Spare a Thought

Welcome to Spare a Thought. The podcast for curious minds, exploring creativity, culture and stories from the margins. Join host Tom Spare for conversations that go to unexpected places, from the Welsh landscape and Japanese architecture, to media ownership and hidden British history. Whether you're on the morning commute, taking a Sunday stroll or looking for a lunchtime listen, take time out of your day to Spare a Thought.

  1. APR 27

    The Waters that Raised Us

    Spare a Thought returns with a refreshed format. The podcast for curious minds exploring creativity, culture and stories from the margins. In this episode, Tom explores the recently published essay anthology The Waters that Raised Us, a powerful collection of unique stories, histories and imagined futures for the waters of Wales. Tom is joined by some of the books' authors. Taylor Edmonds, who is both contributor and editor, as well as Kathryn Tann and Sofia Brizio. The Waters that Raised Us is available to buy via Seren Books.  The title track for this show is "Young Shall Grow", with thanks to Afro Cluster, Magugu, and Asha Jane. Keep up to date with Tom's work via his Substack: https://tomspare.substack.com/  Get the latest news on the podcast via the Spare a Thought Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spareathoughtmedia/  You can listen to all previous episodes wherever you get your podcasts or head to: https://spareathought.podbean.com/  Guest bios Taylor Edmonds is a poet, writer and creative facilitator from Barry. She is the founder of Writing for Joy, where she provides writing for wellbeing workshops for community groups, schools, hospitals and corporate clients. Taylor’s debut poetry pamphlet Back Teeth was published by Broken Sleep Books in 2022. She was the 21-22 Poet in Residence for the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales. She has received a Rising Stars Award from Literature Wales and Firefly Press for her writing for young people. Taylor’s stage debut, Demand the Impossible, written for Common/Wealth Theatre, showed The Corn Exchange in October 2025.   Kathryn Tann is a writer, editor, and creative producer based between the south coast of Wales and North Yorkshire. She is the author of the essay collection Seaglass (Calon Books, 2024), Co-founder and Editorial Director of Folding Rock Magazine, and the creator of the This Place podcast and Dwell newsletter. With a background in literature programming, including roles with New Writing North and the Durham Book Festival, she now serves on the board for York Creatives. Her work has appeared in The Guardian, The Scotsman, and Nation.Cymru, among others. Kathryn holds a 1st Class degree in English from Durham University and a distinction-level MA in Creative Writing from the University of Manchester.  Sofia Brizio is a bilingual journalist, writer, trained copyeditor, and freelance translator. She graduated in Journalism and holds an MA in Cultural and Creative Industries from Cardiff University. Currently, she is a PhD researcher at the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity (Birmingham City University). Her research examines the representation of disability in UK online news and raises questions surrounding language and identity, investigating journalistic practices and exploring how to work towards a more inclusive media landscape.  Spare a Thought is a Be the change. Media Network production. The views and opinions expressed by guests and hosts are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the change. Media Network or its partners.

    31 min
  2. APR 12

    Rethinking Student Loans

    In this episode, Tom turns his attention to the student loan system in the UK, asking whether it is fit for purpose. You'll hear from six Plan 2 graduates: Josh, Tom, Emily, Alex, Brie and Bee, who share their experiences of a debt that keeps growing. Tom also speaks with Ollie from Rethink Repayment, a campaign pushing the UK government to fundamentally reform the system. Tom draws on a decade working in Higher Education, his own student loans, and field recordings from the Educate, Empower, Employ march he attended in November 2012 to tell the story of how we got here, and what needs to change. If you have UK student loan, you can share your experience with the UK Treasury Committee via the link below. Contributions close on Tuesday 14th April. Share your student loan experience with the Treasury Committee: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=nt3mHDeziEC-Xo277ASzSugWXtlS9G1OpuyhNtc2h8lURjBYV1pUQ0FKWEUzTEpUSkdCQktYRzRPUCQlQCN0PWcu To find out more about Rethink Repayment, sign the petition, or email your MP, head to: https://www.rethinkrepayment.com/ Sign the Rethink Repayment petition: https://www.rethinkrepayment.com/sign-the-petition If you'd like to hear more about the financial pressures facing universities, listen to Tom's previous episode on cuts at Cardiff University: https://spareathought.podbean.com/e/cuts-at-cardiff-university/ The title track for this show is "Young Shall Grow", with thanks to Afro Cluster, Magugu, and Asha Jane. Keep up to date with Tom's work via his Substack: https://tomspare.substack.com/ Get the latest news on the podcast via the Spare a Thought Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spareathoughtmedia/ You can listen to all previous episodes wherever you get your podcasts or head to: https://spareathought.podbean.com/ Spare a Thought is a Be the Change. Media Network production. The views and opinions expressed by guests and hosts are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the Change. Media Network or its partners.

    35 min
  3. APR 7

    Help shape next week's episode

    Reforming Tuition debt repayments in the UK  There is no episode of Spare a Thought this week, but I do need your help. I am currently developing an in-depth feature regarding the necessity of a fairer student loan repayment system in the United Kingdom. In collaboration with Rethink Repayment, this upcoming episode aims to highlight the financial realities faced by those under the Plan 2 repayment structure. Call for Case Studies We are seeking formal contributions from individuals who meet the following criteria: Student Status: English or Welsh undergraduate students. Academic Timeline: Individuals who commenced their degree between September 1, 2012, and July 31, 2023. Submission Requirements If you fall within this 11-year window, please submit a voice note to tom@spareathought.net by Sunday, April 12th. To ensure a comprehensive case study, please include: Personal Identification: Your full name. Academic Background: Your university, degree subject, and years of study. Financial Data: Your initial debt balance upon graduation versus your current outstanding balance. Contextual Reflection: If possible, record your immediate thoughts while viewing your live balance on screen to help us articulate the specific challenges of this system. Recent Features from the Archive While we finalize this report, we encourage listeners to explore our recent series on Welsh cultural history: Monumental Welsh Women: A two-part study with Emily Mary. The Welsh Language: An exploration of linguistic heritage with Ben Kitchener. The Arthurian Legend: Filmmaker Dan Freeman discusses the Welsh origins of King Arthur and the legend's influence on Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and the Star Wars mythos. Contact & Deadlines Submission Email: tom@spareathought.net Deadline: Sunday, April 12th

    3 min
  4. MAR 15

    Essay No.1: Long Covid Awareness Day

    In today's episode, Tom tries something different. Instead of a guest interview, this is the first in a series of short essays, just Tom, in his own words, reflecting on issues that matter. Essay #1 marks Long Covid Awareness Day 2026. Six years after lockdown began, an estimated two million people in the UK are still living with Long Covid, and most of us have moved on as if the pandemic is over. Tom argues it isn't. Drawing on his own experiences of the pandemic and conversations with Long Covid sufferers from previous episodes, Tom reflects on the heroes we celebrated and then forgot, the chasm the pandemic widened between the privileged and the vulnerable, and what we can all do at a personal and political level to support those still suffering. This essay references Tom's three Long Covid episodes from 2025, and one focused on young people whose education was impacted by the wider pandemic. You can find them here: Living with Long Covid Supporting those living with Long Covid Long Covid Kids Generation Covid Keep up to date with Tom's work via his Substack: https://tomspare.substack.com/ Get the latest news on the podcast via the Spare a Thought Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spareathoughtmedia/ You can listen to all previous episodes wherever you get your podcasts from or head to: https://spareathought.podbean.com/ Spare a Thought is a Be the Change. Media Network production. The views and opinions expressed by guests and hosts are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the Change Media Network or its partners.

    14 min
  5. MAR 10

    The Welsh Language Part 1

    In today's episode, Tom and Ben Kitchener look past the St David's Day celebrations to explore the real mechanics and politics of the Welsh language - Cymraeg. This is Part 1 of 2. With an ambitious target of a million Welsh speakers on the horizon, this episode gets into the gap between policy and reality - specifically the "usage gap": the difference between having the ability to speak Welsh and actually choosing to use it in daily life. Tom speaks with Ben Kitchener, whose Substack Sais Cymreig explores Welsh language and culture through the eyes of an English speaker learning the language. In Part 1, Tom and Ben discuss the "Million Speakers" goal and what it would actually take to get there; the financial and political pressures of devolution and how Cardiff navigates its relationship with Westminster when it comes to funding cultural ambitions; and the brain drain - why keeping young Welsh speakers in Wales is one of the defining challenges facing the language today. In Part 2, which follows next week, Tom and Ben step back from modern policy and into history - exploring the Blue Books and the Welsh Not, the psychological legacy those policies left behind, and some practical Welsh phrases to help anyone start using the language in everyday life. This episode was recorded live on Substack. Follow Ben's work on Substack: https://substack.com/@saiscymreig?r=4ks8qu&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=profile Keep up to date with Tom's work via his Substack: https://tomspare.substack.com/ Get the latest news on the podcast via the Spare a Thought Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spareathoughtmedia/ You can listen to all previous episodes wherever you get your podcasts from or head to: https://spareathought.podbean.com/ Spare a Thought is a Be the Change. Media Network production. The views and opinions expressed by guests and hosts are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the Change Media Network or its partners.

    41 min

About

Welcome to Spare a Thought. The podcast for curious minds, exploring creativity, culture and stories from the margins. Join host Tom Spare for conversations that go to unexpected places, from the Welsh landscape and Japanese architecture, to media ownership and hidden British history. Whether you're on the morning commute, taking a Sunday stroll or looking for a lunchtime listen, take time out of your day to Spare a Thought.

More From Be the change. Media