It's about time John

As the 5 of us quickly got to know each other we realised that a podcast based on our own lockdown experiences would be a powerful listening experience as well as capturing a moment in history. After briefly setting the scene in terms of our own mental health issues, the aim was to recall key moments in lockdown, how it made us feel, how we coped and ultimately how our experiences could help others. The approach was unscripted and conversational responding to open questions in order to ensure the podcast was authentic, real and relatable to the listener.

Listen as Anne and Wayne share their personal stories of the positive effects becoming involved with the Arts has had on their mental health and wellbeing.  

This summer, a group of local people from the Liverpool City Region got together online to make podcast series about our lived in mental health experiences during the Coronavirus pandemic. 

Many of us had never made a podcast before. 

With funding from the European Social Fund and specialist online training from BBC professionals, we learned the skills required to co-produce a podcast series. 

National mental health charity Richmond Fellowship worked with BBC Radio Merseyside, Voluntary Arts England and Timebanking UK to support us to create five episodes that each highlight the challenges that ‘lockdown’ restrictions have posed to mental health and wellbeing, particularly those who became isolated as a result.

Our podcast series is now available to listen to online at anchor.fm/itsabouttime 

We hope that our personal stories and those of the guests we interviewed can bring hope and inspiration to listeners across the world about how to get through this difficult time. You might be isolated, but you do not have to feel alone.

This is our podcast series, It’s About Time.

Join Geoff, Corinne, Diane, Andrew, Teresa and Joanne  in "Building Confidence in a fun and  creative way" podcast ....to hear advice and help from our small team of podcasters, who have had lived experience of mental health issues, we are also joined by 2 guests from the theatre and improvisation world.

Considering the Experience of Lockdown in the City and in the Countryside

Host Bobby Owens chats to choir director and musician JP McWinen about whether we really can 'sing our way to happiness' and why music might keep us in tune with ourselves and connected to others, even during lockdown.

Produced by Aisling Leyne, Researched by Helen Ball and Paul Newton.