ONEOFTHE8 Real Life Stories

We talk to remarkable New Zealand based businesswoman, and solo mother of two, Jennifer Del Bel. We hear how a meeting with a father and his daughter Emma, a young woman with Down’s Syndrome, would change everything and lead to the launch of a whole new business called Downlights. We also hear how, through that business, Jennifer is setting a powerful and inspirational example to others for the introduction of more inclusion and diversity into the workplace.

We talk to former NFL player and founder of the Adaptive Training Foundation, David Vobora. We hear how a career curtailing injury, and a chance meeting with a man who had lost parts of both arms and both legs, altered the trajectory of David’s life. We also hear how that chance meeting led to David developing ground-breaking work that builds physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual strength in those who need it most.

We talk to Tokyo-born, London-based artist and graphic designer, June Mineyama-Smithson (aka Mamimu), a true creative soul on a mission to inject optimism into the world through her art. We hear about June’s collaboration with neuroscientist Dr Tara Swart on a project for ITV Creates that is designed to mark Mental Health Awareness Month.

We talk to Andy Young, founder and inspiration behind ‘My Outsourced IT’ and a man with a noble vision to equip disadvantaged homes with free laptops and tablets. We hear how Andy is connecting the disconnected by repurposing donated equipment, and at the same time looking after the planet by off-setting his carbon footprint.

We talk to Dutch designer, innovator and nature lover Matilde Boelhouwer. We hear how she has merged creativity with entomology and engineering to develop ‘Insectology: Food for Buzz’. We also hear how her awareness of a declining insect population has motivated Matilde to create a stunning collection of artificial flowers that also act as emergency feeding stations for our all-important pollinators.

We talk to Marie, founder and CEO of ‘The Choir With No Name’, and with Sal, Liverpool choir member and ambassador. We hear how their work is giving many homeless people a much-needed sense of identity, community and belonging. We also hear how the choir has grown since first founded in London, with the successful model now replicated in Birmingham, Liverpool, Brighton, and soon to be Cardiff.