your questions and mine on Hello You the Shropshire podcast?Which local or regional decision-makers, influencers, big cheeses or interesting characters should I try to get on Hello You? And what would you ask them?Leave your answer, and share your thoughts on this episode, in the comments: Coming soon: Hello You 150!… but not until this awful cold’s cleared up so I don’t sound so dreadful …Hello You 150 will include a recap of the two years of Hello You so far; an explanation of how it all started, where it’s been and where I hope it’s going.I’ll tell you more about me, and explain what I’m trying to do with Hello You the Shropshire podcast.And I’ve got some things that I’d really like your thoughts on, but I’ll reveal them in the next episode.If you want to get in ahead of the game and let me know what you make of Hello You, send me a message: Hello You 150 will also see a fresh new look to these emails and the podcast page, which I’m very excited about. I hope you’ll like it as much as I already do! If you do, then there’ll be a chance for you to share the joy …Be a good friendIf you enjoy what I do, you probably know someone else who’d enjoy it too. So, don’t keep it to yourself! Share Hello You with friends, family, colleagues, whomsoever: … or just talk about it at work, at home, in the pub, in the café, at your place of worship, at the footy, on the bus …Help make my dreams come true?Even just a little bit?With Hello You 150 on the horizon, I’d really love to get a whole bunch of new subscribers to enjoy the new-look podcast as well as the conversations. So, if you haven’t yet done so, why not join the Hello You family by subscribing? You can subscribe for free! Or, if you want to help me get closer to my dream of making great locally-rooted public-service audio full-time, you could take out a paid subscription. The choice is yours. Whichever you opt for, I’m hugely grateful.Thank you for being therePlease, take care of yourself. Take care of the people around you. And I very much hope they’re taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

This morning I’m angry, sad and fearful for the future of this country and one of its great institutions.I’ve worked for the BBC for most of the last forty years. I’m bloody glad I don’t anymore, for a large number of reasons. The resignations last night of the Director-General and the head of BBC News should’ve come a long time ago, but not for the reason that forced them out. We’re seeing a concerted attack on public service media in the UK, in America and elsewhere around the world. There are dark clouds gathering, as the Public Media Alliance puts it.Please take a few minutes to watch this video, and share it with your friends?And if you want to support public service media in the smallest of ways, please subscribe to Hello You the Shropshire podcast: Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘We could be so great, we could be great to people and do great things’Displaying a national flag and saying that you love your country can be quite loaded gestures at the moment. But why?Shrewsbury artist Jonny Thaw tackles these issues head-on in his new show at the town’s Swan Hill Studios. And if you’d never normally go to an art show, he’s particularly keen to know what you think of it! So why not go this weekend? It’s free to enter, and it would make a change from traipsing around a retail park in the rain, wouldn’t it?I mean, where else are you going to see a St George’s Flag Amnesty Bin?!‘I shouldn’t feel it’s a bad thing to want to display a flag, but I do’Jonny Thaw: Loves His Country is on at Shrewsbury’s Swan Hill Studios until November 13th. You can hear all about it in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast.Excited by this? Intrigued? Enraged?Join in the conversation in the comments: Thank you, Jonny!I’m grateful to Jonny Thaw for taking the time to share his art and his thoughts with Hello You the Shropshire podcast. If this episode makes you smile or makes you think, please share it with a friend, colleague or family member: And while we’re about it: You like listening to intelligent, informed, positive and progressive conversation. That’s why you’re a member of the Hello You family, isn’t it?I bet you know at least a handful of people who’d also really enjoy listening to Hello You the Shropshire podcast. Do them (and me, and yourself) a solid. Share Hello You with those people? And suggest that they, in turn, share it with other likeminded individuals, wherever in the world they may be? Start by hitting this button: Thank you, Miranda!Hello You 147 was about the lost art of noticing, and it was noticed by super-noticer, the marvellous Miranda Keeling, author of two delightful books about what she sees when she stops to notice things, and host of a brilliant short podcast called Stopping to Notice. She shared the episode with her social media followers and described it as ‘lovely’, which was very kind and generous of her. If you’re here because of Miranda, I’m very grateful to you and to her!Thank you, Emily Jayne!Something about Hello You 146: Home wasn’t built in a day has really connected with people. Emily Jayne’s story of life on the streets and how she came back from that has become the second most listened-to episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast so far. Not only that, so many people have been deeply touched by Emily Jayne’s life and words. I’ve long since lost count of the number of people who’ve stopped me in the street, in shops and cafés and even in meetings to talk about the episode.If you’ve not heard it yet, take a listen to it this weekend? And share it with your friends? Thank you, Julia!Next weekend, I’m recording a conversation with Julia Buckley, the Labour MP for Shrewsbury.I’ll publish the interview as soon as I can after recording, but what do you want me to ask Dr Buckley?I’ve already had a lot of suggestions, but I’m still open for more. Leave your question in the comments, or send me a message: Thank you, youThank you for being there. Putting together Hello You the Shropshire podcast isn’t easy, especially with a full-time job and lots of other things going on in my life too, so I’m very grateful that you choose to spend time with my work.Take care of yourselfTake care of the people around you. And I really hope the people around you are taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘I look at nature and it takes my mind away from my problems’What do you notice in the world around you?Artist and educator Sara Bellis - ‘I identify as geek’ - is building a community of people who are reviving the lost art of noticing. Under the banner of Get Out And Get Arty they gather in a couple of special places in Shropshire to practice nature journalling.#INIWIRMO - I notice, I wonder, it reminds me of …But what is nature journalling, and how can it help you? I joined Sara and her GOGA group in Ellesmere on one of their regular visits to the area around the Mere. As well as learning about GOGA and nature journalling, we discussed …‘I’m being called to another mission, another galaxy’* moving to Shropshire from somewhere else* moorhens v. coots* women succeeding despite the pressures of society* public art* living with a terminal diagnosis* conkers* Gaza* dogs* what’s great about living in Shropshire (and what isn’t)* journalism* magic mushrooms* coping when you can’t do your life’s work anymore* accessible transport* ice cream and why we all love it* the National Trust* death and life after* spontaneous poetry* relieving ME symptoms by taking your fillings out* planting bulbs as a gesture of hope, faith and defiance… all in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast!‘Once you find the positive, cling onto it’It’s a long episode, the longest yet, but I think you’ll get a lot out of it. It’s also very stereo indeed! For maximum effect, listen on earbuds or headphones, or maybe in the car?Enjoying this episode? Share it with your friends: … and join in the conversation in the comments: What have you noticed?Tell me what you’ve noticed lately, and how it made you feel. We could make an episode of Hello You together …Message me! What would you ask an MP, if you could?Back in July I talked with Julia Buckley, the Labour MP for Shrewsbury, about her first year in the job.I’m recording another conversation with Julia Buckley MP in a few weeks’ time.A lot’s happened since July, so there’s plenty to talk about, but I want to know: what do you think I should ask Julia?What topics should I bring up? What do you want to hear more about, or which issue do you want to know Dr Buckley’s stance on? Send me a message with your question and I’ll do my best to get some answers: Which other decision-makers would you like to hear from?I want to get at least another couple of the MPs for Shropshire on Hello You the Shropshire podcast before too long, but who else should I bid for?Senior councillors? Top local NHS managers? People in charge of public services?Tell me who you’d like to hear answering questions, and I’ll put the feelers out.And if you’re one of these people - MP, councillor, senior manager of a local service, anyone whose work affects the lives of people in Shropshire - get your people to talk to my people.Just kidding, I don’t have people. It’s just me.So reach out to me and let’s get something in the diary.Bench?I’ve got a list of places I want to go to do ‘bench’ episodes, where I just sit on a bench and record conversations with whoever happens to sit next to me.But I’m going to restart doing those in the spring, when the weather is kinder.Unless … you have an idea of somewhere indoors I could go? Somewhere I could sit and record chats with whomsoever’s there? Maybe at an event, or a particular location?If you know of a place or an event, tell me about it! Share the Hello You loveIf you enjoy informed, curious, progressive conversation for and about Shropshire, the people here and the wider world, I’m damn sure you know other people who’d enjoy it too. So be a good friend, to them and to me, and share Hello You with friends, family, colleagues, the people in your favourite WhatsApp group … … or just bring Hello You the Shropshire podcast up in conversation with them?Thank you for being a member of the Hello You familyTake care of yourself. Take care of the people around you … and I hope those people are taking good care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘Sometimes I was absolutely freezing, but there was so much warmth around’How do you feel when you encounter Shrewsbury’s street people?Walking down Pride Hill a year or two ago, you might’ve seen a young woman habitually sitting on the ground with her back to the wall, outside Holland & Barrett. Sometimes she’d be nursing a bottle of vodka.That was Emily Jayne.‘When you drink a lot of vodka, fear doesn’t come into anything’Emily Jayne recently responded to some hostile comments on a Facebook post about the street people of Shrewsbury, and said she spoke from personal experience. I wanted to hear about that personal experience, and share it with you.Why was Emily Jayne on the streets? What was her story? And how is she now?Find out in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast.‘… Happy Thursday!’I’d love to know your thoughts about what Emily Jayne has to say. Please join in the conversation in the comments: You can help to support homeless and vulnerable people in our community by supporting Shrewsbury Ark.I’m proud to be a Friend of the Ark. Click on the link above and you can become one also.And how about this for a brilliant idea? The Ark will host your office Christmas party!Find out more at the Shrewsbury Ark website.Please share this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast with your friends, family and colleagues, using this green button: See you on Sunday night?There’s a cool gig taking place on Sunday evening at Albert’s Shed in Shrewsbury!It’s the Shrewsbury Songwriters’ September of Sound Showcase. My dear friend Charlie Jerrett is among the songwriters on the bill, and I’ll be playing bass for him.Come and hear some fantastically talented people* at Albert’s Shed on Barker Street, Sunday evening from 7pm. More info on Facebook!*and meGood hang?I’d love to hang out with you for a while.The next episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast will be one I recorded at a meeting of Get Out And Get Arty by the Mere in Ellesmere. It includes conversations about nature, art, moving from Essex to Shropshire, living with a diagnosis of a terminal illness, dogs, friendship, colours, noticing, the afterlife and moorhens. Among other things. I’m really looking forward to bringing it to you (and looking forward slightly less to the massive editing job involved in making that happen!).You won’t want to miss this one! Make sure it drops in your inbox by subscribing: Maybe you’re part of a regular meeting or occasional event. Perhaps you know a place where people gather to chat; it could be a café, a pub, a bus shelter, anywhere.Could I join you to record an episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast?I could create a soundscape from the atmosphere at your event or your chosen place. Or I could record conversations, listening to what people there have to say, as I did in Ellesmere.Tell me where I could visit or join you? Send me a message: Thank you for being a member of the Hello You familyTake care of yourself. Take care of the people around you, and I really hope they’re taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘I want to be as woke as possible, and I’m not ashamed to admit it’What is it that takes Shrewsbury-based Methodist minister Rev Richard Hall - shown above with members of the ‘Sanglier Dynamique’ scout group in Gahanga, Kigali - to Rwanda, a country of which he says ‘the fact that there’s any kind of functioning society at all there is remarkable’? And what is it about Rwanda that means Richard’s visits there give him hope for the whole of humanity? ‘There are moves in society which are deeply anti-Christian’Rev Richard Hall also talks about how things are in the UK - ‘the danger we’re in is … setting ourselves up to blame all the things that are wrong … on the arrival of a few immigrants’ - and what we could learn from Rwanda’s recent history.What do you think of Rev Richard Hall’s thoughts on Rwanda, the UK, and being ‘as woke as possible’? Join in the conversation in the comments: Also in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast:* the BBC’s Question Time from Shrewsbury* Shrewsbury Djangofest* The Big Mend takes place next Saturday Hello You 150 is on the way!When many podcasts never even make it to their thirtieth episode, or struggle to release one episode a month, Hello You is coming up to its second birthday, and the one hundred and fiftieth episode is on the horizon!I haven’t decided if HY 150 will be a special episode, but it will see the launch of a new look for Hello You the Shropshire podcast, featuring the work of a hugely talented local artist and illustrator.It would be amazing to start Hello You’s third year by adding lots more subscribers, and I’d really appreciate your help in making that happen. Think about your friends for a moment?My guess is that you know other people who would appreciate intelligent, informed, progressive, sometimes quirky public-service audio journalism that shares and celebrates people’s stories, and is curious about the world. After all, you like Hello You, and you like them, and they like you, so …Who are your most frequent phone contacts? Who’s in your friendship group? Who are you always WhatsApping when something interesting occurs to you? When you see something that catches your eye, who are the people you want to share it with?Please share Hello You the Shropshire podcast with those people.Send them this episode …… or send them the whole back catalogue …… and a note explaining why. If you’re a paid subscriber, you could even treat them to a gift subscription …… and if you’re not, then maybe you’d consider supporting my work? I’m really proud of Hello You, and I’d love more people to enjoy it. Simple as that.What or who do you want to hear on Hello You?If you have a story that you want or need to share, if there’s something on your mind that you feel more people should be thinking about, if you or someone you know has a story to tell, I want to hear from you.Send me a message … or if it involves sensitive information and you’d like to get in touch securely and confidentially, download the Signal messaging app and contact me that wayMy Signal username is jimallthetime.69Take care of yourself …… in these troubling times, mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.Take care of the people around you, and I hope those people are taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘Learning to sing is learning to find your voice’Hello You the Shropshire podcast is about people, and stories. It’s also about amplifying the voices of people you might not hear from otherwise … or giving them a voice in the first place. Cathy Beech also gives people their voices. She helps them to discover the voices they may not even believe they have.Cathy’s a vocal coach with her own singing school, Angel Voice. She’s based in the Welshpool area and extending the reach of her work further into Shropshire. If you love to sing, or would love to sing, you’ll be interested in her work.‘When your child dies, you’re constantly looking for your child, even though you know they’re not there’Cathy Beech has faced a lot in her life, from debilitating illness that silenced her and obstacles in her career path to the heartbreaking loss of her baby son. In this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast, she tells her story.Please share your thoughts on this episode of Hello You in the comments: Also in Hello You 144:Loving autumn for lots of reasons, the final flutter of the Whole Flags Thing, politicians pumping iron (oh mate) and filming TikToks in your garage …Why not share all this with your friends and colleagues? Book me to speak!I could be the next guest speaker for your group or organisation in the Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin or West Midlands area! I have a 20-minute talk entitled ‘Lessons Learned’ which I’d gladly share with your meeting. Among other things, it reveals why I disappeared from the radio suddenly, never to return …You might be shocked (or perhaps not?), and there’s plenty of fuel for a Q&A and group discussion, so if your group, club, guild, meet-up or networking event would like an accomplished speaker with powerful stuff to share, get in touch! Thank you for being thereI’m so glad that you’re a member of the Hello You family. Make yourself at home? Explore the library of previous episodes on Substack, and keep in touch with Hello You World Headquarters by subscribing: Take care of yourselfTake care of the people around you, and I hope they’re taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘We have spent twenty-five years fighting to ensure he has the chance to live the life he deserves’After the summer-showcase gig of the local music-training organisation Rockschool (here’s the episode of Hello You I recorded on the night) I was approached by Sarah Thomas.Sarah is chair of Shropshire Parent Carer Council, which supports SEND families in the county. She wants you to hear what it’s like, being the parent of someone with special educational needs and disabilities. ‘The conversation national about special educational needs and disabilities is not a positive one at the moment’Sarah’s son Owen is now twenty-five years old. She tells me her family’s story in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast. Respond, share and subscribeIf you enjoy this episode of Hello You, please share it with a friend? Or just bring it up in conversation at some point over the next few days? Join in the conversation in the comments: And if you appreciate intelligent, informed, positive and progressive conversation for and about Shropshire and the wider world, why not subscribe? Thank you for being part of the Hello You familyFeel free to get in touch, whatever’s on your mind: Take care of yourself, particularly in these fractious timesTake care of the people around you, and I hope they’re taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘I want to create the pictures that my eyes see, not what the camera sees’Shropshire is a beautiful county.So you might think a job taking photographs of it would be a breeze. But early starts, arduous walks, long editing sessions and hours of waiting are all part of the gig … along with the occasional inexplicable experience.John Hayward is the creator of those wonderful images you see on social media (Instagram and Facebook) under the banner Shropshire and Beyond.‘When you’re just sitting looking at the landscape, the time flies by’John and I met up for a chat about his work on Lyth Hill, one drizzly breakfast-time. We talked about John’s favourite places to shoot, his photographic techniques, the lengths he goes to for the perfect image … and an inexplicable sighting at a nature reserve!Along with some of my observations on recent events, it’s all in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast.Cryptozoology klaxon!Have you ever seen something unusual in the area of the Hollies nature reserve near Snailbeach? A huge black cow? Or … a bear?! What do you make of the experience recounted by John Hayward? Let me know in the comments! Pig Trough?It’s a footpath in Shrewsbury, but can you answer John’s question about the origin of its name?‘They’re noisy … but so are toddlers’There’s a lot that I’m not feeling at all good about today. You may be in a similar frame of mind. Just remember: Most people are mostly good, most of the time. Those of us who are not motivated by hatred and prejudice outnumber those who are.Now it’s time for us to step up. Things are close to getting out of hand. But what can we do?What can we do? SomethingIn this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast, I refer to this article by John Pavlovitz, written in response to people who tell him they’re frustrated, overwhelmed and don’t know what to do.Does that sound familiar to you?John says the one thing you can do right now to oppose fascism is: Something.What’s your something going to be? Maybe Hello You is my something. I think it could be. What will yours be?I hope you enjoy this episode of Hello YouWhy not share it with a friend, or a family member? I’m sure you know someone else who’d find it interesting. Hit this button? Keep up with everything from Hello You World Headquarters by subscribing! If you take out a paid subscription (you don’t have to, it’s discretionary) you’ll be helping me keep bringing informed, curious, compassionate and progressive conversation for and about Shropshire and the wider world. How are you feeling?What’s going on in your life, or where you live? What’s on your mind? Let me know by sending me a message: If you have concerns about privacy and security, especially if what you have to share is sensitive, you can get in touch with me in complete confidence and anonymity via the Signal messaging app. My username is jimallthetime.69Thank you for being therePlease, take care of yourself.Take care of the people around you, especially if they’re unsettled by what’s happened over the last few weeks and particularly this weekend.And I hope they’re taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘People go to York, but why go to York when you can go to Shrewsbury?’Wouldn’t it be wonderful to explore Shrewsbury with an expert guide on hand? One that can tell you all about hundreds of fascinating places and buildings, including stories and information you’d never even guess?Now, it’s possible, thanks to cultural archaeologist Dr Paul Belford. He’s created Histomap. It’s an app which is crammed with information about Shrewsbury’s buildings and places, and their history. I love it!Paul joined me in the centre of Shrewsbury to wander around the town, with Histomap as our guide. Hear what happened in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast!Join in the Hello You conversation by leaving a comment: ‘There is a cultural heritage which is an important part of the history of Shrewsbury, and I felt that needed to be told’Follow Paul and my wander through Shrewsbury with Histomap and this episode! Get the app on your phone, put your earbuds in and trace our footsteps like this:* Start in Butcher Row, outside Number Four * Walk up the slight incline towards St Alkmund’s Church and, er, the public toilets* Turn right down Fish Street then follow it around to the left, pausing at Bear Steps (and Jessica Vanitas Tattoo)* Continue along Fish Street to the junction with the High Street* Cross the High Street and walk up Milk Street, with a moment to check out the Old Post Office through the passageway * Carry on towards Belmont and you’ll see Old St Chad’s * Turn right along Princess Street towards The Golden Cross* Walk down Golden Cross Passage, looking out for the medieval doorway* At the end of the passage, turn left onto High Street* Check out the buildings mentioned including the Unitarian Church* End your walk in The Square, or cross High Street and return to Fish Street and Butcher Row via Grope Lane, which runs between Jones the Bootmakers and Costa CoffeeEnjoyed this episode? Why not share it with a friend? ‘I just want to help people understand a bit more about the town and its history’Come and visit us in Shropshire! As you’ve been hearing, it’s fascinating place with so much to enjoy. And if you visit as a result of listening to Hello You the Shropshire podcast, let me know? It would be great to share a coffee with you, and maybe we could have a chat for Hello You as well …Send me a message? Whether it’s about your holiday plans or absolutely anything else: Become a member of the Hello You family!I mean, you already are, just because you’ve listened to this episode, but to pull up your chair to the Hello You virtual kitchen table with the other family members, take out a subscription? The regular subscription means you get an email every time I publish something. A paid subscription gives you access to special ‘soundscape’ episodes, and enables me to do more of Hello You the Shropshire podcast and some associated projects that I’m thinking of for the future. Paid subscribers will be the first to know about them! Thank you for being therePlease, take care of yourself. These are challenging times.Take care of the people around you, and I hope the people around you are taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

How does this make you feel?This is an image of a flag of the Cross of St George, aka the England flag. You can tell it’s a flaggy-flag, because on the left-hand side you’ll see two eyelets through which you can pass cable-ties while wobbling up a ladder against a lamppost at 2:30am. Image credit: Temu, who must be laughing all the way to Shanghai’s Financial District right now …Quite a few of these have appeared, attached to street furniture and bridges, around Shropshire and the whole country over the last few weeks. Some budget-label-Banksies have painted the symbol on mini-roundabouts, for reasons known only to themselves.How do you feel about The Whole Flags Thing? And what’s really behind it? ‘Don’t look at the real reasons why the country’s in a shithole state’I’ve not done an episode about this before because I try to keep Hello You as positive and solutions-focused as possible, and I couldn’t find anything positive to say about the flags phenomenon. It’s certainly not a solution to anything. Then I heard from Amanda Jones. She’s got something positive to suggest, in response to the proliferation of flags. ‘The nation’s been turned into a zombie apocalypse with pitchforks’Hear about Amanda’s idea and how you can be part of it, in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast.You can email Amanda or find her on Facebook. And I’d love to know what you think of this episode of Hello You. Leave a comment? If you’ve found it interesting, share it with your friends? ‘These people are in my neighbourhood. They are in need. Am I going to stand by and watch bullies treat them terribly, or am I going to stand up and say “You don’t speak for me”?’Once again, this episode of the podcast came about because someone had something important to say, and wanted it to be heard by you.They wanted it to be heard by thoughtful people who care about their community.If you have something on your mind that you’d like to share with others, if you want to feel genuinely heard, send me a message, and let’s talk? And if you want to continue the flags conversation in a constructive and worthwhile way, even if you’re one of my neighbours in whom I’ve expressed disappointment, get in touch?This is what I doHello You the Shropshire podcast is intelligent, informed, curious and progressive conversation for and about Shropshire and the rest of the world.And where else are you going to find that?If this is what you need in your life, then subscribe! And if you need it in your life, you’re bound to know someone else who needs it in theirs, too. Hit this green button? Thank you for being a member of the Hello You familyTake care of yourself. Take care of the people around you, and I really hope the people around you are taking care of you, too.Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

Is it possible to care too much?A couple of things to mention while you ponder that question …Thank you for being part of the Hello You family! Just by listening to Hello You the Shropshire podcast, you’re part of a very special friendship group. It’s more like a family, really. If you want to pull up a chair to the Hello You virtual kitchen table and make yourself properly at home, then please subscribe? After much thought, I’ve decided: I am going to do an episode of Hello You about The Flags Thing. That’ll be with you at the weekend, and it’ll include an interview with someone which could be described as … forceful. Also, it’ll point you towards something positive that you can do to help bring a little light into the lives of some people who need it right now. To make sure you don’t miss it, click on the Subscribe button above.Also: I’m working towards Hello You the Shropshire podcast episode 150! The milestone will be marked with what marketing people call a ‘brand refresh’, so there’ll be a fresh, different look to Hello You … but it’ll still sound the same: no theme tunes, idents, falsely cheery chats with producers (because there aren’t any, it’s only me) or that kinda stuff. And I’ll use the one hundred and fiftieth episode to start spreading the word about Hello You a bit more widely around the county. More details to follow! ‘The people in charge don’t understand how it’s affecting the people in the community’Heads up: If you’re connected with social care provision in Shropshire for people with ongoing mental health conditions, or if you have to do with how those people are dealt with in primary care and at their GPs’ surgeries, I think you need to listen to this. Any one of us could face mental health crisis at any time, so you might find the contents of this episode quite unsettling. Leanne Southey runs Proud to Be Me. The best-known public aspect of PTBM is Momma’s Emporium, on Shrewsbury’s Pride Hill, but its principal activity is supporting people who mental health problems, and helping them get their lives back on track.Leanne contacted me because of some difficulties that she, her team and their clients have been having, particularly of late. She’d tried other ways to draw attention to the problems, but without success. In this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast, she explains the issues, and the impact they’re having on the people she works with. ‘This is why I’m talking to you, because I don’t know what else to do’If, like Leanne, there’s something that you’re struggling with and you’re making no progress, maybe talking about it on Hello You would help find a solution. If there’s something facing your community, your friends group, you're part of Shropshire and you can’t get anyone to listen, get in touch. I’ll listen. It might just make all the difference. Send me a message either by clicking the green button below, or contact me confidentially on the Signal messaging app, where my username is jimallthetime.69Thank you for listening to Hello YouPlease spread the word about Hello You the Shropshire podcast? Talk about it with your friends, mention it to your colleagues, chat about it in the pub or on the bus?Hit ‘Like’ anywhere you can, and best of all, share Hello You with people? I’m sure you know someone who’d be interested in it. Why not send the main page to your WhatsApp or Facebook groups? Take care of yourselfTake care of the people around you, and I hope the people around you are taking care of you, too. Don’t forget: an episode about The Flags Thing will be with you at the weekend! Subscribe now so you don’t miss it! Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘Rock music goes into me’There’s nothing quite like playing music with other people. You learn so much about them and about yourself, it enhances aspects of your mind and your life in a way you wouldn’t believe, and it’s just so much fun, so satisfying, so life-enhancing …Anybody who introduces others to the thrill and joy of making music, especially in an ensemble or a band, is a hero to me. ‘It’s a universal language that can touch everybody’Recently I was invited to Summer Smash 3, the annual celebration of Shropshire’s Rock Music School. Rock Music School gives musicians of all ages and ability levels the chance to play together in a band setting, and a few times a year they get the chance to showcase their skills in front of a live audience. Some of the players were in their fifties or maybe sixties, like me. At the other end of the age scale were kids of maybe seven or eight years old, who took to the stage like they were born to it. This year’s Summer Smash took place in the fantastic Barnes Theatre at Shrewsbury School, complete with pro-quality PA and lighting, and even dry-ice for that authentic big-rock-show feel. Proceeds from the evening went to Shropshire Parent and Carer Council, which supports the families of young people with special educational needs and disabilities.Some of the SEND kids take part in Rock Music School sessions, and were playing in the concert.In this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast, you can hear from some of the participants in the gig, and family and audience members too.Is this your sort of thing?I hope you enjoy this episode of Hello You. Why not share it with a friend? I’m sure you know someone else who’d find it interesting … And please tell me what you think of it? Have your say in the comments: Hello You the Shropshire podcast is intelligent, curious, progressive and sometimes quirky audio, made with love, about Shropshire and the wider world. If that’s what you need in your life, particularly to counterbalance the negativity of the wider news agenda, then please subscribe? Thank you for being thereI really appreciate you taking an interest in my work. It means a lot to me.Take care of yourself. Take care of the people around you … and I hope that they are taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘Fewer people would be getting on small boats if there were safe routes into the UK’The issue of migration, refugees and asylum-seekers is the rusty barbecue of British politics.It’s dragged out every summer. Cautious people steer well clear. And then some knobhead douses it in petrol. ‘It says we don’t care’This episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast came about after the sudden - overnight, on a Friday evening - scrapping of the Afghan resettlement scheme. That was followed just a few days later by the revelation of a colossal data breach in which the personal details of almost 19,000 people who had asked to come to Britain in order to flee the Taliban had been accidentally leaked by an official working at UK Special Forces headquarters. Can’t get the staff, eh? ‘I was angry and upset because that was the last refugee resettlement scheme in the whole of the UK’Gaby Erica from Telford has worked to support refugees and asylum seekers, first in Shropshire and then across the West Midlands, for many years. She joined me to talk about these two developments, and about the issue of small boats crossing the English Channel. Of necessity, this also involves discussion of the ongoing housing crisis, rough sleeping, accommodating migrants in hotels - ‘You can’t have people living in hotels for the rest of their lives’ - and more.You probably know someone who feels strongly about this issue, one way or the other. You might know someone who’s caught up in it all. Why not share this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast with them and others too? ‘There are so many vulnerable groups in the UK that need appropriate housing, but there’s a shortage’Join in the discussion about this episode with your fellow members of the Hello You family in the comments: Send me a message, about this subject or something completely different: And if you want to make sure you never miss an episode of intelligent, curious, informed and sometimes quirky conversation for and about Shropshire and the wider world, why not subscribe? For free, or show your support by taking out a paid subscription? Coming soon on Hello You the Shropshire podcast * The difference that music and inspirational musicians can make …* See Shrewsbury’s historic buildings through expert eyes with a new app that makes your phone into your town guide …* Are people in Shropshire with mental health needs really getting the support required? Or are they being handed on to local groups who are already overstretched?* What lengths does a master photographer go to, to capture the beauty of Shropshire?All these topics and more will be coming up in future episodes of Hello You the Shropshire podcast. Don’t miss them! Subscribe now … and tell your friends? Thank you for being thereTake care of yourself. Don’t walk the dog in this heat!Take care of the people around you. And I hope that they are taking good care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘Quite where the Flower Show goes next, I don’t know’The Shrewsbury Flower Show should have been taking place this weekend. But it isn’t.Shropshire Horticultural Society announced back in the spring that this year’s show wouldn’t be going ahead, owing to rising costs and challenging commercial circumstances. The news came as quite a shock, because the Flower Show has been a fixture in the Shropshire calendar for a century and a half.What’s the real story here?Aubrey Kirkham has recently stepped back from his various roles with Shrewsbury Flower Show and Shropshire Horticultural Society, ending a forty-nine-year association with them both. So if anyone’s well placed to give us a glimpse behind the curtain at the workings of both show and Society, it’s Aubrey. ‘Similar, but different’In this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast, Aubrey and I talk about the reasons there’s no Flower Show this year, what future shows might look like, and what it’ll take to bring Shrewsbury Flower Show back to prominence. ‘The Haughty Cultural Society’?Also: What’s a reasonable price for twelve hours’ entertainment? Would you pay £50 if you felt you were getting your money’s worth?Why is Shropshire Horticultural Society involved in the wrangle over the provision of a footpath from the Dana towards Shrewsbury town centre, and why has this argument now been going on for a quarter of a century?And: Do you feel connected to the Flower Show and its parent body’s activities, or does it seem to you like ‘The Haughty Cultural Society’?Join in the conversation in the comments, or just make an observation on the colossal style gulf between Aubrey, the World’s Most Dapper Man, and the total shed pictured next to him … What would your friends say …… about Shrewsbury Flower Show perhaps being a one-day event in the future? What would they say was a reasonable ticket price for twelve hours’ entertainment? Share this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast with them: … and invite them to comment on it?Also, please mention this to your friends, family and colleagues? Drop into conversation that you’ve been listening, or post the link on your busiest WhatsApp chat group?By the way … this is what I doIf this is your first episode of Hello You, welcome! Thank you so much for becoming a member of the Hello You family. Why not send me a message to say hello, and tell me what you think of Hello You? Hello You the Shropshire podcast is local public-service audio journalism. Intelligent, informed, curious, progressive and sometimes quirky conversation, for and about Shropshire and the wider world. If that sounds like your sort of thing, subscribe to make sure you don’t miss any episodes in the future And now you’re here, why not explore other episodes that you might find of interest?Thank you for being thereIt means a lot that you take an interest in what I do. There are a whole bunch of really interesting episodes coming up over the next couple of weeks, so make sure you don’t miss them?Take care of yourself. Take care of the people around you, and I hope the people around you are taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

A Shropshire soundscape in vivid stereoHave you heard a Hello You soundscape before?This is something I do on Hello You the Shropshire podcast, to transport you to somewhere in Shropshire for a little while.The soundscapes are quite simply recordings of what’s happening in a particular places at a particular time. In audio art parlance, they’re field recordings. They can help you perceive somewhere familiar or unfamiliar in a new and different way.For this soundscape, I set up the Hello You recorder at the base of the statue of Lord Clive in the Square in Shrewsbury, facing away from the old b*****d towards the Old Market Hall. It was a warm Thursday afternoon; the Square wasn’t all that busy but you can hear people moving around and through it, and other things happening too. Hello You soundscapes are always recorded in super-wide stereo. Hence, they’re best enjoyed on headphones or with your earbuds in.And what are they for?Some people use the soundscapes to place themselves in the recording location. You can listen to and follow threads of sounds, snatches of conversation, audio glimpses into people and places.Soundscapes make good background sounds when you’re working or chilling out, and music or interviews would be too distracting.A number of people use Hello You soundscapes to fall asleep to, to aid meditation or for ASMR practices.Join in the conversation about the soundscapes in the comments: Here’s why I’m sharing this one with you:Most of my soundscapes are available only to paid subscribers of Hello You the Shropshire podcast. I’m making this one free for everyone, so that you can sample the soundscape experience. If you like it and want more, I hope you’ll take out a paid subscription to Hello You. I know no-one’s got much money at the moment, but a paid subscription to Hello You the Shropshire podcast isn’t outrageously expensive. Each month, it’ll cost you about the same as just one posh cup of coffee from that good place you like. Or two cups from the place you settle for. You’ll get the soundscapes (and I’ll be recording more, in some fascinating places, over the next weeks and months), and you’ll be supporting Hello You. You’ll be helping to ensure the survival of informed, curious, intelligent, progressive and sometimes quirky conversation, for and about Shropshire and the wider world. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this soundscape episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast. Why not share it with a friend? And if you think of somewhere I could go to record a soundscape - it can be somewhere busy or deserted, urban or rural, peaceful or intense - send me a message to tell me where it is? Thank you for being thereI’m very happy that you’re a member of the Hello You family.Please take care of yourself. Take care of the people around you, and I hope that they are taking good care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘It’s for us to put the jam and cream on the scone of Shrewsbury’What is ‘… in Bloom’, and why is it such a big thing in Shrewsbury? Does it lead to Shrewsbury’s street people being removed from the town temporarily? And why do the benches in the Square keep moving around?! ‘This Square belongs to the public, three-hundred and sixty-five days of the year’Shrewsbury’s Town Clerk Helen Ball tackles these questions and more in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast.If you like this, you probably know someone else who’ll like it too. So, be a good friend and share it with them? Get in touch?Join in the conversation in the comments … and contact me directly by sending a message … or if you have a news tip or an idea for an episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast that needs to be shared discreetly and confidentially, download the Signal messaging app and get in touch with me at the username jimallthetime.69Thank you for being thereThank you for being a member of the Hello You family. Why not pull up a chair to the virtual Hello You kitchen table by subscribing? Take care of yourself.Take care of the people around you, and I hope they’re taking good care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘All of us are terrible parents at some point’Mothers. We’ve all got one, or had one, and our relationships with them can be loving, fraught, empowering, frustrating … and even creative.All Roads Lead to Mother is the title of an exhibition of work by mother and daughter artists Sam Pooley Stride and Daisy Pooley Tolkien Williams. It was shown recently at Shrewsbury’s Swan Hill Studios, a space that Sam Pooley Stride believes is part of an explosion of artistic activity in our county town. ‘This is a moment … I do feel there’s a renaissance here, something’s happening to this town’In this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast, Sam Pooley Stride shares the story of Swan Hill Studios, and also unpacks some of the themes behind her and Daisy’s exhibition.Boob wallpaperThey’d been talking about putting on a show like this for quite a while, but perhaps extra urgency was added by the recent loss of Sam’s mother, Daisy’s grandmother. Sam Pooley Stride reveals stories about her mother’s past, including an affair and an elopement to South America, her mother’s adoption - ‘for the sum of ten shillings’ - and the revelation that Sam’s adoptive grandmother had a hysterectomy at nineteen years of age, but craved a child so much she was tempted to steal one.I hope you enjoy this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast. Let me know by sending me a message? Please share it with your friends - maybe with your mother or daughter? - by clicking this button: And join in the conversation with other members of the Hello You family in the comments: The privilege of avoiding the newsAt the start of this episode I mention an article I’d read which reminded me that I’m lucky to be able to limit my news diet.Not everyone can turn away from the news, because often their lives are the news.This is the article in question. Please read and share it?Thank you for being part of the Hello You familyPlease help to spread the word about Hello You the Shropshire podcast by sharing this episode, or just by talking about it. Mention Hello You in conversation with your friends, colleagues and family? Take care of yourself?Take care of the people around you, and I hope that they’re taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘Lots of people use us as their corner shop’Join me on the bench outside Tesco Extra in Harlescott, Shrewsbury, to meet people who work, shop, and meet there, in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast. The conversation covers Oasis, people-watching, The Yodel Man, tackling climate change by reducing food waste, neighbours from hell, loving or hating self-service tills, and one of my favourite words from any recent Hello You episode: Gleaning ‘It brings us all together’ Rachel Benson is the Community Champion for Tesco’s in Shrewsbury. You’ll hear from her, Geoff the Oasis fan, Tina from Shrewsbury Food Hub, The Yodel Man Lady, and Rachel colleagues Laura, Carl and Deb whose idea this all was! ‘You can come to a food-share and take as much as you want, for a donation of £2’Find out more about Shrewsbury Food Hub and join their Taste with no Waste challenge! ‘We’re very lucky in this community, how everyone supports each other’Where else could I sit on a bench and listen to people? Do you know of a bench somewhere near you, where there’s a regular flow of people passing by who might stop to share their stories?Maybe it’s a bench at or near somewhere you work, like Deb who suggested the bench for this episode? Or somewhere you spend your free time: a sports ground, a place of worship, a pub or a countryside attraction?Perhaps we could set up a ‘bench’ at an event you’re involved with, or in a particular location that springs to mind? Let me know and I’ll add the bench suggestions to my list! Thank you for being thereI very much appreciate you being part of the Hello You family. I’d love it if you were to subscribe to Hello You … Let me know what you think of this episode? And join in a conversation in the comments? And please, share it with your friends? Take care of yourselfTake care of the people around you, and I very much hope the people around you are taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘It’s the actions that people recognise’In July 2024, Dr Julia Buckley was elected as Shrewsbury’s first Labour MP for twenty years, and the new constituency’s first-ever female MP.How has her first year been? What impact is she making on behalf of the county town, in the corridors of Westminster?I sat down with Julia Buckley to hear her answers not only to those questions, but also to a whole clutch of others suggested by Hello You listeners.You can hear what happened in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast.‘Sometimes I think I need to speak out more’We talk about: * the reported improvements in our local hospital’s performance* public transport - Sunday buses, and trains to London* the rise in National Insurance* fair funding for Shropshire Council* support for SEND children, and the new SEND Hubs* trans people’s rights* the suspensions of backbenchers* whether Labour is drifting too far towards Reform’s territory, and the Prime Minister’s unfortunate ‘island of strangers’ speech* grooming gangs* pensions, the winter fuel allowance, and the welfare bill* Gaza, Palestine Action and whether the UK should cease supplying arms to Israel* how Julia deals with personal attacks onlineI’m sorry that we didn’t have time for me to raise your questions about the environment and the proposed changes to planning legislation, climate change, racism, international aid, poverty and inequality/inequity, farmers, the assisted dying bill, biodiversity and whether Julia Buckley still believes Labour to be a left-wing party. Julia, if you’d be interested in another conversation at some point (and I certainly would), maybe we could start with those?Inter alia, it’s great to know that listeners to Hello You are such an informed, engaged and thoughtful group of people. Thank you for being … you, basically.I’d love to know what you think of this special episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast. Leave a comment? ‘It’s time to be responsible’And if you’re one of Shropshire’s other MPs, a councillor, a decision-maker, someone in a position of authority and responsibility, in charge of something that’s important to the life of Shropshire, will you do the same?Dr Julia Buckley has been willing to spend time answering questions from listeners to Hello You the Shropshire podcast. Who else is up for the challenge?Get your people to talk to my people. Oh wait, I don’t have any people, it’s just me. So email me [email protected] or hit this here button and let’s get the wheels turning.Likewise, if you’re in Shropshire, who would you like to hear answering your questions on Hello You? Tell me their name, or what they do in the county. And tell me what you’d like to ask them, and why. I’ll do my thing and invite them to answer questions. Holding powerful and influential people to account. I’ve been doing it on the radio for years. And now I’m doing it on here. (You’re welcome.)I think local public-service journalism that’s prepared to take the time and put in the effort to find out what you need to know, is importantThat’s one reason why I make Hello You the Shropshire podcast.If you’d like Hello You and want to support it, here are some ways:* tell your friends about Hello You; mention it on Facebook on in your WhatsApp chat groups, or talk about it at work, in the pub, on the bus, at church, wherever* share this episode * … or all of them * buy me a coffee * subscribe to Hello You * … and if you take out a paid subscription, you help enormously to ensure I can keep doing this Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Thank you for being thereIt means a hell of a lot.Have the best week you possibly can. Want to let me know how you’re doing, or how your week’s going? Hmu, as the kids say … Take care of yourself.Take care of the people around you.And I really hope the people around you are taking care of you, too. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘There’s nothing else like it in Shropshire’Shirehall, former home of Shropshire County Council and subsequently Shropshire Council, is certainly unique in the county.But is that a good enough reason to keep it, and develop new uses for the building?There’s an exhibition of contemporary photographs from around the time of the 1967 opening of Shirehall, currently on show at the Bear Steps Gallery in Shrewsbury. The title of the exhibition is ‘Shirehall - Too Good to Lose’. No question mark at the end, Shrewsbury Civic Society is making that as a definite statement.But why is Shirehall ‘too good to lose’? I met Simon Beedles, chartered surveyor, buildings enthusiast and trustee of Shrewsbury Civic Society, at Bear Steps so he could use the photographs to make his case. ‘If you destroy it, you’ll never see it again’Once you’ve heard Simon Beedles’ passionate plea for Shirehall to remain standing, join in the conversation by leaving a comment: And if you want to find out how your friends, colleagues and family feel about it, share this episode with them: Where’s the bespoke reception desk now?Take a look at this picture, of the reception area of Shirehall around the time it opened:That desk was made especially for the new building.But where is it now?Does it look familiar? Is it in your garage, or a lock-up somewhere? Were you responsible for carting it away during a re-fit at some point in the last forty years?Can Hello You the Shropshire podcast help to track down the missing desk?If you have a lead on this, or if there’s anything else about which you’d like to get in touch, send me a message: … or use the Hello You Tip Line! Get the confidential, super-secure Signal messaging app, and send me a message at jimallthetime.69Coming up on Hello You the Shropshire podcastOn Sunday, I’ll publish a special summery sporting soundscape that I think you’ll love. I’m really pleased with it. It’s an hour of extremely relaxing listening, perfect for a warm weekend afternoon.To make sure you’re able to hear it, take out a paid subscription today! It’ll cost you as much as a couple of coffees per month, for intelligent, progressive, Shropshire-based conversation, entertainment and audio journalism that you can’t find anywhere else: And on Monday, I’ll bring you an interview with Dr Julia Buckley, Labour MP for Shrewsbury. How has her first year in Parliament been? And how does she answer the questions that Hello You listeners have sent me to ask her? Again, to make sure you don’t miss that or anything else I publish in the future, subscribe (paid or free) by signing up here: Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Thank you for being thereThank you for being a member of the Hello You family. Please talk about this podcast with your friends, colleagues, family members, whoever. If you like what I do, they’ll probably like it too, and they’ll be grateful to you for bringing them into the Hello You fold.Take care of yourself. Take care of the people around you, and I hope the people around you are taking care of you, too. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘Singing is good for your soul’Just before you meet the subjects of today’s episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast, let me tell you what’s coming up on the feed over the next few days:It’s one of Shrewsbury’s - Shropshire’s - most controversial buildings. But what should its fate be? Shrewsbury Civic Society thinks Shirehall is too good to lose. Hear why on Hello You on Friday morning …The very essence of an English summer Saturday afternoon in Shropshire - what does that sound like? You’ll hear in a very special soundscape episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast on Sunday …Shrewsbury’s first Labour MP for almost twenty years - what’s the past twelve months been like for Dr Julia Buckley? And how does she answer the questions of listeners to Hello You the Shropshire podcast? Find out on Monday morning!To make sure you don’t miss any of these, and to be first to hear about future episodes, why not become a member of the Hello You family? It’s very easy; just subscribe, right here: If you want to make sure you hear the special soundscape episodes, in which I transport you somewhere in Shropshire by the power of stereo sound, make sure you take out a paid subscription! ‘As soon as I came through the door, I knew I’d done the right thing’Every Wednesday afternoon, the Acorn Singers gather in Hadley Community Centre to rehearse, chat and enjoy each other’s company. ‘Really passionate about sharing the joy with others’The group was set up by Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin, and in recent months it’s grown in both numbers and ambition. Now, one of its members has rewritten a favourite number from Cornish folk group Fishermen’s Friends, with the band’s approval, as a tribute to his home county of Shropshire.‘You live to come here’You can hear from some of the singers about what the group means to them and how singing makes them feel, and hear them in action, in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast. Get in touch?Share your thoughts on this or any episode of Hello You by leaving a comment: And I’d love to hear from you directly. Send me a message? Thank you for being thereIt means a hell of a lot that you take an interest in my work. If you enjoy Hello You the Shropshire podcast, why not share it with a friend, colleague or family member? Take care of yourself?Take care of the people around you … and I hope the people around you are taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

What would you ask Julia Buckley MP?The Labour government’s been in power for a year this weekend, and it’s a year since Dr Julia Buckley was elected Labour MP for Shrewsbury.I hope soon to be interviewing Dr Buckley about her first year in Parliament, and about the first twelve months of the Starmer administration, for Hello You the Shropshire podcast. I have a list of my own questions already, but what would you like me to ask Julia Buckley MP? Whether or not she’s your MP, whomsoever you voted for a year ago or would vote for now, what question would you like to hear Julia Buckley answer? Leave a comment, send me a message or email [email protected] Also in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast:* ‘Alligator Alcatraz’, ffs* six months in prison for wearing a t-shirt* people with plenty to say about artists with opinions, but who’ve said f**k-all about the bombing of hospitals* ‘perceptions of partiality’ (which would be a good name for a racehorse, one that would be in the far distance long before the stable door was bolted …)* the exact moment the BBC should have cut the feed from Glastonbury* will you take the Ick Lyric Video Challenge?! Changes to Hello YouSorry if you were expecting this email to be the Hello You Sunday Supplement, but the Supplement is no more. I explain why in this episode of the podcast. I’m making some other changes, too. Listen to find out what’s going to be different, and why. And tell me what you think of the changes by leaving a comment: The changes should leave me more time to investigate some of the stories that have been coming my way from members of the Hello You family, particularly since Discontent in Cell Block Number 9, the episode about Shrewsbury Prison. Please keep the story tips coming. Message me or use the confidential, secure Hello You Tip Line.What can you tell me about …… the Darwin Birthplace Trust? I’ve emailed them to ask about progress in making the house into a museum and attraction, but my emails have bounced back. Can you tell me what’s going on? … the student accommodation above Shrewsbury’s Market Hall? Now we (sadly) have no need for it, what’s it being used for? What will it be used for? Thank you for being a member of the Hello You familyIf you haven’t done so already, why not subscribe? And please tell your friends about Hello You the Shropshire podcast? Take care of yourselfTake care of the people around you, and I hope they’re taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘I’d rather feel everything to an extreme than feel nothing at all’ On a hot Thursday afternoon, I sat on a bench on Shrewsbury’s Pride Hill to record some conversations with whoever sat down next to me. In this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast, you can hear what happened.‘That’s something that brings me joy … serving others’You might recognise this guy’s face. If you spend much time in Shrewsbury’s town centre, he’s probably smiled at you from behind a coffee shop counter, or as you visit your bank, or just as you’re walking down the street. Smiling is very much his thing.This is Jack Salmon. I’ve known him since he was a kid; I was a friend of his family, in particular his late father, Rev Mark Salmon of the Church of the Holy Spirit in Sundorne. ‘My experience of death was such a blessed one that I want to help others who weren’t quite as fortunate’Jack is a remarkable individual in his own right. It was a joy to get the chance to talk to him, and to share that conversation and his wise, inspiring words with you on Hello You.Find out more about Jack’s theatrical and cabaret exploits at Spellbound Productions (that Moonlight Ball looks like it could be fun!). ‘I just got tired of being the fat kid’This is Will. He and his fellow students from Telford College were in Shrewsbury on a geography field trip when he stopped for a chat on the bench on Pride Hill.Why is he holding his belt like that? Because before Will took up running, that belt went around his waist only once. Now it goes more than halfway around him again.Hear Will’s story of how running … and running, and running … has changed his life on this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast. Walking a raccoonI’ll be sitting on other benches around Shropshire over the summer months. I love doing it. Even if few people stop to chat, the people-watching opportunities are tremendous!If you know of a bench where I could park myself for an hour or so, tell me where it is? Anywhere with a reasonable amount of passing footfall is good. It might be a street or a square, in a park or a churchyard, or it could be at an event, indoors or out. Send me a message telling me about the bench you have in mind, and I’ll put it on the list! Next weekend I’ll be recording on the bench outside Tesco Extra in Shrewsbury. I’ll be there from about 10:30am. Come along and say hello? What did you think of this episode of Hello You?Please let me know, and maybe spark a discussion, in the comments: This is what I doEngaged, curious, progressive conversation for and about Shropshire and the wider world. If you enjoy it, here’s how you can help Hello You:* tell your friends, family, colleagues, WhatsApp chat group members, your favourite barista or hairdresser, anyone. Just talk to them about Hello You?* share this episode with someone you think would appreciate it * subscribe! A free subscription gets you on the Hello You mailing list, so you’re the first to hear about new episodes, the Hello You Sunday Supplement, and so on* super-subscribe! If you take out a paid subscription, for less per month than two coffees at your favourite coffee shop, you get a bunch more stuff including the specially-recorded soundscape episodes Thank you for being thereIt means a lot to me that you’re interested in my work. Please become a member of the Hello You family by subscribing: Have the best weekend you possibly can …… in whatever your circumstances happen to be.Take care of yourself.Take care of the people around you.And I very much hope those people are taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘If it’s something that takes the edge off life, embrace it’If you’ve heard of urbex at all, you might just think of it as people going where perhaps they shouldn’t, just for the thrill of it.But for writer, photographer and urban explorer Chris Schurke, it’s much than that.It’s transformed his mental health and self-esteem. And he’s passionate about the idea of urban exploration shedding a light on social history, especially the stories of people who might otherwise be overlooked or forgotten.‘I can introduce myself with pride’Chris began his explorations fifteen years ago, when he became fascinated by the views from the rooftops of Shrewsbury. Some of his photographs from high above the streets of our county town have now been compiled into a new book called ‘Rooftops of Shrewsbury’.Since then, though, he’s travelled across Shropshire, across the UK and across Europe, exploring abandoned, disused and derelict structures where many of us would fear to tread. ‘I ended up on the set of Schindler’s List’You can read about Chris’s remarkable urban exploration in Shropshire at his blog, Shrewsbury From Where You Are Not. For his travels in other countries, check out Everywhere From Where You Are Not.And click on this link to buy Chris Schurke’s first book ‘Rooftops of Shrewsbury’!Remember, as Chris says in the interview:‘Weird people should embrace what makes them weird’ Any thoughts on what Chris had to say? Leave a comment: If you enjoy Hello You the Shropshire podcast …… why not share it with a friend, colleague of family member? Maybe post the link on your WhatsApp chat group, or on a Facebook page? And please tell people about Hello You? Mention it at work, chat about it in the pub or the café, talk about Hello You the Shropshire podcast with your netball team, after the service with your faith group, among your buddies on ParkRun, anywhere!Ribbit …Look, I’m really sorry that the summer cold I’ve been carrying for two or three weeks has left my voice so croaky and hard to listen to. I’ll be back to my mellifluous best soon, I hope.In the meantime, I can always score a few gigs as a tribute to this guy! Full-on frog action starts at 1’35”, up until then just enjoy the righteously parping New Orleans horns, and the white-booted go-go dancers who aren’t always quite together. The joys of live television …The Hello You Tip Line is open for businessDo you have something you’d like to talk about on Hello You?Maybe a story that needs to be told …You can contact me discreetly, securely and confidential on Signal. My username is jimallthetime.69Whatever you feel strongly about, whatever you want more people to know or understand, I’m here to listen to you. It’s what I do. I’m empathetic and compassionate; you’re safe to be your authentic self with me.Signal: jimallthetime.69 Or you can click here to send me a message: Thank you for being thereIt means a lot that you’ve become a member of the Hello You family.Have you subscribed yet? If not, just click here: And if you take out a paid subscription, as well as supporting Hello You the Shropshire podcast and thereby earning my ceaseless gratitude, you’ll have access to the Hello You soundscapes, too! I recorded a soundscape yesterday which I’ll publish on Monday, so sign up quickly to be sure you won’t miss it. It’s Shrewsbury as heard by Charles Darwin …In the meantime …Take care of yourselfStay cool, in every sense of the phrase. Don’t walk your dog when it’s hot, unless you’re prepared to do the same walk at the same time in a fur coat and barefoot.Have the best weekend you possibly can, in whatever your circumstances happen to be.Take care of the people around you, and they sure as hell had better be taking care of you. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘Offa’s Dyke ran through my grandfather’s pub’s beer garden’Offa’s Dyke is hugely significant … and, for that matter, huge.But how much do we in Shropshire know or understand about it? Or about the nature of the border between us and our neighbours to the west?‘There’s a fundamental human curiosity about where we’re from’This is something that’s occupied landscape archaeologist Mel Roxby-Mackey for many years. She’s been fascinated by Offa’s earthwork since, as a child, discovering it passes through the beer garden of the pub her grandfather used to run. ‘The archaeology of this part of the country is very, very special’Mel and her husband and fellow archaeologist Ian Mackey are trustees of the Offa’s Dyke Association, which operates a rather lovely heritage centre in Knighton, Powys. They want to make us more aware of the history and significance of Offa’s Dyke and the border. I met them - and Hamish the Archaeodog! - at the Offa’s Dyke Centre, overlooking the earthwork itself, for this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast.Also in this episode:Why do so many people say they always wanted to be an archaeologist? Why didn’t they follow their dreams?I’ve had a remarkable response to the Hello You episode about Shrewsbury Prison, Hello You 120: Discontent in Cell Block Number 9. Thank you to everyone who’s been in touch.And this would be a very good time to remind you of the confidential Hello You Tip Line!How and where do you listen to Hello You the Shropshire podcast? To answer this or get in touch about anything else, send me a message? If you like Hello You, why not make sure you never miss an episode by subscribing for free? And if you really like Hello You, why not support my endeavours to bring intelligent, progressive, informed and sometimes quirky conversation to Shropshire and beyond by taking out a paid subscription?Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Thank you for being a member of the Hello You familyTake care of yourself. Take care of the people around you, and I really hope they’re taking care of you, too. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

What would make you quit a job you loved?Donna, Paul and Stephen used to work at Shrewsbury Prison. They say they’d found their dream jobs … so what led them, and others, to leave?Donna, Paul and Stephen shared their stories with me. These stories raised questions that needed answers, so I spoke to Joel Campbell, CEO of the company that owns and runs the prison, for his response.Hear what each side has to say in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast.What do you make of what you hear? Leave a comment: This story came in via the Hello You Tip LineWhat is the Hello You Tip Line? What's it for? Should you use it? How does it work?If you have a story that you want to share confidentially, protecting your privacy as much as possible, you too can reach me via the Hello You Tip Line.This Substack post will tell you all about the Tip Line.Or just send me a message? Bruuuuuuuuuuuce!I’d waited almost fifty years, but last weekend I at last got to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band live!Read more about it, and find a whole bunch of great links and recommendations too, in this week’s Hello You Sunday Supplement. If you’ve enjoyed this episode …… of Hello You the Shropshire podcast, please feel free to share it with your friends, colleagues, family, the bloke down the pub, your WhatsApp chat groups … Thank you Thank you for being a member of the Hello You family. If you haven’t already, why not subscribe to Hello You to make sure you don’t miss anything? Take care of yourselfTake care of the people around you, and I hope they’re taking good care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘Why don’t I just die, and make life easier for you?’Jan Ward - professionally, Jan Daniels - from Hodnet is an entertainer. She’s a singer and songwriter, but her live performing career was cut short by her life-long health problems. You can find an album of her songs on Spotify.Jan’s on Universal Credit. Her recent dealings with the DWP left her distraught, depressed and contemplating suicide, as she explains in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast.Have you had a similar experience? Jan isn’t the first person to tell me they’ve felt the DWP’s approach to dealing with claimants has been uncaring, inflexible, officious and simply unkind. She is, though, the first to be prepared to tell their story. Are these stories representative of only a few people’s experiences? Or does this indicate there could be a cultural problem at the DWP? At the very least, shouldn’t benefits claimants be entitled to be treated with the same kindness and respect that, for example, a bank account holder would expect from their bank? What do you think of Jan’s story? Leave a comment by clicking here Coming soon on Hello You the Shropshire podcast Jan contacted me direct because she wanted her story to be heard. She’s not alone. Over the next couple of weeks you’ll hear some more remarkable stories, including startling claims from former staff at a very high-profile local organisation, and a response to those claims from the man at the top.To make sure you don’t miss anything, become a member of the Hello You family by subscribing. Just click here: And if you have a story you want to share, if you want to be really heard, just send me a message: The Hello You Signal Tip LineThat big episode I mentioned above, with people’s claims about their famous former workplace? That story came in via the Hello You Signal Tip Line.It’s a secure, confidential way of passing me information. If you’re concerned about possible consequences of sharing what you know, use Signal to contact me and it’ll be as watertight as it possibly can be. Secrets are safe with me.Download the Signal app then find me on there. My username is jimallthetime.69I’ll be putting a longer text post on Substack soon about why you might want to contact me confidentially, how to go about it in detail, and some do’s and don’ts for information sharing and whistleblowing. To be sure of that dropping into your inbox, along with everything else from Hello You World Headquarters, please subscribe: Don’t forget to tell your friends!If you like Hello You, if you find it interesting, helpful, entertaining, thought-provoking or just good company, then that makes me very happy indeed.Why not share Hello You the Shropshire podcast with your friends? Your colleagues? Your family, wherever in the world they may be? Your WhatsApp chat group?You can just click on this green button: … but the lower-tech way of spreading the word about Hello You is probably the most effective:Just talk to someone about Hello You. On the park-and-ride, at work, in the café, at the school gate, in the pub … wherever you meet people, you’ll meet someone who’d love to hear about Hello You the Shropshire podcast.So please, do me and them a favour? Sometime in the next week, just mention Hello You in conversation. Tell people what I do, and that you enjoy it. If they want to know more, send them to jimallthetime.substack.com.Take care of yourselfTake care of the people around you, and I really hope those people are taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘This is part of the histories of hundreds of people’Former mayor of Shrewsbury Jane Mackenzie knew that her grandfather had played a part in the effort that brought thousands of Jewish children to the UK as refugees from Nazi Germany. What she didn’t know was the extent of his involvement, and the lengths he went to in helping the children who came here. Jane’s been researching her grandfather’s story. She’s met people who worked alongside him, and many of the people whose lives were saved by coming to this country as refugees, including those who remember her grandfather, more than eighty years on. As Jane says, it’s ‘as relevant today as it ever was’.Hear Jane’s story in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast, and share it with someone else who’d find it interesting too: Also in this episode:My first week in a new job, some TV recommendations and a little political commentary that makes up in fervour what it lacks in nuance. Miraculously, I don’t swear. (I’ve just listened back to the tape to check that I didn’t, in fact, swear.)What do you think of this episode? This is what I doYou can’t find this anywhere else: Intelligent, informed, progressive and sometimes quirky conversation for and about Shropshire, its people and so much more besides.I hope you’re glad you’ve found Hello You I’m really glad you’ve found it! And I’m guessing that if you like my work, you know at least one other person who’d enjoy it too. You’re thinking of them right now, aren’t you? Why not do them (and me) a favour, and share Hello You with a like-minded friend? Thank you for being a member of the Hello You familyIf you like what you hear and read, why not subscribe for free? And if you really like it, why not help to ensure I can keep doing it by taking out a paid subscription? Can’t run to a subscription? You can always buy me a coffee instead!Get in touch?Jane Mackenzie wanted to tell both the story of her grandfather and that of her daughter Amy’s descent into alcohol addiction on Hello You the Shropshire podcast.Every week, more people get in touch with stories to share, topics to raise, suggestions for future episodes. I’m touched and honoured that they - you - choose Hello You as a trusted, empathetic place where they can truly be heard.If you have something to say, a story that needs telling, an idea for an investigation or a suggestion for a possible guest, send me a message. Email [email protected] or just hit this green button: Maybe you’re concerned about privacy, and you want to pass on some information discreetly and securely. Feel free to use the Hello You Tip Line. It operates via the Signal messaging app and my username is jimallthetime.69Soon I’ll post something about how the Hello You Tip Line works, and why you might want to use it. That’s on my to-do list, but I’ll get it to you soon.Take care of yourselfHave the best weekend you possibly can, in whatever your circumstances might be.Take care of yourself, and the people around you. I hope they’re taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

How do you make everything work together?As you might’ve gathered from a few glitches in the Hello You universe over the last couple of weeks, not everything’s been entirely plain sailing in my world of late.Illness, stress and overcommitting myself are to blame for most of them. And then I get clobbered by anxiety because of what’s not getting done …I realise this is a pretty small hill of beans compared to what many members of the Hello You family are trying to deal with right now. I’m thinking of you. If you want to talk, I’m here to listen. So this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast is partly an explanation why not everything’s gone according to schedule, partly an update on my circumstances, and partly a rant of disappointment at some of the news coverage of the awful incident in Liverpool. I’ve got some tremendous stuff already recorded for Hello You, thanks to some wonderful people who I’ve listened to over recent weeks. That’ll be coming your way soon, as soon as I can get it ready and bring it to you. In the meantime, this will tell you why I’ve not managed to do that just yet! Thank you for being thereWe’ll get through all this together. It's the only way. Take care of yourself. Take care of the people around you, and I hope the people around you are taking care of you, too.Love, Jim Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

Nerdy is no moreThe café, events space and gaming venue on Mardol in Shrewsbury closed last weekend. Some of the Nerdy diehards said goodbye to the venue with The Final Hurrah, a cabaret evening, on Sunday night. I went along to meet some of them and to take in part of the show. Hear what happened on this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast.It’s County Show weekend!Shropshire County Show takes place tomorrow (Saturday 24th) at the County Showground on Berwick Road in Shrewsbury.I’ll be there, sitting on a bench (or a bale) to record some random conversations, and making a soundscape of the event too. The soundscape won’t be a static one, I’ll lead you around the whole site so it’ll be like an audio movie in vivid stereo.You’ll be able to hear the soundscape on Monday morning as long as you’re a paid subscriber to Hello You the Shropshire podcast, and the bench/bale conversations will go out on Wednesday morning.Make sure you don’t miss them! Subscribe now, and you’ll get an email as soon as the podcasts are published. The soundscape episodes of Hello You are now for paid subscribers only, so if you want to hear the full wrap-around stereo presentation of a day at the Shropshire County Show, take out a paid subscription now! Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Thank you for being thereWhatever you’re doing, wherever you are, I hope you have the best (bank holiday, if applicable!) weekend that you possibly can.Take care of yourself. Take care of the people around you … and I hope they’re taking care of you, too. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

‘What was the pain that she was trying to numb?’Amy started drinking alcohol, along with many of her peers, in her very early teens. By the time she was a university student, she was addicted to alcohol‘It just took all the good things out of her life’Jane Mackenzie doesn’t want other young people to go through what Amy did. She doesn’t want other parents to know the pain she’s known, either. Find out how she tries to make sure that doesn’t happen, in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast.If Jane’s story connects with you, please feel free to share it with others? ‘I became an expert by experience’Jane became an expert on alcohol addiction through her own experience with Amy.What are you an expert on, by experience? Would you tell me your story on Hello You?Send me a message or leave a comment: Stories from your familyJane Mackenzie had another story to tell whilst we sat in her garden.Again, it involves a member of her family. But it’s a story about which she knew little, until she starting digging into it.What she’s discovered is so fascinating, Jane’s writing a book about it.It’s a story of courage, compassion and dogged resilience in the face of evil and bureaucracy. It also sheds light on an unknown facet of one of the great humanitarian actions of the twentieth century.You can hear Jane Mackenzie tell that story, next week on Hello You the Shropshire podcast. Also coming soon …The Hello You Sunday Supplement will drop into your inbox on Sunday morning, and next Monday I’ll release another Shropshire soundscape for you to relax with.To make sure you receive the Sunday Supplement full of links and recommendations, take out a subscription to Hello You the Shropshire podcast And to access the Shropshire soundscapes, upgrade your subscription to paid! Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Thank you for being thereI hope you have the best weekend you possibly can, in whatever your circumstances might be.Take care of yourself. Take care of the people around you, and I hope they’re taking care of you, too. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

Would you mind answering a few questions for me?There are some questions I’d love to know your answers to.Find out what those questions are in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast In return, I’ll answer questions for you and your friendsIf you’re part of a group, an organisation or a regular meet-up, fancy getting together for a chat?I’m happy to come to see you, either as a guest speaker talking about Hello You, radio, media, Shropshire and so on, or just to hang out and chat with you and your chums or colleagues. Message me? It’s Mental Health Awareness WeekMore help, support and resources from: * the Mental Health Foundation, including How does community boost our mental health?* Mind* Mental Health First Aid England* SamaritansPlease check out these pages, and share them with other people? If you enjoy Hello You the Shropshire podcast …… why not subscribe, so you never miss anything I publish? If you take out a paid subscription, that’ll be a huge help towards my goal of making intelligent, progressive, sometimes quirky audio content for Shropshire and the rest of the world, full time. And I’d be inexpressibly grateful. You could buy a chum a gift subscription, too! Or you could just share Hello You with them by clicking this button: Take care of yourselfTake care of the people around you, and I hope they’re taking care of you, too Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to the award-winning Hello You the Shropshire podcast!I was thrilled and very surprised to be recognised in Shrewsbury’s Mayor’s Awards for Hello You the Shropshire podcast. I’ll now be using the phrase ‘award-winning’ as often and as gratuitously as you’d expect. I picked up an award in the ‘Courtesy’ category, which is basically the ‘Vibe’ category. It recognises people whose work, volunteering or passion makes Shrewsbury a cool, exciting, supportive and good place to live. I’ll take that, thank you!Huge congratulations to the other award winners too! There’s a full list on Shrewsbury Town Council’s Facebook. The Gold Award in the ‘Courtesy’ category went to Shrewsbury Street Pastors, and the Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Maggie Love, Shrewsbury’s queen of theatre, dance and spectacle who set up the Shrewsbury Ambassadors scheme among so much else. Maggie’s next to me in this picture, along with Steve Jones from the Street Pastors.So, about the podcast …First off, apologies for no Hello You appearing on Wednesday. You know sometimes you just can’t? Well, I just couldn’t. Sorry.But you might be here to find out more about Hello You. Well, here’s the deal:You won’t find this anywhere else. Intelligent, informed, progressive and sometimes quirky conversation for and about Shropshire, enjoyed around the world. Compassionate storytelling, trying to make the world a better place.About stuff, and things: mental health and wellbeing, history and heritage, faith and belief, work, play and the complexities of life … all told through people’s authentic stories. Is this what you’re looking for? An alternative to news, arguments, stress and negativity? Catch every episode of Hello You by subscribing on Substack, or follow me on Spotifyor Apple Podcasts. Want to catch up on past episodes? Go to the Hello You World Headquarters Substack page!And tell your friends? If you enjoy Hello You, you probably know a bunch of other people who’d also get something from it. Just click this button:And for this episode: On a bench in the DingleOn Tuesday afternoon I took myself off to a bench in the Dingle, in Shrewsbury’s Quarry (Park). It was a particular bench, suggested by Denise on BlueSky who said she thought it has the best view of any in the county. But was it a prime spot for talking to people? It was certainly a good location for watching them …You can hear what happened in this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast.If you enjoy it, why not share this episode with a friend? Just click this button: Meanwhile, to help you visualise where I was on Tuesday afternoon … Thank you for being thereI hope you enjoyed Hello You 109. If you have thoughts, questions, suggestions, whatever then leave a comment:I’m always glad to hear from you:I’d be thrilled if you could hit Like on this, or wherever you’ve found it, or both? Thank you!Even better, why not become a Hello You family member by subscribing? You could even help me get closer to my aim of making Hello You the Shropshire podcast my full-time job, by taking out a paid subscription. That would be amazing …And finally: please share Hello You with a friend, colleague or family member?Take care of yourself?Take care of the people around you … and I hope that they’re taking care of you, too. Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe

*content warning: drug use, rape, extreme sex, suicide, grooming and coercive behaviour*‘I literally could not believe what I had done’James is thirty-six years old. A former hairdressing salon manager and estate agent, over the last six years he’s lost his job, his home and his husband because of chemsex.In this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast, James tells his story because, as he put it, if it stops just one person going the same way he did, it’s worth it. If you have someone you think would be interested in hearing what James has to say, send them this episode by clicking here: ‘Your morals and your sense of self are removed’It’s not an easy listen, and I think it’s brave of James to approach me to share his story. You may well find some of what he has to say difficult to deal with. These are accounts from a world - worlds, in fact - that may be very different from yours.But James says this:‘In Shropshire, you are never more than fifteen miles from someone using crystal meth, and having a party’It might be a different world, but it’s not necessarily a distant one. And James believes we need to be prepared for ‘a horrendous epidemic of people having the worst psychological issues’ as a result of chemsex and crystal meth.How much does your GP know about this? Would they know where and how to help someone who presented with mental health problems caused by crystal meth? Important: Where to get helpHelp for adults and young people in Shropshire with drug and alcohol issues is provided by Shropshire Recovery Partnership. What do you make of James’s story?Feel free to leave a comment (click here) or message me directly?Telling your story on Hello You the Shropshire podcastHello You is here to bring you the stories you won’t hear elsewhere, enabling you to hear the voices you won’t hear elsewhere.Do you have something you’d like to talk about on Hello You?Maybe a story that needs to be told …Send me a message. I’m always glad to hear from you, and happy to listen.If you’re concerned about confidentiality, you can contact me discreetly, securely and confidentially on the Signal messaging app. My username is jimallthetime.69Whatever you feel strongly about, whatever you want more people to know or understand, I’m here to listen to you. It’s what I do. I’m empathetic and compassionate; you’re safe to be your authentic self with me.Signal: jimallthetime.69 Help to make sure these stories can be toldIf you enjoy Hello You the Shropshire podcast, there are three ways in which you can show your appreciation.First: tell your friendsYour friends like a lot of the same stuff as you, right? So they’ll probably like Hello You too. Put a link to this episode or to jimallthetime.substack.com in your group chats on WhatsApp. Send Hello You to a friend who’ll enjoy it. It’ll give you something more to talk about, if nothing else! And you can do it easily by hitting this here green button: Second: take out a subscriptionThere’s no obligation or charge! You’ll get an email every time I publish anything, so you can keep up to date with what the Hello You family (and Shropshire) are talking about: Third: take out a paid subscriptionHello You the Shropshire podcast is provided free, but not without cost. Taking out a paid subscription helps to make sure that I can keep doing this, and it gets me a little closer to my ultimate goal of being able to do this full-time. Plus it gets you added extras like the Shropshire Soundscapes, which are now for paid subscribers only.I’m not going to say I think Hello You is important, but I do say that intelligent, informed, compassionate and inquisitive local journalism and progressive commentary is a big help in times like these. That’s what I’m trying to do, along with helping you and the wider world to hear stories and voices that you otherwise wouldn't.If you share those values, and if you value what I do, please take out a paid subscription: Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Thank you for being thereThank you for being part of the Hello You family. It’s good to have you here.Take care of yourself. Take care of the people around you. And I hope that they are taking care of you, too. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe