In this week’s episode Edwina explores the often unspoken impact of menopause on women’s lives. Despite the fact that 51% of the population will experience menopause, and the estimated 13 million people who are currently peri or menopausal in the UK, this topic has remained taboo. Edwina speaks to two advocates driving change in the national conversation around menopause on their experience of this transition, and what needs to change to ensure more women have access to the support they need – including those in the justice system.

Edwina’s first guest is Davina McCall, renowned TV presenter and household name. As well as presenting shows such as Big Brother and The Million Pound Drop, Davina has presented documentaries exploring the Menopause. She is also the author of Menopausing, The Positive Roadmap to Your Second Spring which seeks to debunk myths, and breaks the shameful silence over the menopause.

Edwina’s second guest is Carolyn Harris, MP for Swansea East who established and now chairs the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on menopause. Carolyn has played a pivotal role in putting menopause on the national agenda, and has recently published an inquiry into the impacts of Menopause on women and families as part of her work for the APPG on menopause.

More information:

Read the APPG on Menopause Inquiry to assess the impacts of menopause and the case for policy reform: https://menopause-appg.co.uk/inquiry/

Order Menopausing, The Positive Roadmap to Your Second Spring, by Davina McCall and Dr. Naomi Potter: https://www.waterstones.com/book/menopausing/davina-mccall/dr-naomi-potter/9780008517786

Follow Carolyn Harris on Twitter @carolynharris24

Follow Davina McCall on Twitter @ThisisDavina

Read more about the One Small Thing charity here.

Twitter - @OSTCharity

This podcast is created and produced by The London Podcast Company. 

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

Please note this episode contains descriptions of treatment of women in prison including sexual threat and abuse that some listeners may find distressing.



Edwina speaks to Sandra Barefoot, Raushia Coles, Siobhan Jackson and Ruth Chitty from The Forgiveness Project. The Forgiveness Project works with people who have rebuilt their lives following hurt and trauma to explore what it takes to heal, restore and rehumanise.

In this episode they discuss their new research on the importance of understanding the impact of shame. They explore Shame Resilience Theory (SRT) and its potential for understanding how shame affects the behaviours of women with lived experience of imprisonment.

They highlight how very little research had been undertaken on the connection between shame, violence and aggression with women, especially in comparison to the wealth of research available on men. The research, funded by the Griffins Society, is based on years delivering the RESTORE programme in prisons, and with women over the last 8 years. They suggest the motivation for this research came from a realisation that shame was the missing piece within the lens of working with anyone who has experienced trauma.

You can access a summary of the research here. 

Find out more about the Forgiveness Project at https://theforgivenessproject.com

Follow The Forgiveness Project on Twitter @ForgivenessProj

Read more about the One Small Thing charity here.

Twitter - @OSTCharity

This podcast is created and produced by The London Podcast Company. 

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

Please note this episode contains discussion on domestic abuse and sexual assault.

This week Edwina looks at justice through a literary lens by speaking to Harriet Still, the curator of Thomas Hardy’s Wessex exhibition. In this episode Harriet explores one of Hardy’s most famous works, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, and highlights how this novel sparked conversations around the world on violence against women, consent, and justice.  

Influenced by his experience at 16 of witnessing the execution of a woman found guilty of murdering her abusive husband, Hardy brought his feelings on this injustice to the writing of Tess. 

Edwina and Harriet reflect on how radical a character like Tess was in 1851 when the novel was published, and how her treatment can speak to the experiences of women today, including those in the justice system.

Hardy's Wessex, The landscapes that inspired a writer is open until 30th October. Visit the Wessex Museum’s website for more information: www.wessexmuseums.org.uk/what-we-do/exhibitions-events/thomas-hardy-exhibition/

Follow Wessex Museums on Twitter @WessexMuseums

Read more about the One Small Thing charity here.

Twitter - @OSTCharity

This podcast is created and produced by The London Podcast Company. 

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

In this week’s episode, Edwina focuses on the UK’s criminal record system. She speaks to two supporters of the Fair Checks campaign led by Transform Justice and Unlock, which is calling for a fresh start to the UK’s outdated criminal records system.

Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin, discusses why no one should be judged by their worst moment, and the commitment of Virgin companies around the world to offering employment opportunities for those with a criminal record. As well as building Virgin from the ground up, Richard has spent his life speaking up globally about the issues he is passionate about, including ending the failed war on drugs, and abolishing the death penalty.

Paula Harriott, Head of Prisoner Involvement at Prison Reform Trust then speaks from first-hand experience about the adverse impact excessive criminal record checks can have, and why she supports the Fair Checks campaign. Paula has huge insight into the impact current legislation has on the ground through her work supporting those with experience of prison to have their voices heard, including through the national Prisoner Policy Network.

To find out more about the Fair Checks Campaign visit www.fairchecks.org.uk.

Read more about the One Small Thing charity here.

Twitter - @OSTCharity

This podcast is created and produced by The London Podcast Company. 

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

This week Edwina speaks to Natasha Finlayson, Chief Executive of Working Chance. Working Chance is the UK's only employment charity solely for women with convictions. In this episode Natasha explains the support they provide to women and the impressive outcomes they achieve, including 90% of women using their employment service securing a job.

Natasha also outlines recent research by Working Chance which shows just how much stigma still exists from employers towards people with past convictions, and their important work to tackle this.

Working Chance also work with policymakers, politicians and employers to share knowledge about what helps women with convictions to secure employment, and to dismantle the systems and barriers that hold them back.

You can find out more about Working Chance here: https://workingchance.org/

Follow Working Chance on Twitter @WorkingChance

Read more about the One Small Thing charity here.

Twitter - @OSTCharity

This podcast is created and produced by The London Podcast Company. 

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

This week Edwina speaks to Charlie Taylor, Chief Inspector of Prisons. Independent from Government, the role of Chief Inspector of Prisons reports directly to the Secretary of State for Justice on the conditions in prisons and detention centres, and the treatment of those inside them. 

In this episode Charlie explains more about what his role entails, and why independence from Government is so important. He also reflects on the challenges and issues raised in his recently published annual report such as long lock up times, issues with staff recruitment and retention, and concerns for the wellbeing of women in prison.

You can read Charlie’s latest Annual Report here: www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/inspections/annual-report-2021-22/

You can find out more about the work of HM Inspectorate of Prisons here: www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/

Follow HM Inspectorate of Prisons on Twitter @HMIPrisonsnews

Read more about the One Small Thing charity here.

Twitter - @OSTCharity

This podcast is created and produced by The London Podcast Company. 

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

Please note this episode contains discussion of traumatic births and infant mortality that some listeners may find upsetting.

In this week’s episode, Edwina speaks to Naomi Delap, Director of Birth Companions, and Sam who is part of their Lived Experience Team. Birth Companions is a women’s charity dedicated to tackling inequalities and disadvantage during pregnancy, birth and early motherhood. Founded in 1996 to support pregnant women and new mothers in Holloway Prison, they’ve become experts in meeting the needs of women living in the most challenging situations in prison and in the community.

In this episode Sam and Naomi shed light on the experience of pregnancy and birth in the criminal justice system, and what needs to change to improve the lives of women and babies who experience inequality and disadvantage.

You can find out more about Birth Companions here: www.birthcompanions.org.uk

Follow them on Twitter @BrthCompanions

Read more about the One Small Thing charity here.

Twitter - @OSTCharity

This podcast is created and produced by The London Podcast Company. 

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

In this week’s episode, Edwina speaks to Sofia Buncy MBE, the pioneering Founder and Director of the multi-award-winning Muslim Women in Prison Project. Established in 2013 to document and research the experiences of Muslim women in criminal justice system, the project delivers a community-based culturally appropriate service for Muslim women returning to communities.

In this episode, Sofia sheds light on the challenges these women face, and shares how her ground-breaking project is giving voice to the experiences of Muslim women in the criminal justice system.

Follow Sofia and the work of the Muslim Women in Prison Project on Twitter @MWIPproject

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

In this week’s episode, Edwina speaks to Sarah Beresford, Prison Reform Trust Associate and Churchill Fellow. Sarah is also the author of ‘What about me?’, a report which explores how children’s lives are impacted when their mothers are involved in the criminal justice system.

In this episode Sarah describes how children are so often invisible to decisionmakers, and explains how her recently developed Child Impact Assessment can equip adults and services to listen more closely to the needs of those with mothers in the criminal justice system.

You can read more about why Sarah feels Child Impact Assessments are so important in this blog, and there is further information about Sarah’s project here.

Follow the Prison Reform Trust on Twitter @PRTuk and the Churchill Fellowship @ChurchillFship.

Read more about the One Small Thing charity here.

Twitter - @OSTCharity

This podcast is created and produced by The London Podcast Company. 

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

In this week’s Justice episode, Edwina speaks to Professor Taj Nathan, a consultant forensic psychiatrist for the NHS. He holds honorary academic posts at the University of Liverpool, University of Chester and Liverpool John Moores University, and provides independent expert opinion to courts in England and Wales.

Taj is also the author of Dangerous Minds: A Forensic Psychiatrist's Quest to Understand Violence. Taking us from secure hospital wards to high-security prisons to courtrooms, Dangerous Minds offers compelling and deeply compassionate accounts of ten people whose lives have been shaped by violence, and asks its readers to re-evaluate all that they think they know about the people society deems most dangerous.

In this episode, Taj discusses the origins of his book, and sheds light on the complexity of working in the field of forensic psychiatry.

To learn more about the work of Professor Taj Nathan:

www1.chester.ac.uk/departments/chester-medical-school/staff/taj-nathan

To learn more about Dangerous Minds:

www.curtisbrown.co.uk/client/taj-nathan

Follow Dr Taj Nathan on Twitter: @tajnathan

Read more about the One Small Thing charity here.

Twitter - @OSTCharity

This podcast is created and produced by The London Podcast Company. 

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