Fi Glover presents three conversations between friends and strangers.

This week: asylum seekers Shukry and Loraine discuss homelessness and the healing power of art; Gemma and Amanda reflect on their respective relationships and whether marriage has had it’s day; and Mark, a midwife, and Andrew, who runs a bridal shop, exchange thoughts on men working in a woman’s world.

The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation lasts up to an hour and is then edited to extract the key moments of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in this decade of the millennium. You can learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject

Producer: Mohini Patel