The Change Makers

Hosted by Lydia Parkin and Clare Edwards

Society Culture News

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Latest episode

Mar 2024

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About the show

A podcast celebrating the remarkable not for profit people dedicating their careers to making positive change. We'll be talking to society's fixers, menders, mopper-uppers and fighters about why they do their job, what they see in their work and why it matters.

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11 recent

March 24, 2024Episode 554 min

Simon Evans, Wye and Usk Foundation, on why our rivers matter and what we can do to protect them

For Simon Evans, his passion for rivers has always run deep. If you'll excuse us the pun there!While his friends were down the pub, he was walking along canals, always fascinated by the beauty and diversity of our waterways.That passion led him to his current role, as chief executive of the Wye and Usk Foundation, an environmental charity that works to restore and protect the rivers Wye and Usk. In an inspiring and thought provoking conversation, we hear from Simon about why our rivers matter, the huge challenges facing them, and why we should all be fighting to protect them. Find out more about the Wye and Usk Foundation.If you would like to get in touch with The Change Makers team, email thechangemakerspod@gmail.com or find us on Instagram @thechangemakerspod.

January 25, 2024Episode 455 min

Elysha Paige, Bloody Good Period, on finding her purpose, tackling stereotypes, and knowing your own menstrual cycle

It was during the C0VID-19 pandemic that Elysha Paige became disillusioned with her work in tech consulting. Sat cramped over her kitchen table, staring endlessly at the screen in meeting after meeting, she knew she desperately needed a change. Elysha had always been passionate about feminism and gender issues, but didn't think it was possible to turn that into a career. Little did she know that the perfect role was just around the corner. Two years ago Elysha took a leap of faith and joined the charity Bloody Good Period, as programme manager of Bloody Good Employers, who are on a mission to create fairer and safer workplaces for people who menstruate. It was a major career and life shift, but one she doesn't regret for a minute. In fact, Elysha told us, it feels like she's well and truly found her calling.It was an absolute pleasure to chat to Elysha about her role and tackling stereotypes around the menstrual cycle (wave those sanitary towels in the air, people!), how it feels to find a job she is truly passionate about, and what success looks like for her. A truly inspiring conversation that made us both reflect on how we talk about periods. Find out more about Bloody Good Period.If you would like to get in touch with The Change Makers team, email thechangemakerspod@gmail.com or find us on Instagram @thechangemakerspod.

December 25, 2023Episode 31 hr 6 min

Karen Delin, Saint Francis Hospice, on nursing at Christmas, myths about hospices and her love of caring for others.

Caring and making change at Christmas. Karen Delin is a ward sister at Saint Francis Hospice, based just outside Romford in East London. She knew she wanted to be a nurse from the age of 5, and during the early years of the career she had dreamd of, she quickly realised palliative care was her passion. Our Christmas episode is a beautiful listen. Karen works every Christmas Day, so she shares what they do at Saint Francis Hospice to make the day as special as it can be for the patients on her ward and their loved ones. She also explains what it is about caring for people that she loves, she tackles a few of the common misconceptions about hospices (that they are scary and only for the end of life), how she deals with the highs and lows of a job that people assume is always sad, and why hospices offer so much value to the medical world. We recommend you listen to this whether you've experienced hospice care and you know how fabulous they are, if you have always wondered how the incredible staff do their jobs, or whether you believe hospices are sad, dingy places where nobody wants to be (because Karen will prove you wrong).Find out more about Saint Francis Hospice.Learn more about Hospices in the UK. If you would like to get in touch with The Change Makers team, email thechangemakerspod@gmail.com or find us on Instagram @thechangemakerspod.

December 7, 2023Episode 245 min

Patricia Parker OBE, Kids for Kids, on the reality of life in Sudan , why it matters that we know about it, and the power of goats.

Patricia Parker OBE was approaching a stage in her life where she hoped she could finally use her studio for the purpose for which it was intended: being creative. Instead a trip to see her son who was working in Sudan quickly turned into her next mission to make things better for others. More than two decades later, her studio remains the office where she runs Kids for Kids, a charity dedicated to transforming the lives of children and their families in what they call, the forgotten Darfur, an area of the country which faces tremendous hardship and is blighted by the horrors of war, genocide and extreme poverty. It’s a part of the world which receives little press coverage in this country, so prepare to learn lots and be inspired by a woman who is relentless in her quest to make lasting change, child by child, goat by goat.Content warning: There is a brief reference to female genital mutilations (FGM). Visit the Kids for Kids website.

November 27, 2023Episode 147 min

Marcia Lewinson, CEO at WAITS, on why campaigning for women's rights is in her blood

The statistics around domestic abuse in the UK make for grim reading. Shockingly, the police receive a call regarding domestic abuse every 30 seconds, but the majority of incidents are never reported. One in four women experience domestic abuse in their lives, and rates are thought to be higher for women who are Black, Asian and minority ethnic in this country. Marcia Lewinson has committed her career to supporting women through domestic abuse. Based in Birmingham, Marcia has been involved with WAITS since its early days, helping the charity to shape its work by listening to the needs of women in the city. Three decades on, she's at the charity's helm as its chief executive and is as passionate and determined as ever to reduce those statistics. In this powerful and inspiring conversation, we hear about why campaigning has always been in Marcia's blood, what we can all do to fight for women's rights, and why she won't stop until every woman in her community can feel safe. Another incredible woman making change. Content warning: We do discuss the topic of domestic abuse in this episode, so please take care when listening. If you need support, please visit the WAITS website or Refuge. Find out more about WAITS and its services: https://www.waitsaction.org.

June 22, 2023Episode 657 min

Matt Shardlow, Buglife on why bugs matter, and the enormity of the fight to protect invertebrates.

Without bugs, we would be in trouble. Their numbers are declining rapidly.Invertebrates, which are any animal without a backbone, such as starfish, snails, worms and wasps, make up the biggest proportion of life on earth. And they're important. They pollinate crops and are responsible for 1 in 3 of the mouthfuls of food we eat. They control pests, they are a food source for animals and they break down organic matter left by other animals. To quote Sir David Attenborough, without them, the world’s eco systems will collapse. Matt Shardlow is an environmental scientist and chief executive of Buglife, the only organisation in Europe devoted to the conservation of all invertebrates. We look into the reasons bugs are struggling to survive, the successful projects he's overseen and how they're attempting to challenge what we all think about bugs. We also discuss the significant change left to be achieved, and what drives him, the boy who you'd always find looking under logs as a child, to keep going. You won't look at bugs the same way again. Find out more about Buglife, the Bugs Matter campaign and how to become a member. Read Buglife's most recent report from their Bugs Matters campaign. Visit the NFU website. If you'd like to get in touch with The Change Makers team, email thechangemakerspod@gmail.com or find us on Instagram, @thechangemakers.

June 7, 2023Episode 537 min

Pt 2: Katrina Moffat, Girlguiding, on leadership, role modelling and the King.

How many of you can remember reciting your Girlguiding promise, earning badges or singing songs by the campfire? Girlguiding is so popular in the UK that in some areas it’s recommended that you register your daughters from birth to guarantee a place in Rainbows when they’re four. It’s mission? To help all girls know they can do anything. To do this, the organisation relies on nearly 100,000 volunteers to run the thousands of packs of Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers, as well as training their young leaders to achieve their qualification. One of those volunteers is Katrina Moffat. In addition to her work for North Tyneside Learning Trust tackling social mobility and inequality in education, she gives hours a week to Girlguiding – running a group, supporting new leaders county wide, and on a national level, contributing to a major overhaul to its young leaders qualification. We talk about why she gives so much of her time to Girlguiding, the modern day relevance of the organisation and its role in influencing positive change in young women. We reflect on her nomination for a British Empire Medal and how she, a mere ‘girl from Cumbria’ ended up in Westminster Abbey on the day of the King’s Coronation. Find out more about Girlguiding. Learn more about their Girls Attitudes Survey.If you’d like to get in touch with The Change Makers team, email thechangemakerspod@gmal.com or find us on Instagram: @thechangemakerspod.

May 25, 202350 min

Pt 1: Katrina Moffat, North Tyneside Learning Trust on supporting young people to thrive in the face of inequality.

It is a fact that in the UK, if you are born to wealthy parents you are more likely to do better at school, progress to university and secure higher paid jobs. A country that is socially mobile offers equal opportunities to everyone, regardless of whether your parents are rich or poor, but the UK has one of the lowest social mobility rates compared to most major EU countries. Recent data shows that inequality is worsening.Katrina Moffat is working to change this. She is a project manager at North Tyneside Learning Trust, working with schools across the region to improve education and life chances for the young people that attend. The North East has some of the worst outcomes for young people, with typically lower higher education entry rate and last year, exam results reflected a widening gap between the north and the south.After being exposed to this unfair reality in her early career, Katrina has supported hundreds, if not thousands, of young people to thrive in the face of inequality.And if that isn’t enough, she has also volunteered for Girlguiding for nearly 20 years. So, we’ve split this meaty conversation in two. In part one we’ll be delving into social mobility, what it means, what challenges young people are facing – through no fault of their own – and what work Katrina is doing to change this incredibly complex issue.Find out more about North Tyneside Learning Trust Find out more about Villiers Park Educational TrustYou can find out more about research into social mobility from the State of the Nation Report published by the Social Mobility Commission. If you'd like to get in touch with The Change Makers team, email thechangemakerspod@gmail.com or find us on Instagram: @thechangemakerspod.

May 11, 2023Episode 349 min

Jeanette Farrow, Compassionate Neighbours, on the realities of a lonely life, and having purpose.

Loneliness and isolation is thought to be one of the most serious health issues we face. It's as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, it is linked with an increased risk of multiple health conditions including stroke and heart disease, and it affects millions of people in the UK. Jeanette Farrow is the project manager for Compassionate Neighbours, a social movement which is tackling loneliness and isolation by training volunteers and matching them with those on their own, so they can build new connections and form friendships. Started by the hospice movement, Jeanette's branch of Compassionate Neighbours is based at Garden House Hospice Care in Letchworth Garden City. A former social worker, it was down to the illness of a child in her care that Jeanette was introduced to the world of hospices and subsequently, to those facing loneliness and social isolation. In this episode, we delve into the realities being faced by the people Jeanette is meeting, the power of the connections she and her team are driving, why she feels she can never do enough and how loneliness may be being felt by those closer than you think.Find out more about Compassionate Neighbours in North Hertfordshire: https://www.ghhospicecare.org.uk/compassionate-neighboursYou can find out more about research into loneliness, including the facts stated above, on the Campaign to End Loneliness website.If you'd like to get in touch with The Change Makers team, email thechangemakerspod@gmail.com or find us on Instagram: @thechangemakerspod.

April 27, 2023Episode 247 min

Dom Smithies, Student Minds on the need to remember the mental health of students.

In the UK, around half of young people go to university, and 1 in 3 of those people report poor mental wellbeing. The same number say their mental health has worsened since beginning university. Enter Dom Smithies, Influencing and Advocacy lead at Student Minds, the UK’s student mental health charity. By listening to the needs and concerns of students, understanding the issues affecting them, responding to Government consultations and campaigning on the topics that aren’t being picked up, Dom is dedicated to improving these mental health outcomes and encouraging this competitive and complex industry to change. We chat to Dom about his route into student mental health, the reasons students may struggle with their mental health and the multiple ways he and his team are working to tackle these issues. We discuss how the government could do better by young people and reflect on the third sector more broadly – including the sense of never being able to do enough. If you are a student, parent or carer of a student or simply interested in mental health – this episode will leave you confident that brilliant people are fighting to make things better.· Find out more about Student Minds at: https://www.studentminds.org.uk/· Details of the statistics quoted can be found in this Student Minds insight briefing. · If you’d like to get in touch with the Change Makers team, email thechangemakerspod@gmail.com or find us on Instagram @thechangemakerspod. Content warning: We discuss the topic of suicide in this episode, so please take care listening. If you are affected by this or any of our conversation, please visit the Samaritans website.

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