Belfast was once the linen capital of the world and one of the most productive shipyards in the world, Harland & Wolff. A lot changed in recent decades though. Today, Belfast's economy is made up of all sorts of dynamic new industries and sectors ranging from the tech to tourism.

In episode 5, we meet Ché from North Belfast who was about to sit his GCSE’s when the Covid pandemic hit. He tells us what it was like going through this stressful period and of the disappointment which came from poor predicted grades. Unable to proceed on to A-levels, Ché decided to battle his mental health demons and pick up a trade with the help of Bryson House, an employment and training provider designed for young adults, school leavers and the unemployed.

Thanks to Sandra Mcmurran, Elaine Taggart-Mutch and the staff of Bryson House, the young members of Belfast City Youth Council, Seamus Bradley, Anthony Fox, Deirdre Hughes, Pawel Adrjan.

Presented by Ché Og Robinson-Taylor

Producers: Hunter Charlton & Ben Tulloh

Assistant production: Anna Bud and Guy Gardiner

Executive producer: Arlie Adlington

Artwork: Edd Wellesley-Davies

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Govan was once the home of Glasgow's shipbuilding industry but with the loss of the shipyard Govan faces an uncertain future. Does the burgeoning film and television industry in Glasgow a solution to bringing jobs back to Govan? And will the newly planned Partick- Govan bridge bring in trade or simply drive up prices?

Charley McCabe, a young Govan resident who's interested in working in film and television sets out to find out the answers to these two questions. In her conversations, she speaks to Alison Goring, head of the National Film and Television School in Glasgow, David from the GalGael trust and Councillor Richard Bell. She also speaks to Bristol's Keith Cowling and George Fergoson about their unique experience fighting gentrification in Glasgow.

Presenter: Charley McCabe

Producers: Hunter Charlton & Ben Tulloh

Assistant production: Anna Bud and Guy Gardiner

Executive producer: Arlie Adlington

Artwork: Edd Wellesley-Davies

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

County Durham was once synonymous with the production of coal. In the nineteenth century, mining transformed the landscape and the population of Durham. Colliery villages sprang up everywhere and migrant workers flocked to the North East from all parts of the UK. Today the collieries have all gone, but the villages and the memories of this dirty, dangerous industry remain.

In episode 3, we meet Hugh, who grew up in a village called Pittington, close to many of Durham's former mines. Since 2020, 4 Amazon fulfilment centres have opened their doors - all within 30-minute’ drive from Hugh's home. e remembers how friends and acquaintances from school often found themselves working in these vast, high-tech warehouses outside of term time. Having heard lots about Amazon in the news, Hugh wanted to find out more about this retail giant and what it means for post-industrial communities living in the North East.

Hugh talks to Dan, an old friend from school who worked at Amazon during the coronavirus lockdown. He has a coffee in Pittington with his dad Robin who qualified as a geography teacher in 1984 - a time when the local economy was changing fast. We meet David Temple, a shipbuilder who became a miner at Murton colliery, where he worked for 20 years and lost several friends in industrial accidents. We also hear from Jay, a current Amazon employee who previously worked in the railways before being made redundant. Hugh puts questions to Amy Harhoff, corporate director of regeneration, economy and growth at Durham council and speaks to journalist James Bloodworth who wrote ‘Hired: six months undercover in low-wage Britain’.

Presenter: Hugh Morris

Producers: Hunter Charlton & Ben Tulloh

Assistant production: Anna Bud and Guy Gardiner

Executive producer: Arlie Adlington

Artwork: Edd Wellesley-Davies

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Swansea was once one of the cradles of the Industrial Revolution. During the nineteenth-century, it was a world centre for tinplate production, it smelted 90% of the world's copper, and the town witnessed the creation of the now much sought after Swansea Porcelain. 

In Episode 2 of Heartlands, we follow Macy, an 18-year-old from the Uplands in Swansea as she looks at how her city absorbed the loss of heavy industry and whether there's anything that may be done to reclaim the community pride that disappeared along with it. 

In this episode, Macy talks with her nan who fondly remembers the Swansea of old and dispairs about the state of the city now. Macy sets out to find out if Swansea is worse off having lost its industry and if so, is there is anything we can do to fix it. 

Her journey takes her to Carolyn Harris, MP for Swansea East, to Amelia Horgan an academic who researches the effects of instability in modern work, and to meet the trade union representative for the hospitality sector, Dave Turnbull. 

Presenter: Macy Hughes

Producers: Hunter Charlton & Ben Tulloh

Assistant production: Anna Bud and Guy Gardiner

Exec Producer: Arlie Adlington

Artwork: Edd Wellesley-Davies

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With £6 billion pounds of private investment flooding into the Thames estuary since 2017, life and the world of work are changing rapidly in the small town of Tilbury in Essex.

In episode 1 of Heartlands, we follow Sophie who recently turned 18. Sophie descends from Romani travellers who settled in Tilbury three generations ago. Growing up she remembers riding horses in nearby fields with her dad. Those same fields are now home to Europe’s largest Amazon fulfilment centre and an electric car manufacturing plant called Tevva. Businesses and multinational corporations have flocked to Tilbury in recent years drawn by the expansion of the Thames Freeport.

Despite huge investment, Tilbury remains one of the most deprived communities in England. The local expectancy is 9.4 years less for men and 6.5 years less for women than the national average. In some areas, more than half of young people grow up in poverty (56%) – more than double the national average.

Join Sophie as she tries to understand why and how this disparity arose in her hometown and what’s being done to halt the decline in living standards. With thanks to Frank Thompson, Kevin Sadler, Harry Blackman, Peter Ward, MP Jackie Doyle Price, Paul Swinney, The Tilbury Community Centre and Tilbury’s Irish Association.

Presenter: Sophie Ryan

Producers: Hunter Charlton & Ben Tulloh

Assistant production: Anna Bud and Guy Gardiner

Exec Producer: Arlie Adlington

Artwork: Edd Wellesley-Davies

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Heartlands takes listeners on a journey through Britain painting a picture of what work - in the shadow of heavy industry - looks like in 2022.

From the burgeoning film and TV industry in Glasgow, freeport workers in Tilbury and Amazon associates in Durham, we uncover which new industries are thriving and how working culture is evolving. 

Told through the lens of 5 young presenters: Sophie, Hugh, Macy, Charley and Ché, this series explores youth employment and takes an unbiased snapshot of our post-industrial heartlands now.

Producers: Hunter Charlton & Ben Tulloh

Production Assistance: Anna Budd and Guy Gardener and Tess Davidson

Exec Producer: Arlie Adlington

Artwork: Edd Wellesley-Davies

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.