Episodes
Welcome to our post-show podcast chats! We often don't time to talk as much as we would like about certain topics on our daytime programme, so we've decided to spend some time recording extra bits. Just us having a natter, essentially. For our first chat, we revisit the topic of hair - should it be there or should it be nair(d)? As inspired by the instagram success of Greek-Cypriot model Sophia Hadjipanteli and her enormous black eyebrow. NB: these are meant to be fun chats to incite or inspire conversation or debate among our lovely listeners. We'd love to hear your thoughts on any of the ...
Christy was joined on the Conister Rock on 18th April by former Chief Minister Tony Brown OBE, a man who began his working life before the age of 10, delivering the news to his Castetown neighbours on a humble paper round only, in later years, to become the news himself as a result of his extensive political career.
He shared wonderful stories from his childhood through to now, talked about his rise through the political ranks, about some of the people that inspired him throughout his life and enthused about the Island nation and its people, both of which he clearly cares about. He also...
Regular listeners to the programme may remember Laura Cretney, who is the founder of PinkJinn.com, the politics and culture blog that “tells stories, unravels misconceptions and celebrates the beauty of the Middle East and North Africa”.
She most recently she came in to tell us about the fabulous work of British artist Hannah Rose Thomas, who, as a result of funds raised right here on the Island, was able to travel to Iraq to work with the women there who had escaped from captivitiy under ISIL. Laura is now working with the Bath and Bottle to put on a fabulous foodie event raising much n...
Lots of our Isle of Man based listeners will know Jackie – or 'Jax' – Keenan. Formerly the gloriously dread-headed smiling face behind the bar at the Rovers, then Noa Bakehouse, Jackie is someone who has traveled extensively both for fun, for education and for work. Her experience as a scuba diver took her to work in Fiji a couple of years back and now, the Masters in Conservation and Biodiversity that she is working on at the University of Exeter in Cornwall continues to take her to far flung places. Like Kenya, where she recently had the opportunity to visit an extraordinary Village...
On International Women's Day 2018, we interviewed a number of Manx women who have been making a difference in rural communities around the world. This is the full interview with Jennifer James, from 'Reap What You Sew', about making and distributing feminine hygiene kits in Nepal and Cambodia with the brilliant charity Days For Girls, who are supporting and educating women - and children and men! - around the world about the often taboo subject of menstruation. Find out more about them here: https://www.daysforgirls.org/ And watch our short video with Jenny, showing us what's inside one of...
This week saw the 1st of March arrive which - in meteorological terms, is the first day of Spring. Not that you’d know it with all these snow storms! But with the first day of spring also comes the Big Clean, as house proud home bodies across the land reach for the marigolds and start the Spring spruce up. To get some ideas for how to make that clean a little easier, Christy caught up with Lynsey ‘Queen of Clean’ Crombie - from Channel 4’s Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners, and Charlie Freeland – who is a cleaning expert from ampliance manufacturer VorWerk, to get some hints and tips. It's amaz...
Just before the end of 2017 we were joined in the studio by an extraordinary young woman. Laura Cretney is a Middle East Business consultant and she had just given a TedX talk called ‘How to Change the World’. She mentioned while she was with us that she in the process of fundraising for a project in Iraq, to send her artist friend Hannah Rose Thomas to run an art project there with women who had escaped from captivity under ISIL. Christy caught up with Laura on Feb 15th to find out how the project went, and began by asking her to tell us a little bit about Hannah. You can find Hannah at ht...
Christy was joined on the Conister Rock on Feb 2nd 2018 by former motorbike racer Carolynn Sells, the only woman to win a race on the famous Isle of Man Mountain Course. She shared fabulous memories, from early childhood through to her racing success, talked about TV and film work, her family and design career - all knitted together with some fantastic music choices - over the course of the programme and, if you missed any of it, you can now listen back to the full interview here.
Should “walk-on” or “grid girls” be banned from the modern sporting arena? And if so, who is qualified to make that decision? Are they just decoration? Is it better to see them doing the sport rather than in front of the sport? It's a very divisive topic, with the girls themselves saying they love the job and to leave them be. Obviously, this is something you see on the Isle of Man at least twice a year, as both the TT and Festival of Motorcyling roll into town with all the glamour and sponsors and everything that goes with – including grid girls. So Christy caught up with Jorden Rafferty -...
On 31st Jan 2018 Christy caught up with three members of the Isle of Man Choral Society (Jean-Michel Bazille, Kati Kinley and Susan Griffiths) who had just returned from what can only be described as the trip of a lifetime. They were part of the 49 members of the Society invited to make up the chorus premiering the latest work by Sir Karl Jenkins at the iconic Carnegie Hall. This is how they got on...You can find out more about the choir and their upcoming performances at www.choral.im. With thanks to Chris Kinley for the photo.
On 26th Jan 2018 our guest on the Conister Rock was the Island's very own 'starman' and astronomer Howard Parkin, an Onchan resident with his sights firmly set on the Dark Skies. Howard’s life seems to lead him on adventures at every turn – from live links with astronauts on the International Space Station, to the time when, in an attempt to have a fairly laid back family holiday, he actually found himself caught up in the mourning of notorious political figure Fidel Castro! But today, we settled back and listened in awe as he talked about the universe, about other life forms, light polluti...
Beth and Christy have started 2018 by tackling something new, or educational, or creative, or community based or just plain fun, every week for 50 weeks! For Week 2, they took on a Beach Buddies Beach Clean in Smeale. This is the full length edit of what happened. Many thanks to Bill Dale and his wonderful Buddies. Tune in Mondays and Thursdays between 2 and 3pm to find out what the next challenge is - and feel free to join them in their weekly quests. If you do, we'd love you to send us photos or even audio or video of your challenges to womentoday@manxradio.com
Christy was joined in the studio on January 5th 2018 by Christine Collister, whose reviews speak volumes about her creative talent: according to Q magazine, “boundary breaking is routine for Collister and makes her one of the finest grown-up vocalists on the planet” ; Mojo says “she can sing the birds down off the trees and send them back with a tiny flick of her vocal chords.” While the Times tells it straight, with the simple statement “she has a voice personally delivered by God.” But as you’ll know if you’ve heard her on the programme with us before, or been to any of her concerts, Chri...
We were joined in the studio on Dec 1st by Dhamma Master Michael Kewley (DhammaChariya Pannadipa) who shared fascinating memories and music with us about his spiritual journey, from a simple life beginning on Palatine Road through to being a guru and teacher at major spiritual centres around the world. He stayed behind after the programme to talk to Christy about his own Teacher, share his thoughts on happiness and how we can be more loving in our lives. You will also hear his final music choice - which we didn't have time for on the show - James Taylor's You've Got A Friend. You can find M...
This time of year, the days are getting shorter, meaning of course that the afternoons and mornings are darker - and so are the roads. So a question raised in UK Government recently is perhaps more pertinent now than ever as a consultation, announced following a series of high-profile incidents involving cyclists, looks to examine a raft of potential measures – including the consideration of mandatory wearing of helmets and high vis clothing. Christy spoke to the Isle of Man Constabulary’s Road Safety Manager, Samantha Heard, who is very well aware of the consultation, to find out what she ...
We were joined on the programme on 10th November by 9 year old Lula Brown, who has been raising money and awareness of water based charities since the age of 7; she has now created GUSHGUSH to promote her work and the issues faced by millions of people less fortunate than herself all over the world. She spoke maturely, articulately and passionately about what she does and why she does it - and she melted our hearts! She even sang to us... Many thanks also to Dad Alex who sat in with Lula, and couldn't help but express how proud he is of his daughter. If you would like to find out more about...
Marian Kenny has been in the radio industry for more than 30 years, starting in 1984 at Radio Hallam, Sheffield where her first job was reporting from colliery picket lines during the year-long miners’ strike. She 'scooped' some incredible interviews in her time - miners leader Arthur Scargill and Terry Waite’s mother when the hostages were freed from years of imprisonment in Beirut to name just two, before moving to the IOM in 2003 looking for a quiet life... Luckily for us, she was soon sucked into Manx Radio, where she was appointed News Editor in 2008. Despite all the varied news storie...
November 24th was a chance for us to have another Conister Rocks special, where we spent a wonderful hour in the company of 89 year old George Davison. George shared his memories with Beth along with some of his favourite pieces of music - including a beautiful recording of himself with the Regal Singers. While sharing music ranging from Les Miserables to La Boheme, George spoke with Beth about what brought him to the Island, about his various appointments such as President of the Caledonian Society, about his time running the Marathon Court Nursing Home with his wife Joan and, of course, a...
When he was just 11 years old, Ben Grainger scooped 5 medals - including two golds - in the National Para Swimming Championships, where he was the youngest in the Under 14 category. He went on to compete in the British Disability Championships in 2015, winning 3 golds and 2 silvers. Last year, aged just 13, Ben was selected for the British Swimming Para Academy where he is one of 49 athletes in the programme set to develop talent for the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo.
An Ambassador for Microgaming’s PlayItForward initiative, Ben is also a former winner of the Dreamcatcher Heroes in the Communi...
We were delighted to be joined on #MRWomenToday on November 3rd '17 by two 'veteran' broadcasters, Charles Guard and David Callister who, this very week, celebrate 40 years since starting their broadcasting careers in earnest, producing and presenting the current affairs show Mandate, hosting the ManninLine and of course presenting (and recording!) music for many years too. Charles stayed behind after the programme to share one of the stories we just couldn't fit in, and to chat further about why he's so passionate about our Island and why national broadcasting is so important.
We were joined on #MrWomenToday on Wednesday 1st November by orthotist Robin Perrie and podiatrist Amy Metcalfe from the Foot Health Clinic. They agreed to stay behind after the show and record this fascinating podcast with us about how to stay on top of your foot health - dealing with conditions like diabetes, corns, ill-fitting shoes and so much more! Well worth a listen - if you value your foot health! To find out more about the clinic and what they do, visit their website here: https://www.fhc.co.im/
On Tuesday Oct 31st we themed our show around the oldest continuously running Manx tradition of Hop Tu Naa (for obvious reasons, considering the date!) We were joined by Katie King from Manx National Heritage, James Franklin from Culture Vannin and Ruby Biscoe-Taylor from the music group Biskee Brisht (who have reinvented the Hop Tu Naa song especially for 2017). After the show, we all sat back and had a good old fashioned chinwag about ghostly happenings that have happened to us personally here on the Island, that we just can't explain - I don't think any of us will be venturing near Castl...
We were joined on Thursday 26th Oct by Janet Lees, Creative Writing Facilitator, along with Liz Atzori and Jayne Paton who are two of the women inspired to write by the Port Erin community arts project. All three agreed to stay behind after the programme to chat more about the wonderful initiative, to express what a difference it has made to their lives and to share some of their excellent work. LINKS:
Jane's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JPSayle69/
Liz's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LizAtzo/
Janet's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janet.lees.393
The Hub: https://www.fa...
Another of our special 'Conister Rocks' biographical programmes, where we talk to some of the Island's best known and best loved personalities, find out about their lives - and the music that means something to them. We were delighted to be joined on 23rd October 2017 by critically acclaimed crime writer and former Island resident Chris Ewan, author of The Good Thief Guide series and the No.1 best selling thriller ‘Safe House’ - which is just one of several novels that he has set on the Isle of Man, making feature of locations, events and quirks of the place to great effect. The internation...
Christy and Beth visit the Craft Fayre and Art Demonstation day being held in conjunction with the 7th North Atlantic Native Sheep and Wool Conference being hosted by the Isle of Man from 12th to 15th October and speak to some of the Island's crafters and artists who are displaying their talents, demonstrating and giving workshops during the day and into the evening. The fayre is open until 9pm tonight (Friday 13th October 2017). Interviews include Gavin Carter, Nicola Dixon, Alice Quayle, Bill Kelly and organiser Sue Quilliam. Music is Croan Yn Taed, from a #MRSundaySoundtrack live session...
On 3rd October 2017 we were delighted to be joined by acclaimed wildlife artist Dr Jeremy Paul, on the day his latest exhibition opens to the public at the Isle Gallery in St Johns. He talked about everything from his technique to his studio, his work with the David Shepherd Foundation to his views on conservation.
Melinda Salisbury is a bestselling young adult author living on the east coast of England (although, if her enthusiastic tweets about her visit to the Island for Litfest 2017 are to be believed, she'll soon be setting up home on our very own shores!).
Her first novel, THE SIN EATER'S DAUGHTER, published by Scholastic in 2015, was the bestselling UK YA debut novel of 2015, and was nominated for multiple national and international awards, including the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the YA Book Prize, the Carnegie Medal, and the Edgar Awards Best YA in the United States. Rights have b...
There is a misconception that the alcohol industry is dominated by men, but in 2016, gin sales rose by 16% largely thanks to premium brands, many of which are managed or produced by women. As if to prove the point, having just recently spoken with Mary Beth Cole from Foraging Vintners, a local artisan alcohol producer in the South of the Island, Christy then caught up with two women who are making a name for themselves in the UK with their somewhat surprising product... Camilla Brown and Liz Bezwick are two entrepreneurs who are breaking this glass ceiling in the spirit industry – they are...
Friday September 15th saw the latest in our series of special 'Conister Rocks' biographical programmes, where we talk to some of the Island's best known and most interesting personalities, find out about their lives and hear some of the music that means something to them.
Today we were delighted to be joined by artist Svetlana Cameron, who hails from Russia but has lived in Latvia, Slovakia, Malta and Italy before eventually moving to the Island in 2005. Her incredible artistic talent has propelled her from small exhibitions in local galleries to high profile portrait commissions on disp...
All this week we are talking about FOOD ahead of the 2017 Isle of Man Food & Drink Festival. Celebrity guests Ladies in Pigs will be at the annual festival, which takes place at the Villa Marina on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th September, and Christy caught up with co-founder and chair woman Sue Woodall to find out about the group and what we can expect from their visit.