Sounding Out Horsham

Jodie Munday is a force to be reckoned with. Having carved out a name for herself as a talented singer-songwriter who has strummed a guitar and sung practically everywhere in Horsham (as well as outside it!), she started teaching ukulele to primary school children. 

If that wasn't enough, in 2021, she took on the running of The King's Arms pub on the Bishopric which she has turned into an award-winning boozer. There are even more strings to Jodie's bow, as we found out when we visited her at The King's Arms. 

Find out more about The Kings Arms here: https://kingsarmshorsham.com/

Follow Jodie on Instagram for music updates @_the_singing_landlady

Ahead of the General Election on 4 July 2024, Anna and Emma quiz the candidates standing for election in the Horsham constituency to find out what issues they think matter most to Horsham's electorate; what governmental areas are most important to them and why they should get your vote. 

Interest in our episode on foraging with James Plumb has been high - it's one of our most downloaded! - and since we met James in September 2022 for our tour around Leechpool Woods, he's been gradually learning more and more about plants and fungi that grow around Sussex and beyond. 

With all this in mind, we thought we'd meet up with James again. This time, to find out about the plants growing in Horsham during spring and summer. We headed to Horsham Park* for a wild food identification and foraging foray with our favourite forager (we love alliteration).

James, who is now running guided foraging tours in the area, told us about the types of plants that are consumable - and warned us of those that should be avoided due to their toxicity. 

*Horsham Park was selected as the perfect location to drive our awareness of the types of plants you can find foraging in the countryside for this episode. Please do not take any plants or flowers from Horsham Park. 

Please do not consume any foods found in the wild without checking they are safe to eat first. 

Follow James on Instagram on @south_east_foraging and find details of his courses on eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/south-east-foraging-horsham-west-sussex-uk-72397911543

In this episode we talk to psychic Sue Durdle (who happens to be Emma's mum) about the 'gift' she found herself with 40 years ago. 

Sue gives an insight into her work as a clairvoyant and shares many unexplainable instances and stories of people she has met over the last four decades. 

A YouGov survey carried out in 2015 found that author was the most desired job in the UK, with 60% of Brits stating that would be their dream occupation. It's not an easy job to come by, however and, as we found out by speaking to our guest, Lisa Brace, takes A LOT of hard work and persistence to land a publishing deal. 

Lisa's first novel - Star Survivor - is out in March 2024 so we talked to her all about her new book, how she managed to get published, future plans and more. 

This episode is a must-listen for book lovers and budding writers. 

To find out more about Lisa Brace and her work visit https://www.lisabrace.co.uk/

As a celebrant / OneSpirit Interfaith minister, Jean Francis has led many life events and celebrations, including weddings, naming ceremonies and funerals. 

Although it sounds like a morbid area, it's the last type of ceremony on the list, and the subject of death, that Jean was keen to talk to us about. Understandably, many of us shy away from talking about what we'd like to happen when we die, but as we discuss in this episode, it can be beneficial for us and our loved ones if we give some thought to how we'd like to celebrate and commemorate our lives when they end. 

Besides, as Jean points out when we met her: "Just talking about something, doesn't mean it is going to happen."

You can find out more about Jean's Last Wishes Workshops here

All proceeds from her workshops are donated to  www.sussexgreenliving.co.uk.

Get the festive feels in this special Christmas episode recorded in December 2023. Join Anna and Emma as they discuss Christmas traditions - in Horsham, the UK and Sweden - and their favourite things about 'the most wonderful time of the year'  

Sound effects from Pixabay

You might not know sculptor Hannah Stewart, but you probably know her work. Hannah's wonderful Horsham creations include the St Leonard's Dragon in the centre of the maze in Horsham Park and the Iguanodon in Lintot Square in Southwater. 

Hannah has also carried out many other private and public commissions over the last 20 or so years and her beautiful bronze sculptures can be found in all parts of the world. 

In this episode we visited Hannah in her Horsham studio to find out more about her work and what life as a sculptor entails.

To see her work and find out more visit https://www.hannahstewartsculpture.co.uk/

If you, or your children play - or have played - football in Horsham in the last three decades, you will probably have come into contact with our guest for this episode - community football legend Trevor Evershed. 

Over the last 30 years Trevor has worked with North Sussex Soccer Academy, waking early every Saturday morning to lead football training sessions in Horsham Park.  He also plays for Roffey Veterans football team while carrying out his 'day job' as a caretaker in a local school.

Trevor's tireless work and enthusiasm in supporting grassroots football has meant he's inspired some of Horsham's most talented football stars and we were honoured to catch him for a chat about his work. 

To find out more about North Sussex Soccer Academy visit the Facebook page @NSSAHorsham

Dr Nikki Tagg is a conservation scientist, who, since 2018, has been working with Horsham-based international animal welfare charity Born Free Foundation, most recently as Head of Conservation. 

In this episode we find out about Nikki's conservation work and what it entails while gaining a fascinating insight into her time in the African rainforest where she  was posted to better understand the causes of biodiversity loss and study the co-existence between people and animals. 

For more information on the human-wildlife conflict appeal Nikki talks about in the episode, visit www.bornfree.org.uk/conflict-appeal.