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Hello Listeners.

Join Paul and Calum on the next instalment of The Birth of The English Nation!

This show features:

Æthelstan or Athelstan (/ˈæθəlstæn/; Old English: Æþelstan[a] or Æðelstān;[b] Old Norse: Aðalsteinn meaning "noble stone"; c. 894 – 27 October 939) was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 924 to 927 and King of the English from 927 to 939 when he died.[c] He was the son of King Edward the Elder and his first wife, Ecgwynn. Modern historians regard him as the first King of England and one of the greatest Anglo-Saxon kings. He never married and had no children. He was succeeded by his half-brother, Edmund

Also Calum and Paul talk about the Battle of Brunanburh:

The Battle of Brunanburh was fought in 937 between Æthelstan, King of England, and an alliance of Olaf Guthfrithson, King of Dublin; Constantine II, King of Scotland, and Owain, King of Strathclyde. The battle is often cited as the point of origin for English nationalism: historians such as Michael Livingston argue that "the men who fought and died on that field forged a political map of the future that remains [in modernity], arguably making the Battle of Brunanburh one of the most significant battles in the long history not just of England, but of the whole of the British Isles."[1]

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Hello Listeners!

Catch up with Paula and Ben on the weekly Monday Live Stream and Podcast!

It has been a crazy week in the world, with protests in England and America.

Hear Ben and Paul discuss all the happenings relating to news, CV-19, business and economy.

This weeks song - ZZ Top - Gimme all your lovin

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Welcome to Part 4 of 8 of the Birth of the English Nation History Series from Paul and Calum of Aspen Waite.

This week Calum and Paul take an in-depth look at who Paul describes as possibly the 2nd most important woman in English History.

Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians (c. 870 – 12 June 918) ruled Mercia in the English Midlands from 911 until her death. She was the eldest daughter of Alfred the Great, king of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex, and his wife Ealhswith.

Æthelflæd was born around 870 at the height of the Viking invasions of England. By 878, most of England was under Danish Viking rule – East Anglia and Northumbria having been conquered, and Mercia partitioned between the English and the Vikings – but in that year Alfred won a crucial victory at the Battle of Edington. Soon afterwards the English-controlled western half of Mercia came under the rule of Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians, who accepted Alfred's overlordship. Alfred adopted the title King of the English, claiming to rule all English people not living in areas under Viking control. In the mid-880s, Alfred sealed the strategic alliance between the surviving English kingdoms by marrying Æthelflæd to Æthelred.

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Hello Listeners!

Join us today for more antics in Aspen Waite Media land.

Paul and Ben will join you live on Monday every week where we bring to you an honest opinion and review of the previous week's goings-on.

This is in terms of News, Business and Media happenings especially related to Covid19 and how we are being affected in the UK.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Today's Song - The Verve - Lucky Man

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Hello listeners

Join the esteemed cuddly Viking and Son as we traverse the depths of History together. 450 AD to 1066 AD.

And this week we have a special on King Alfred the Great!

Great to hear Paul and Calum discussing one of the most famous characters in English History - one who played a key roll in establishing 'England'.

Some info:

Alfred the Great (Old English: Ælfrēd,[b] Ælfrǣd,[c] 'Elf-counsel' or 'Wise-elf'; between 847 and 849 – 26 October 899) was King of Wessex from 871 to c. 886 and King of the Anglo-Saxons from c. 886 to 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf of Wessex. His father died when he was young and three of Alfred's brothers, Æthelbald, Æthelberht and Æthelred, reigned in turn before him.

After ascending the throne, Alfred spent several years fighting Viking invasions. He won a decisive victory in the Battle of Edington in 878 and made an agreement with the Vikings, creating what was known as the Danelaw in the North of England. Alfred also oversaw the conversion of Viking leader Guthrum to Christianity. He defended his kingdom against the Viking attempt at conquest, becoming the dominant ruler in England.[1] Details of his life are described in a work by 9th-century Welsh scholar and bishop Asser.

Hello Listeners!

Join us in Part 2 of this Historical Series with Paul and Calum.

They take from around 450 AD right up to the Battle of Hastings 1066 with lots of info on geographical context, historical figures of note, what the peoples of the time were like, what they ate, and their settlements.

Today covers the first Norsemen invasions and we go up to the time of King Alfred fleeing to the Somerset Levels after the Vikings launched a surprise attack on his base in Chippenham on January 6th 876.

We start the episode and end with Blood Swan - Anglo Saxon Music and Instruments

This is a video series so watch it here:

The Birth of The English Nation Part 2

Today’s Song - XTC - Generals and Majors

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Hello Listeners! 

Join Paul and Ben today for their Monday catch up on the antics of the weekend since the last live stream on Friday. 

There has been much criticism of the Government and we hear their take on this. 

The number of CV deaths over the weekend was extremely low, but why don’t the media put a good news spin on anything? There is definitely great room for optimism!

One could argue the government are devoid of strategy and plan to come out of lockdown. Will they convince us otherwise over the next few days and weeks? 

Is Boris making political decisions regarding Covid19 with a direct aim of not alienating the northern demographic of voters?

“Neo Marxist behaviour from a government that should be acting in a democratic way.” As Paul put it. 

People and country are divided and we discuss in this episode points regarding furlough, unemployment, teachers, unions etc in their stance.

We discuss the local protests at London that happened recently with people trying to protect their rights by going outside and the reaction from Police. 

Also the need to start back up with football for the mental health of the public, and real stories about hospitals and treatment to members of the public NOT relating to Covid19.

Today’s Song - XTC - Generals and Majors

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Hello Listeners

And hello Viking Father and Son! 

Calum and Paul Waite on the show today with a history special. Talking about the birthing of Britain!  

Going from Tribal cultures around Britain with no cohesion, to Roman Rule, to the invasion of the Vikings, to the Legend of King Arthur!

What was life like back then in England? 

The Anglo Saxon and Germanic Tribal Raids and the ill-prepared Romano British drove to exile by ‘merciless barbarians’ as described by people of the time. 

Dominated culturally by the invaders/inhabiters, life was changed forever. 

Warrior vs a subservient culture. 

King Arthur is a Legend in English history and we have a great discussion about this mysterious man. Was he real? He is said to be asleep beneath Glastonbury Tor! 

The angles, The East Saxons, The South Saxons and the Jutes. Cornwall, Wessex, Mercia and Northumbria. 

In Scotland, you had the Picks and in Wales, the Ancient Britains that to some extent preserved their identity throughout time. 

We also talk about the origin and development of the English Language as we know it today and the influence of Pagan Gods on our culture. What the diet would have been like in Anglo Saxon time and the kind of activities people would pass the time with. 

Take a trip through History with us and get to know British heritage!

Today’s Song - Hash Pipe - Weezer

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Today’s Song - The Vines - Get Free

Hello Listeners!

Happy Thursday and sending hope and joy to you all!

Always good to catch up with the Cuddly Viking (Paul) and Emperor Ming (Johnno) for some friendly discussion. 

We talk about being a true friend and our inevitable expansion of Aspen Waite to Ireland which is very exciting news. 

This sparks a hearty discussion of trust, family and connection through opportunities with great people. The true way in which we build the Aspen Waite family. 

It’s good to get an insight into the way that ideas are formed and fermented into success. Do all businesses look at things in the same way? No, and this is what sets us apart. 

Doing something kind can come back at you tenfold - and we get some great real life human stories of how this has worked within Aspen Waite in this episode. 

Being personable can go a long way. 

We also talk about the Radio project, the excitement, the challenges and plans for the future. 

Of course some Covid19 news as well - antibody testing, how many people are out in lockdown, and real-life examples of the bounceback loan. 

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Today’s Song - The Vines - Get Free

Hello Listeners!

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Today’s song - Ultravox - The Voice 

Hope you are all well :) 

Today we delve deep from the start into the furlough scheme. Announced is the extension of scheme until October. 

Hear Paul’s and Darren’s thoughts on this, the implications to business in the UK. 

Lots of uncertainty on how operations are going to work. 

The financial implications are also HUGE! The cost to the government and in the future the cost to us? 

How is the furlough scheme affecting employees? Do they feel as though they will ever be back to work? The mental health and wellbeing of furloughed employees is a massive subject also, which is discussed in this episode. 

There is also the issue of accrued holiday from the scheme from an employers perspective. 

2 months into lockdown now - what are consequences of furlough going on for another four months. 

We look at this from the perspective of the employer and employee. 

Other areas including general life in lockdown and real dangers like Alcoholism due to alcohol sales being up 83 per cent during the lockdown. 

Hear some great ways of using your imagination to not just ‘exist’ through the lockdown. Social distance hangouts, and virtual cloud pubs!!

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Today’s song - Ultravox - The Voice