Hello You - the Shropshire podcast with Jim Hawkins

Jim Hawkins
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  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

I’m trying to give you something a little different. Hello You is about stuff, and things. People, and stories. Shrewsbury, and Shropshire. Mental health and well-being. History and heritage. Arts, culture and music. Faith, belief and the complexities of life. I’m a good listener. It’s what I do. And for Hello You, I’m listening to (and talking with) fascinating people, mostly but not always from Shropshire, so that you can hear what they have to say. It's public-service local journalism that cares about people. Audio that brings you the voices of people you might not hear from otherwise. Interviews conducted with compassion and empathy. Thoughtful, positive, good-humoured conversations, informed local storytelling, and commentary that’s not afraid to get righteously angry on occasion. jimallthetime.substack.com

  1. At last! The Long-Awaited, Somewhat Overdue, Almost-Mythical Hello You Episode 150

    12/29/2025

    At last! The Long-Awaited, Somewhat Overdue, Almost-Mythical Hello You Episode 150

    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 podcast Huge 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 it Thanks 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 there Please 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

    20 min

  2. 12/16/2025

    Hello You 149a: the video version!

    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

    9 min

  3. 12/15/2025

    Hello You 149a: Rapt by Wrapped!

    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

    9 min

  4. 11/19/2025

    Hello You 149: Julia Buckley MP answers your questions and mine

    Shrewsbury’s Labour MP answers questions from listeners to Hello You the Shropshire podcast Back 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 friend If 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 there Please, 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

    1h 7m
  5. WTF is happening with the BBC?

    11/10/2025

    WTF is happening with the BBC?

    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

    9 min

  6. 11/07/2025

    Hello You 148: Jonny Thaw loves his country

    ‘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, you Thank 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 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

    27 min

  7. 10/25/2025

    Hello You 147: The lost art of noticing

    ‘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 love If 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 family Take 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

    1h 33m

  8. 10/16/2025

    Hello You 146: Home wasn't built in a day

    ‘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 me Good 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 family Take 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

    46 min
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About

I’m trying to give you something a little different. Hello You is about stuff, and things. People, and stories. Shrewsbury, and Shropshire. Mental health and well-being. History and heritage. Arts, culture and music. Faith, belief and the complexities of life. I’m a good listener. It’s what I do. And for Hello You, I’m listening to (and talking with) fascinating people, mostly but not always from Shropshire, so that you can hear what they have to say. It's public-service local journalism that cares about people. Audio that brings you the voices of people you might not hear from otherwise. Interviews conducted with compassion and empathy. Thoughtful, positive, good-humoured conversations, informed local storytelling, and commentary that’s not afraid to get righteously angry on occasion. jimallthetime.substack.com

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