On World Suicide Prevention Day Alex set up a mobile studio outside Shrewsbury Abbey for a few hours to speak to some special guests about their suicide experiences . Whether they have lost a loved one, have thought about it themselves or even if they are an expert in the field of mental health.

Featured on this show which comes to you in part of our ongoing work with Shropshire Mental Health Support are, Dave who has had help addressing his demons with Shrewsbury Town Foundation, Heidi Gomm who sadly lost her brother plus Simon, who lost his brother and has been working hard to promote suicide awareness with a series of what he calls silly walks.

We also speak to representatives from Shrewsbury Abbey, including Padre Pat who talks about the community aspect of being a part of something positive where one can be taught the importance of being kind to ones self and others.

Heidi has got a fantastic idea of building a safe place in the grounds of the Abbey, where people can sit if they are feeling down and be surrounded by positive messages from others. This is a new idea that needs to gain a bit of momentum, please use this link to support this idea on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suicide.awareness.memorial.shrewsbury.sams

I f you have been effected by the topics raised in this podcast here are some useful links and numbers:

Shropshire Mental Health Support: https://www.shropshiremhs.com/

116 123 (free) [email protected]

0800 068 4141/   07786 209 697 [email protected]

01743 368647 86463

Shrewsbury Town Foundation: https://www.foundationstfc.co.uk/health-wellbeing/

Today Alex is joined by Nick who is on the show to talk about Shrewsbury Comic-Con which is happening in April 2024.

Featuring some very exciting V.I.Ps, great photo ops with brilliant movie props, exciting D&D sessions and lots of opportunities to enjoy a true Comic-Con experience right on our own doorstep.

The event is happening on Saturday 6th April 2024 10am - 4pm at Shrewsbury Football ground and Nick talks about what is on offer. You can find out much more and order your tickets here: https://www.shrewsburycomiccon.com/

This is a fun, relaxed podcast with a few Alex nerdgasms thrown in, because he will always geek out when given the opportunity. But there is an underlying point to it all. To share a tremendous amount of passion with others about pop culture in one place is a really special thing. This event is exciting and could offer a legacy that just grows and grows every year.

Good luck Nick and the team!

One of Alex Whiteley's favourite things to do is to take a walk around inside the head of a creative. Today's episode is a real treat as Alex is speaking to author Hazel Meredith-Lloyd who has created the comedy novel 'Orange' and the children's version 'Natalie Hedgerow and the Orange Alien.'

Alex and Hazel discuss the stunning and collaborative writers community in Shrewsbury. We have already featured some fine examples of these folks on this show before. A perfect example mentioned directly in this audio is Violet Fenn who currently has books hitting the heights of Amazon's bestsellers. It's amazing how much advice and appreciation writers offer each other in this town and it deserves it's mention here.

How are characters, stories and content created? and more importantly curated in a short novel? Alex and Hazel talk about the difficulties of creating compact content. Of course Alex goes on a tangent about Rick and Morty...it's like he's obsessed with the show!

I would urge you, the listeners to pick up a copy of Orange, help support local authors and pick up a great book in the process here is the link - https://amzn.eu/d/g7POKVl

Also here is the link to 'Natalie Hedgerow and the Orange Alien' to read to the kids - https://amzn.eu/d/cjDdjQ3

Here is the link for Josie's petition to combat the dog poop problem in Belle Vue and Coleham - https://chng.it/4p9g5wcjD8

For this episode Alex is talking to a good friend of the show Dave Corteen. The last time we spoke was to promote the W60 Tennis tournament in 2020, just before the world ended due to y'know the C word.

Well today Dave is telling Alex about the Shrewsbury W100 Tennis tournament that is happening at The Shrewsbury Club between Sunday 15th - Sunday 22nd October 2023. Only this time there will be no cataclysm. Instead there will a tennis tournament of the highest order, bringing in players from all over the world.

Dave says that this won't just be just a tournament, there are plans to have events running all throughout the week, creating more of a festival vibe.

This is all well and good, sounds amazing, but what actually goes into creating an event like this and who is managing what? Of course Dave has all of the answers and this podcast has all of the information you may need leading up to the event.

If we missed anything, please visit the event's website where you can buy tickets, learn about the events happening during the tournament and any announcements that are made. Here is that link: https://worldtennistourshrewsbury.com/

The guest for today's episode is artist, photographer and performer Vanessa Fairfax-Woods. Alex speaks to Vanessa about her beginnings as an artist and where her artistic drives come from.

It is very rare to find an artist who can encapsulate an emotion or a situation so vividly because, well, that is what makes art so special right? Well Vanessa's website offered this podcast an arsenal of interesting topics, just based on Vanessa's work. Take a look for yourself right here: https://www.vanessafairfaxwoods.com/

Mental health has been cropping up on this show an awful lot lately in many different forms of discussion. But it is rare when someone is prepared to show their ultimate vulnerable (yet strong) side to show what is means to be affected by mental health issues. This is where Vanessa comes in and it sets this episode up beautifully.

I like to think that I am very good at finding very good guests for this show, but the truth is lately, the most amazing guests and opportunities are coming to me and today's guest is a real treat. Not only does Vanessa have a brilliant message to give, not only is she brilliantly eloquent on the mic, but her work is phenomenal too. This ticked all of the boxes for me before we even hit record. - AL

Recorded at Daily Brews in Shrewsbury Alex is talking to Business and Mindset Coach Alex McCarthy and Camilla Monk.

Today's topic is about when a business woman has to change her script after finding out she is unexpectedly...expecting. What happens to the mindset of a real go-getter in business when all of a sudden things are changing, priorities are shifting and hardcore vulnerability sets in.

Camilla Monk is one of Shropshire's leading business ladies and is a parent too so, proof in the pudding that it can work.

This seems like such a casual topic to be discussing on the show, but not really, not when you think about it. Women in business have babies all of the time, but, where did they get their advice? Who did they talk to about their insecurities? Well we offer you the opportunity to eavesdrop in this discussion and hopefully there's a few nuggets of advice here in this podcast for you.

Follow Alex McCarthy on Instagram and stay up to date with her journey: https://www.instagram.com/alexmccarthycoaching

Also follow Camilla Monk, as there is always something exciting in her world https://www.instagram.com/architecture_ventures/

It's time to catch up with a good friend of The Biscuit's, Luke Allen.

Since he was an enthusiastic film maker in his teens, Luke has been regularly guesting on The Biscuit and we always take a deep dive into great topics when he is on the show. Today's episode is of no exception.

Luke talks to us about his decision to leave college and concentrate on his work on-set and in the writers rooms as the experience he has received there is ten to the dozen. We find out about Luke's new production company "Ask Seek Knock" The name of this paying homage to this Christian faith, it is derived from the passage Matthew 7:7 'Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened to you'

Of course we started talking about religion and how it all plays into comedy writing. Luke has some goals that he has set himself that, if done correctly, could pay off really well for him. But there is one conundrum to solve first, how does one write GOOD Christian humour?

Yes we go into conversations that may seem like troubled waters in this one, but Luke is my friend and I am comfortable having these conversations with him, it's healthy. Plus, it wouldn't be a Luke Allen guest appearance if it wasn't edgy!

We are back with a second edition of the Shropshire Mental Health Support Takeover just because the last episode really helped a lot of people. So we thought, why not make a bunch of these shows, covering all kinds of different aspects of mental health support.

Toady Alex is joined by Ruth, Maree and Amanda. Maree talks about her new role as deputy manager and what the charity needs going forward. Amanda talks about her role with Shropshire Sanctuary plus her experience dealing with mental health. Ruth hits us with lots of facts and statistics which help keep the discussions flowing.

There are many topics covered in this episode but the main vibe here is opening up to mental health, the triggers around us and how to access help with Shropshire MHS if you need to do so.

To help though, here is a link to the Shropshire Mental Health Support website - https://www.shropshiremhs.com/ And the number to call to speak about therapy or find out information is 01743 368647

Join Alex as he attends the Shrewsbury Town Football Club Open day at the Croud Meadow Stadium.

As an icebreaker, Alex speaks to various members of the Shrewsbury Town community, Starting with the dedicated football police officer for the club, a steward who has grown an affinity to the club, Director of Football Micky Moore and chief business development officer Jamie Edwards.

We are going to be producing a range of content with long-time supporters, staff members and maybe even the odd classic player or two. If you would like to come on the show or know someone who you'd like to feature, please get in touch. Our email is [email protected]

For today's episode Alex is sat with the new Madam Mayoress of Shrewsbury, Becky Wall.

The nature of interviews such as these are designed to discover the person behind the appointment of Mayor. A conversation about where Mrs Wall started in life, what her aspirations are and also what is like for her to become the mayor of this great town.

What are the things that one looks forward to the most, in becoming the Mayor? What are the challenges? In Mrs Wall's situation it was giving speeches, however there was a solution to this particular problem and we find out about that in this episode.

Every Mayor has goals and achievements that they set. Mrs Wall's target is to improve the town's accessibility by highlighting some particularly difficult to reach places for access via wheelchair. We also discuss the charities that will be focused on during Mrs Wall's mayoral year, Diabetes UK and Guide Dogs UK. These charity choices stem from scenarios personal to Mrs Wall, as described in this episode too.

It is always nice to sit down with the Mayor of Shrewsbury for a nice long chat. We all observe Mayors come and go, we may even see them at events throughout the year but what do we know about these people that represent our town. This is a nice way to break the ice and get to know the person behind that shiny chain. Thank you so much to Becky and her brilliant team for making this happen. I look forward to seeing our Mayor at events throughout the year - AL