August in Norwich feels like a pressure test: the city is busy, the gardens are dusty, and everyone is trying to enjoy the school holidays without melting. We start with the small, real stuff, hosepipe bans, thirsty plants, and the familiar sight of children suddenly free to roam, then we follow that summer energy right through the doors of St Peter Mancroft.

We share one of our favourite parts of the season: families discovering the church as a place to pause and make something. Our Thursday and Friday arts and crafts activities (a follow-up to the Hidden exhibition) create proper off-screen time, and you can hear it in a mum’s relief as her children colour, search for words, and simply enjoy being present. It is a reminder that “community space” is not an abstract idea. It is tables, pencils, conversation, and a welcome that costs nothing.

From there, we shift into a bigger question: artificial intelligence and what it means for writing and creativity. Writer and thinker Justin Reynolds joins Edward to talk about his book AI and the Writer, and he draws a firm line between using AI for research and letting it generate the argument itself. When a machine writes the text, are we still authors, or have we become mere editors of something we did not truly think? We keep it grounded, with a few Terminator worries for good measure, and we also celebrate the rich church life of summer visitors, including an American choir singer exploring Norwich Cathedral and the tradition of bell ringing.

If you care about AI tools, content writing, creative work, Christian perspectives on technology, or simply how to stay human in a screen-heavy world, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave us a review, then tell us: what should never be handed over to a machine?

Norwich Market is older than the church beside it, and that single fact changes how you see the centre of the city. We start with the feel of July, those long holiday days that bring back cycling routes, camping adventures, and the simple joy of being outside, then we step straight into the bustle of the market to explore what 900 years of trading really means for Norwich today.

I’m joined by Rachel Hobson to talk about On The Huh, a new community theatre production from Common Lot Community Theatre Company. The title comes from a Norfolk and Suffolk phrase meaning “askew”, and it fits perfectly for a story-rich celebration of local history. This is promenade theatre, with the audience moving from Hay Hill to the Forum and City Hall, then back through the market for pop-up “spots” before the finale on Gentleman’s Walk. If you’re searching for Norwich events in July, outdoor theatre in Norwich, or family-friendly culture with real local roots, this is one to put in the diary.

We also share St Peter Mancroft’s part in the project: a short performance drawn from a remarkable bells story set on Norwich Market on New Year’s Eve 1872, complete with rain, revellers, drums, dromedaries and even an elephant. Along the way we hear from a market stallholder about why the market feels like a family, and we meet a young visitor who describes the church as “absolutely gorgeous” and lights up at the thought of bell ringing.

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We welcome May with memories of Maypoles and then turn to the church rhythms that often land this month, from Ascension Day to Pentecost. We talk with churchwarden Jim Hughes about what the job really involves, why St Peter Mancroft matters to him, and the surprisingly funny realities of keeping a historic church safe and open. 

• May traditions and what they celebrate in community life 
• Ascension Day and Pentecost timing in the church calendar 
• why annual meetings matter and how churchwardens are elected 
• what a churchwarden actually does day to day, from keys to checks 
• music, bell ringing and the draw of Mancroft’s traditions 
• security planning, Martin’s Law awareness and the “stuck key” tale 
• fire safety, evacuation practice and the organ as a fire risk 
• visitors’ perspectives, postcards, and the unforgettable font canopy 
• a Norwich scavenger hunt and what people come to discover 

Spring changes how we move through the world. The evenings stretch, the mornings brighten, and suddenly it feels possible to breathe a little deeper. We lean into that April mood at St Peter Mancroft, but we also follow it straight into the heart of the Christian year: Holy Week. We talk about why Holy Saturday matters, that strange in-between day after the cross and before resurrection, when everyone is left waiting, wondering, and hoping. 

From there, we share a story many visitors miss until they spot them at the back of church: the pocket crosses. Edward chats with Janice Tyra, who has been making these small knitted crosses for around thirty years. Each one sits in a tiny pocket with a prayer, designed to be held quietly rather than displayed, a simple reminder that you are not alone. We hear how the colours often come from donated wool, how particular moments shape what gets made, including blue and yellow crosses with added prayer when the war in Ukraine began, and how donations connected to the crosses support the East Anglian Children’s Hospice. 

We also reflect on holding crosses and what to do when prayer runs out of words. Edward shares the story of a wooden cross made from reclaimed church pew timber and etched with the Great Commandment, a tactile way to hold faith close in anxious moments. Along the way we enjoy quick conversations about church graffiti as a record of ordinary lives, a Norwich pottery exhibition full of imagination and kiln surprises, and the oddly beautiful craft of decorating eggs with onion skins and spring leaves. If you enjoy stories of faith, local history, handmade craft, and everyday hope, press play, then subscribe, share with a friend, and leave us a review.

Spring brings repairs in the north aisle, a scaffolding climb that reveals hidden craft, and a hopeful turn into Lent with a focus on service and giving. We meet a mason on site, hear from the Bishop’s chaplain about Papua New Guinea, and welcome children who turn the church into a place of discovery.

• north aisle renovations with limewash and repair
• hidden window discovery and metre-square west window fix
• views from scaffolding and close-up stained glass detail
• carved eagle and historic marks found near roofline
• Lent as reflection through mercy and action
• Bishop’s Lent appeal for Papua New Guinea students
• boarding and uniform costs blocking education access
• focus on clergy children without stipends
• worship in PNG with dancing and remembrance of martyrs
• half-term trails, hidden animals and skull hunt engaging families
• clocks forward and spring routines

There are information sheets and Gift Aid envelopes at the back of the church. Please donate generously to the Bishop’s Lent Appeal supporting Malolo Memorial School in Papua New Guinea.

What happens when two neighbouring churches decide to think bigger than their own walls? We gather with St Stephen’s in the heart of Norwich to prepare for Lent, swap stories from a thriving city café, and open a brave conversation about Christian nationalism—how faith can be misused to prop up identity politics, and how we can respond with humility, scripture, and neighbourly love.

Edward sits down with the new vicar of St Stephen’s, Reverend Heike, to talk about shared ministry a stone’s throw apart. We compare worship styles, celebrate the café that welcomes hundreds each week, and reflect on small signs of grace: a thousand pocket crosses finding their way into hands and homes, a guidebook that turns curiosity into wonder, and simple hospitality that keeps conversations warm. The city’s voices chime in too—visitors drawn by sport, heritage, and the beauty of Norwich’s historic churches—reminding us that community is built one genuine exchange at a time.

Our joint Lent study, written by both clergy, invites a thoughtful look at the pressures of public faith. Instead of telling people what to think, we’ll read scripture, share experiences, and ask harder questions: How do we honour our country without excluding others? What does repentance look like in civic life? Where does the gospel challenge slogans and amplify compassion? Set against the season’s rituals—from Ash Wednesday’s ashes made from last year’s palms to Shrove Tuesday’s lemon-and-sugar pancakes—this conversation aims to be honest, generous, and grounded.

Walk with us into Lent. Subscribe for more conversations from the heart of Norwich, share this episode with a friend who loves thoughtful faith, and leave a review to help others find our community.

January asks us to breathe, so we do—taking stock of a bustling December and opening the door to slower, sturdier intentions. We trade brittle resolutions for honest check-ins: what did we start, what can we finish, and where do small acts make a cold month feel warmer? From there, the season’s tail—Christmas tide into Epiphany—becomes a living backdrop for stories of craft, care, and community.

We share a visitor’s reaction to our community-made crib, first built in the pandemic from reused materials and added to each year. It’s striking, not just for its look, but for what it says: inclusion can be designed, waste can become wonder, and shared hands can retell a familiar story with fresh truth. That spirit carries into the hidden work that keeps a medieval church alive. Our fabric officer demystifies quinquennial inspections, planned maintenance, and the art of acting early before small flaws grow teeth. We cover recent wins—new lead on the south aisle roof, whitewashed walls, specialist craftsmanship—and the bigger shifts that make the space sing, like chancel reordering for flexible music and liturgy, future-proofing underfoot, and lighting that honours the east window.

Sustainability isn’t an add-on; it’s long care. Solar panels, air-source heat pumps, and sensitive design choices let heritage buildings serve the present without losing their soul. Along the way we hold onto what matters most: people. A busker on Gentleman’s Walk puts it plainly—Norwich is defined by those who fill it with life. We talk about welcome you can feel in your bones, why fonts sit by the door, and how place and person make each other into home.

If this conversation stirred you, follow and share the show with a friend who loves old buildings, new ideas, or the quiet work that keeps communities warm. Leave a review to help others find us, and tell us: what small act will you carry into the year?

We share the joy and work of a Mancroft Christmas, from wall-to-wall carols and Advent hope to the craft and care behind the church’s flowers and garlands. Along the way we hear from Diana in the flower cupboard and Robin backstage at the city lights, with stories of charity, creativity, and community.

• Advent rhythms, carol services, and festive plans
• Diana’s guide to Christmas arrangements and pillar garlands
• Moving beyond floral foam to eco methods and chicken wire
• Team changes, training new hands, and the legacy of festivals
• Charity card shop and tree festival partnerships
• Norwich arts scene and the city lights switch-on
• Stained glass, nativity window, and the meaning of light
• Community meals for those alone and how to help
• Kitchen mishaps, favourite carols, and keeping perspective
• Year-end gratitude and a warm Christmas blessing

Join us for the Charities Carol Service at 5pm on 7 December

Edward and Judy contemplate Mancroft without Naomi Tuma who gives a lovely interview to Edward reflecting on her three and a half years at Mancroft.  Liz Magem has set up the Christmas Card shop and talks about its sixty years, and a man from Norwich accuses Edward of purveying his flock!  Still no decision on who Peter Mancroft was...