Bench Talk

Jo Hilditch
  • 5.0 (26)
  • PERSONAL JOURNALS
  • TWICE MONTHLY

The High Sheriff of Herefordshire, Jo Hilditch, shines a light on a cross section of personalities from the county – from celebrities to volunteers, from entrepreneurs to frontline workers. As well as learning what make them tick and hearing about their work in the community, she also discovers their favourite, and their least favourite, aspects of Herefordshire life. Pick up some tips on the best that Herefordshire has to offer ….. and maybe what to avoid too. A candid, fast-paced podcast promising pertinent questioning and personal revelations.

  1. 27. Jo Hilditch - Bench Talk with Tricia Thomas

    06/04/2022

    27. Jo Hilditch - Bench Talk with Tricia Thomas

    Jo’s being interviewed this time. Her first podcast was with Tricia Thomas who here turns the tables on Jo and they talk about the highs and lows of a year in office as High Sheriff of Herefordshire. References: Longlands Care Farm Hope Scott House Orphans Press Travel Tonic Hereford Cathedral Hereford Make The Cartshed Parkinsons UK ECHO No Wrong Door National Crimebeat Awards Street Pastors Hereford - Lean on me Vennture We are Farming Minds Food Banks Hereford Herefordshire Community Foundation Visit Herefordshire – www.visitherefordshire.com

    23 min
  2. 26. John Eden - Bench Talk with Jo Hilditch

    21/03/2022

    26. John Eden - Bench Talk with Jo Hilditch

    Today I am talking to John Eden who is the Chief Executive of the Herefordshire Association for the Blind as well as being the Director of Music at St Martins, Hereford. As well as being a deeply Christian man John also runs the Hereford Church Singers about which we talk today. If you ever want to hire a brilliant choir for your church service - wedding or funeral - then here’s your answer. References: Hereford Association for the Blind St Martins Church, Hereford - www.stmartinshereford.org.uk Royal National College for the Blind - https://www.rnc.ac.uk/ Hereford Cathedral - .https://www.herefordcathedral.org Ledbury - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ledbury Hereford Church Singers - http://www.herefordchurchsingers.co.uk Visit Herefordshire – www.visitherefordshire.com

    18 min
  3. 25. Beth Fortey - Bench Talk with Jo Hilditch

    07/03/2022

    25. Beth Fortey - Bench Talk with Jo Hilditch

    Today I am talking to Beth Fortey who is a breast cancer survivor.  We’re going to talk about her journey over the last 18 months, of diagnosis, treatment and recovery and much more besides.  Beth is resilient, positive and looking forward to a future where her hair is properly grown out! She’s also looking forward to giving a bit back and when she recovers all her energy she will be looking to getting back in the workplace and volunteering her services to the community. Today Bench talk comes from a bench in one of Yelenis treatment rooms where Beth has had her 6 free treatments as well as joining others for restorative chats with friends who have gone through the same. Strangely we are sitting in front of a large wall covering of a peaceful sea; and we couldn’t be further from the sea in the middle of Herefordshire, but it’s very calming! References: Vicky’s Accessible Herefordshire Page - Accessible Herefordshire Information Page (mailchi.mp) Visit Herefordshire – www.visitherefordshire.com Westfield Special School - Home - Westfield School Leominster Great Ormond Street - Great Ormond Street Charity | Home (gosh.org) Megan Baker House - Home — Megan Baker House Star College - National Star College at Hereford Cattle Market Shopping - Old Market Shopping in Hereford | Shops, Restaurants, Cinema in Hereford (oldmarkethereford.co.uk) Berrington Hall - Berrington Hall | National Trust Herefordshire (accessiblecountryside.org.uk) Motability scheme - Motability Scheme - The Car and Scooter Scheme for disabled people Aylestone Park - (2) Aylestone Park | Facebook Core Skate - Home | TheCore (skatehereford.co.uk)

    28 min
  4. 24. Vicky James - Bench Talk with Jo Hilditch

    21/02/2022

    24. Vicky James - Bench Talk with Jo Hilditch

    Vicky Nicolson-James is the mother of lovely Clementine. 18 year-old Clemmie has profound and multiple physical and learning difficulties and has been looked after assiduously by her mother and father, as well as being at Westfield Special School in Leominster. Having a disability of any sort makes life difficult for the individual and of course the rest of the family especially when out and about trying to do the everyday things we all take for granted; as well as visiting tourist attactions. Vicky is making it a project to improve awareness in the community with her Accessible Herefordshire campaign – imagine if you can’t take the family out because there’s nowhere suitable to change your child. This podcast will make you realise how lucky you are – if you know nothing about living with a disability, or with a person with a disability this podcast will give you an understated view and help you appreciate the resilience needed and so well displayed by this lovely lady. It is particularly poignant for me as I had a sister Nicky, who was very similar to Clemmie, and was one of the early pupils at Westfield, so I well understand the daily struggles. Today our bench was in the quiet kitchen of Westfield Special School. References: Vicky’s Accessible Herefordshire Page - Accessible Herefordshire Information Page (mailchi.mp) Visit Herefordshire – www.visitherefordshire.com Westfield Special School - Home - Westfield School Leominster Great Ormond Street - Great Ormond Street Charity | Home (gosh.org) Megan Baker House - Home — Megan Baker House Star College - National Star College at Hereford Cattle Market Shopping - Old Market Shopping in Hereford | Shops, Restaurants, Cinema in Hereford (oldmarkethereford.co.uk) Berrington Hall - Berrington Hall | National Trust Herefordshire (accessiblecountryside.org.uk) Motability scheme - Motability Scheme - The Car and Scooter Scheme for disabled people Aylestone Park - (2) Aylestone Park | Facebook Core Skate - Home | TheCore (skatehereford.co.uk)

    25 min
  5. 23. Alan Blake - Bench Talk with Jo Hilditch

    07/02/2022

    23. Alan Blake - Bench Talk with Jo Hilditch

    Please welcome my oldest podcastee! At 90 years old Alan Blake was inspired by Captain Sir Tom Moore to go the extra mile. And so he has. Living on the banks of the River Wye in Hereford he decided to walk round his garden enough times to be the equivalent of the steps taken to to climb Mount Everest. That’s 556 circuits of his steep riverside garden - incredible! His wife Valerie suffers from Parkinsons so this is an obvious charity for Alan to support along with the Hereford Rotary and the parish of Burghill where he lived for many years. I first walked with him at the beginning of my tenure, so it was wonderful to be with him on the day he finished. Our bench today is at his house, at the top of his garden, looking onto the River Wye just downstream of the Victoria Bridge - a good place to relax following his exhausting climb! References: Parkinsons: https://www.parkinsons.org.uk Hereford Rotary Club: https://www.rotary-ribi.org/clubs/homepage.php?ClubID=605 and https://www.facebook.com/herefordcityrotaryclub/ Burghill Church - https://www.facebook.com/burghillchurch/ Hereford Cathedral - https://www.herefordcathedral.org Mappa Mundi - https://www.themappamundi.co.uk Black and White Village Trail - https://www.blackandwhitetrail.org Visit Herefordshire - https://www.visitherefordshire.co.uk DONATE TO ALAN - https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/louise-blake-1?utm_term=9ZNY38Y7

    14 min
  6. 22. Daniel Lister - Bench Talk with Jo Hilditch

    24/01/2022

    22. Daniel Lister - Bench Talk with Jo Hilditch

    Daniel Lister was the “Covid Mayor” of Ross.  His redemptive story shows us all how if you make good choices in your life you can find your way to a respected way of living.  For Daniel it was not always thus.  Brought up in East Anglia, Daniel fought his way through his teens and twenties (literally and metaphorically) where his life involved leaving home as a teenager, dealing drugs, couch surfing, some sexual abuse and difficult family relationships.  Listen to him talk about the troubles of his early life and how he found his way into employment and then to becoming a town councillor for Ross, and eventually becoming Mayor. But this isn’t all he does – his firm opinion is that doing positive things in the community really helps you get over all the difficulties that you may have confronted in your past and in turn you can help others as he has proved in his current job. And his volunteering around the community is non-stop – amazing he has time to sleep!   Today our noisy Bench is in the Tap House in Ross on Wye – a micropub of great local renown and Daniel’s regular watering hole.   References:   EnviroAbility - www.EnviroAbility.org.uk  Volunteer committee member at the Basement youth trust youth club - https://basementyouthtrust.wordpress.com/ Volunteer board Member at the Larrapurez community centre - https://larruperzcentre.org/ Volunteer Radio presenter, personnel manager and trustee at Hereford hospital radio  Co-Founder and lead of OCR Solomudders, a supportive running group specializing in Obstacle course running uk wide and overseas   https://www.ocrsolomudders.org.uk/ Independent town councillor in Ross on wye - https://www.rosstc-herefordshire.gov.uk/ Former workplace at PGL - PGL - School Trips, Summer Camps & Adventure HolidaysVisit Herefordshire – www.visitherefordshire.com The Tap House - (9) The Tap House | Facebook Town and Country trail around Ross - 5 breathtaking hikes to enjoy in and around Ross-on-Wye | The Hope & Anchor (thehopeandanchor.co.uk) Hope and Anchor Pub - The Hope & Anchor Restaurant, Bar & Rooms | Ross On Wye (thehopeandanchor.co.uk) Queenswood pub and Café - Queenswood Country Park & Bodenham Lake - Herefordshire, UK (queenswoodandbodenhamlake.org) Hereford Hospital Radio - Hereford Hospital Radio | Free Internet Radio | TuneIn

    29 min
  7. 21. Jonathan Bland - Bench Talk with Jo Hilditch

    10/01/2022

    21. Jonathan Bland - Bench Talk with Jo Hilditch

    Today I am talking to Jonathan Bland who is just 14, but already a mover and a shaker in the world of volunteers. I met him when he was nominated as a Young Good Citizen by the local Safer Neighbourhood Police Team. Jonathan is very busy - he volunteers at the local food centre, has a mediator role at adoptive families weekends’ he is a climate change activist and is a young leader at his local Messy church. He loves Leominster (of course, we all do!) and I guess he also goes to school! Today Bench talk comes from the Leominster Priory – again we started outside on a church wall, but retreated inside as the cold rain started coming down. References: Leominster Food Share - (11) Leominster Food Share | Facebook Leominster Food Bank - Home - Leominsterfoodbank Messy Church - Messy Church at Leominster Priory church | Messy Church NYFTY (folk group) - NYFTE - The National Youth Folklore Troupe of England - NYFTE - The National Youth Folklore Troupe of England, The Courtyard - Home - The Courtyard Grange Court Leominster - Grange Court Leominster Leominster Priory - Leominster Priory Tenbury Ormiston Academy School - Tenbury High Ormiston Academy Welcome - Tenbury High Ormiston Academy Visit Herefordshire - Visit Herefordshire | Feel a World Away | Official Tourism Site

    22 min
  8. 20. Sarah Brown - Bench Talk with Jo Hilditch

    24/12/2021

    20. Sarah Brown - Bench Talk with Jo Hilditch

    For my Christmas podcast it seemed appropriate to talk to Sarah Brown, the new Dean of Hereford Cathedral. Please take time to listen to her – she talks ghosts and dog collars; and of an errant past, calling herself a “dangerous beast”, how she found God, how the church needs to open its doors and encourage more people in, how many volunteers support the Cathedral community, the past challenge of Covid, the present challenges she has which are the everyday challenges we all have, the challenges that face everyone at Christmas and of course how God can be our redeemer. But don’t be put off, she is definitely not pious! Although only recently arrived Sarah offers some thoughts about the overall stunning beauty of Herefordshire, how welcoming and warm the people are, and how delicious the food and drink can be. We all agree! Our bench is in Hereford Cathedral with the organ being played in the background by one of the organ scholars. Our voices echo around this beautiful building as we chat away about her new life with us here. References https://www.herefordcathedral.org https://www.visitherefordshire.co.uk Diocese of Hereford (anglican.org)

    34 min
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5
out of 5
26 Ratings

About

The High Sheriff of Herefordshire, Jo Hilditch, shines a light on a cross section of personalities from the county – from celebrities to volunteers, from entrepreneurs to frontline workers. As well as learning what make them tick and hearing about their work in the community, she also discovers their favourite, and their least favourite, aspects of Herefordshire life. Pick up some tips on the best that Herefordshire has to offer ….. and maybe what to avoid too. A candid, fast-paced podcast promising pertinent questioning and personal revelations.

Information

  • Creator
    Jo Hilditch
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2022
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    This website and its content is copyright of The High Sheriff of Herefordshire, Jo Hilditch and Rural Media – © [Bench Talk] [2021]. All rights reserved. Any redistribution or reproduction of part or all of the contents in any form is prohibited other than the following: We welcome you to download and play the podcast and share with others for personal use; please acknowledge Bench Talk and Jo Hilditch as the source of the material
You may not, except with our express written permission, distribute or commercially exploit the content. The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by Bench Talk and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose.
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