This is one of the best podcast episodes I have done with my mate Reece just now! We have been good mates for about 5 years and he also has Cerebral Palsy and follows Burnley home and away and has done for about 25 years! Hardly any questions were asked and we just spoke openly and honestly for nearly an hour about all sorts of stuff from our disabilities and how we are perceived to relationships or lack of them and our various personality traits. I really would love it if people were able to listen to this episode and what Reece has to say because this is one of the few times where things have just flowed and I have been able to give an insight into some of the stuff that goes on in my head as well which is what I have wanted from doing media all along. Thanks to Reece for doing this he’s a legend with a proper good heart and if you want to see the great stuff he gets up to follow him @ReeceTaylor1990 on Twitter or just by his name on Facebook. Cheers!

Benji from @lockin_band joined me on Thursday to talk about the bands origins, song lyrics, crowd engagement and much more! I’ve been hearing big things about these lads and I definitely like the sound of their tunes! Plus I think Benji is a great frontman from the videos I’ve seen of him crowd-surfing at Truck festival this year. He has charisma in abundance. They headline the Liverpool Jacaranda tonight so I hope everyone there has the best time and they smash the gig as I know they will! Their latest single ‘Sweet Love’ is out now give these lads a listen! Thanks to Benji for coming on!

Spoke with my mate Andrew Pickup on Wednesday evening ahead of his charity boxing Match at the Dunkenhalgh in Blackburn on Sunday in aid of cancer research.  Andrew speaks about why he decided to do this and the physical and mental health benefits of exercise. Standing tickets still remain if you want to come down and show your support I will put the link in the comments to this below and also his just giving page which is just shy of £1000 so far. Great work mate and best of luck!

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/andrew-pickup10?fbclid=PAAaZHwwEuavh5NB4zXhqq3wREgC2DJgd-5kZU0nLhQ08P3AtqIBQYaX_tYXM

https://www.ultratickets.co.uk/events/ultra-white-collar-boxing-blackburn-04-12-2022/

My mate Stuart Mills joined me on the podcast today! We met through the Adidas community on Instagram and speak regularly about clothes footie and music. Stuart is also in a wheelchair after a motorbike accident in 2011 and I have wanted to speak to somebody in a similar situation to myself on the podcast because I think it’s important to make people aware of the different trials and tribulations involved with having a disability but also the fact that we are just like everybody else. We spoke about a variety of things such as Stuart’s recovery, having a good support network, and also relationships which was really helpful for me as it’s something that bothers me a lot. Stuart also gave me some good advice about being yourself and going down your own path because I am finding the journalism industry outside my own podcast very serious/ robotic and I am just not that way at all. I think about stopping doing journalism a lot but after conversations on my podcast and this one with Stuart it really helps me because if I can get it right being myself then I think I am onto a good thing. Thanks to Stuart for coming on he’s an absolute legend and I would really appreciate it if you would listen to his story and this podcast because it is a really powerful message x

I spoke with another member of Adidas Trend Marketing team at the weekend in Sam Quelch. Sam’s a great lad who I have got to know through the Adidas community on Instagram in recent months. He went to watch Oasis at Wembley with his mum in 2009 which inadvertently put him on the path to where he is today sparking an interest in fashion and casual clothing brands. During his Fashion Comms and Graphic Design course at the Norwich University of Arts he gained work experience at Adidas working with Mike Chetcuti and Gary Aspden in the department he works in full time now. We chatted about the need to get stuck in if you are an aspiring student which I also think is an important message in any walk of life or job role! Thanks for coming on mate and Keep it Spezial!

I had a chat with the lads from The Stride on Saturday morning. The Stride are a four-piece indie rock band from Burnley who are made up of Cain Buck - Vocals/ Guitar Jack Simpson- Lead Guitar Ryan Gilmour- Bass and Bailey Pearson - Drums. I have wanted to get these lads on for a while as I know them personally and it’s always good to get a bit of Burnley charisma on the podcast! I saw them play live for the first time supporting the New Divide at the Bread Shed in Manchester on Saturday and it was a class gig! In this episode they spoke about the role their roots play in the music they produce as well as being mates before music also dropping a hint about a new track that will be released later in the year. Before the episode commences you can also hear their track Live for the Now as an added bonus. Thanks for coming on lads! Enjoy the episode x

Fresh off supporting Liam Gallagher at King Georges Hall in Blackburn last night The Iiicits frontman George Richards joined me to talk about the gig but also their latest single play your part which was released yesterday. The four-piece band from Blackburn formed in 2016 and have since gone from strength to strength supporting Liam on more than one occasion. Last night was the second time I saw these lads play live with the last time being at Manchester Arena in 2019 when they also supported Liam. But last night felt like an extra special occasion, especially for George and his bandmates who consist of Brad Hayes (lead guitar), Joe Mitchell (bass) and Matt Cottam (drums). This was their chance to put Blackburn on the map and give back to their dedicated fans who have supported them along the way but also open a new audience’s ears to their sound and they certainly didn’t disappoint. On this episode we spoke about the importance of hard work and being organic as well as what it meant to be the chief support at an event that was done in conjunction with Blackburn homeless charity Nightsafe. I really enjoyed speaking to George and listening to their new single which you can find on all major streaming sites. The lads are also currently in the middle of a UK tour which you can find tickets for here: https://www.ents24.com/uk/tour-dates/the-illicits Thanks for your time mate and keep on ‘Playing your part’.

Loved doing this podcast episode with Adam from Mind Body and Sole last week! I met him at the Padiham vs Congleton Town game in September and we have the same interests and are both passionate about Mental Health issues. Adam founded Mind Body and Sole in January 2021 as a way of combining his love of Adidas with getting people to open up about Mental Health. Since founding MBS he has helped so many people with their Mental Health struggles through the organisations social media sites @MindBodySoleUK and through their partnership with Congleton Town hosting weekly drop-in centres. They  also provide donations to people who are struggling through their MBS clothing range which you can find here on the website. https://www.mindbodysole.uk/about-mind-body-sole Adam also spoke about his personal journey battling addictions and a number of suicide attempts too reaching the milestone of being five years clean and sober last September! I hope you enjoy listening to Adam's story and lets keep talking about our issues and look after each other x