Author Archives: deansdiva

Being there for others

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Another busy Sunday coming up, with no fewer than three guests joining June on Girls Around Town this week…

And it’s all about talking, listening and being there for others!

Do you find it easy to chat to people? Do you like listening to the stories they have to tell? If you do, you’ll want to hear what Tracy Parr and Kathy Payne have to say in the first hour of the show.

They’ll be calling the studio to describe their respective roles within The Listening Line, a popular telephone befriending service launched by Newark and Sherwood CVS last autumn.

Local residents who are referred into the service receive a weekly phone call from a volunteer to see how they are and have a friendly conversation. But don’t imagine they’re just talking about the weather – apparently recent topics of conversation have included belly-dancing, Guinness and using Spotify!

Make sure you’re listening from just after 10.20am to find out more about how it works and how, by becoming a volunteer yourself, you could help to combat isolation and loneliness among vulnerable residents by sharing a weekly chat with one or two of them…

Another group offering help to local residents is Unlock Your You and in the second hour of the show it’s over to Colby-Christopher Williams to explain just what it does and how it does it.

A registered charity offering a range of services to bridge the gap between no support and clinical support, UYY is currently looking to launch a response unit here in Newark which would mean that a team member trained in mental health first aid would be available to provide immediate face-to-face support to anyone calling their helpline.

They’re also in early talks to have at least one mental health responder at both Newark Northgate and Newark Castle train stations, an initiative already in place at Melton Mowbray.

Colby will be on the phone from 11.10am to talk about his own involvement in the charity, the different ways they’ve adapted over recent months to continue offering support to those who need it and how you can get involved in the valuable work they do.

Don’t forget to put on your Sunday best by tuning in to 107.8FM or listening online from 10am to 12 noon to hear what Tracy, Kathy and Colby all have to say when they join June this weekend…

Show your local market a little love this Sunday

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Looking for a way to spend an hour or two this Sunday?

Well, from 10am to 12 noon you’ll be listening to your favourite weekend show on Radio Newark of course.

But afterwards you’ll have plenty of time to head over to Newark town centre to browse among the stalls of this month’s Artisan, Pre-loved and Eco Market, which will be open from 9am to 3pm…

And if you’re tuned in to Girls Around Town first, you’ll have a good idea of what to expect thanks to this week’s guest who’ll be chatting to June about just that!

Ian Harrison will be on the phone to the studio in the second hour of the show to report on the first market in the series, which took place on Sunday 25 April.

He’ll have details too of some of the different things on offer this weekend – set in one of the oldest and most attractive market places in the whole of the UK, you’ll find a range of artisan traders, entertainment and food along with vintage finds and unique quirky crafts.

Make sure you’re listening online or tuned to 107.8FM from 11.10am to hear what Ian has to say before you wander into town to take a look for yourself.

Who knows, you might even be able to start your Christmas shopping early – that’s June’s plan anyway!

Unlocking the power of reading

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Not one but two guests on Girls Around Town this weekend – and for a change, they’re both men!!

On the phone to the studio, Ian Merrill and Graham Keal will be talking about the work done by Shannon Trust, a national charity that supports thousands of prisoners across the UK every year, transforming their lives by unlocking the power of reading.

First up at 10.20am it’s Ian, the charity’s chief executive since October 2020, who will be telling June when and why the charity was set up and explaining the ways in which it achieves its aims.

Then just after 11.20am it’s the turn of Newark-based Graham, one of the trust’s volunteers, who’ll be describing just what his own role involves.

Some 50 per cent of people that end up in prison either can’t read or struggle to do so, meaning their life chances are limited from the word go.

With the help of its volunteers, Shannon Trust inspires and trains prisoners who can read – known as mentors – to teach those who can’t so they’re better set up for a positive future.

For them, learning to read is so much more than just stories – it will completely transform their lives, giving them the ability to engage in life-changing opportunities through education and training and, equally importantly, helping them maintain relationships with their families and friends, which reduces rates of re-offending.

Make sure you’re tuned to 107.8FM or listening online throughout the show this Sunday to hear what Ian and Graham have to say…

And find out how Shannon Trust’s Turning Pages reading programme, created by literacy specialists, has been used by over 6,000 adult learners since its launch in June 2015…