For this episode we’re out and about!

Why has Ian brought Joanna to the banks of the River Lune at Skerton to talk about the value of housing?

The search for a stable, secure home is one of the fastest growing issues dealt with by Citizens Advice North Lancashire.

Following benefits queries and issues linked to financial crisis, housing is third most common matter dealt with by volunteers who have to navigate a challenging - and changing - range of factors.

New legislation is being debated but locally the proposed Eden project in Morecambe is already influencing the housing market in the area.

In this edition we’ll hear from Gully Trevena, who leads the Citizens Advice service and specialises in housing matters. We’re also joined by Fiona Macleod, Housing Standards Manager at Lancaster City Council.

Show notes:

For details of housing advice from Citizens Advice: www.citizensadvice.org/housing

For information from Lancaster City Council: https://www.lancaster.gov.uk/housing/council-housing

Join Joanna and Rev Ian as they discuss the cost of living, budgeting, saving for the future and when life gives you lemons!

When 1 in 6 people in the UK don't have any savings, now is the time to talk finances. Lots of us bury our heads in the sand, and with an ever changing economic landscape, whilst it may not be the most fun conversation to have, it's time to face our financial demons!

We hear from expert financial adviser Annabel Lumsden from TPFinancialSolutions in Morecambe.

tpfinancialsolutions.co.uk

How could changes to employment laws affect you and do you know your rights as they stand now?

The world of work often results in queries for volunteers at North Lancashire Citizens Advice. Am I entitled to a break? Will I be paid during maternity leave? What if work is making me ill?

These - and many more - are our bread and butter and among the topics discussed by Joanna and Ian in this podcast. We also hear from Asli Atay a senior policy advisor with the Work Foundation who have a base at Lancaster University.

We’ll also learn how Joanna’s first job was well paid - but hard graft!

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-work-foundation/posts/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-harrison-4b31431a/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-fitzmaurice-a6111a43/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/asli-atay-75b4a2103/

https://www.linkedin.com/school/lancaster-university/

X:

https://x.com/WorkFoundation

https://x.com/asliatayy

https://x.com/LancasterUni

Bluesky:

@asliatay.bsky.social

Show notes:

2 min A picturesque sounding first job for Joanna

3 mins Ian reveals working for a firm where orders came in via telex.

6 mins Asli Atay joins Ian and Joanna and explains more about the work of the Work Foundation.

8 mins job security has been quite stable over the past two decades

8’30” Joanna reveals over 500 clients have approached Citizens Advice North Lancashire with over 700 issues relating to employment.

9 mins Joanna explains the kind of issues which are brought to volunteers by clients looking for guidance.

9’30” Why transport is a factor when it comes to looking for work

10 mins How research is looking into the health of the labour market

11 mins Ian considers how the Bay area is affected by transport, good and bad.

13 mins Why the kind of job is important in keeping fit and healthy

14 mins Zero hour contracts; how will changes affect those who currently rely on these for work?

17 mins Why maternity matters are very relevant for our guest!

18 mins Which European countries have better maternity rights than the UK

19 mins Inequality case studies and why not all employers recognise the rights of their employees.

21 mins Ian questions how employers will view stronger worker protection.

24 mins Will people be able to expect to work fewer hours?

26 mins Tough question alert! Can you plan your work life?

29 mins The link between sickness and the world of work

32 mins Population health and the need for employers to play their part.

33 Summarising the interview Joanna and Ian look at what their highlights are.

Bay Health Festivals Podcast referred to by Ian:

Can a four-day week really work when it comes to business? We hear how one firm around the Bay has adopted it and consider the impact of looking after employee health and wellbeing.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/70UCzbNWTXwlhj9Yy7cnVj?si=CNP1GQhMSI-HQ5PxqE5NhA

Useful links:

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/work/

https://www.tuc.org.uk/employment-status-and-rights

https://www.gov.uk/browse/working/rights-trade-unions

Episode 3. Joanna and Frank

As well as co-hosting When Life Gives You Lemons as Chief Executive of Citizens Advice North Lancashire, Joanna Young is also a proud older sister.

With ten studio albums to his credit and a reputation for constantly touring, punk-folk singer Frank Turner is her little brother!

He’s written songs and spoken widely about mental health including his own challenges. He’s also lost two close friends to suicide.

But as anambassador for CALM, the Campaign Against Living Miserably, he’s keen to discuss the issue to highlight the support that does exist.

Joanna spoke to Frank who’s currently in the U.S. for this edition.

He’s due to play a special benefit gig in Lancaster in spring - look out for more details on our social media channels.

WARNING: This edition includes references to suicide and self-harm.

If you or someone you know needs urgent mental health support call 0800 0130710.

https://frank-turner.com/

Show notes:

1 min 43 second Frank’s involvement with CALM

https://www.thecalmzone.net/frank-turner-talks-to-calm

4 mins How Frank’s mental health changed

6 mins Joanna asks how the music industry has affected his health.

9 mins Joanna and Frank consider how life affects mental health.

11 mins Frank explains how it struck him that being sent away to boarding school at a young age had a profound effect on his outlook on life.

12 mins 30 seconds Writing to Joanna begging for blank tapes!

15 mins 20” Losing close friend Josh.

25 mins Losing close friend Scott whose family began a support network in his name https://tinychanges.com/what-we-do/

28 mins The pressure of social media scrutiny.

32 mins Fame isn’t real.

35 mins Writing songs about personal family life.

39 mins How much do we know about our brains and Frank’s decision to seek help with his mental health.

42 mins How support has helped and why he’s keen to share his

experiences.

45 mins Reacting to praise for his work by fans who say it has helped them with life’s challenges.

47 mins Inspired to run thanks to Frank’s music

49 mins Why he believes physical activity can help lift mood.

Episode 2: Help Is Close

Knowing how to find help when it comes to mental health and well being can be a challenge.

In this edition of When Life Gives You Lemons hosts Joanna Young and the Rev Ian Dewar hear about Help Is Close, a Lancaster district-wide, mental health support campaign aimed at all ages.

As well as organisations offering practical help it also lists groups who may help when it comes to maintaining good mental health - sports and social clubs, activity groups and more.

In this edition we hear from Sarah Baines who’s leading the project. We also hear from Amy, Westmorland General Hospital’s Lead Chaplain who also works in the area’s mental health facilities, and in more detail from Ian who explains how in the NHS chaplains make a difference.

Watch out for the Help Is Close posters, postcards and bags as well as the

the Lancaster District Directory -

https://directory.lancastercvs.org.uk /

WARNING: This edition includes references to suicide.

If you or someone you know needs urgent mental health support call

0800 0130710.

Show notes:

2 mins Lancaster’s mental health history

3 mins Introducing Sarah Baines from Help Is Close

5 mins Where the idea for Help Is Close came from.

7 mins The extent of support on offer including a dedicated number to

help. 0800 0130710

8 mins Pubs, hairdressers, schools and other locations have been targeted

to share help.

12 mins How being connected can help improve mental health.

17 mins Why there’s no shame in asking for help.

20 mins How connections around the Bay are making a difference.

22 mins Joanna thinks Ian has a tough job!

23 mins Meet Rev Amy Bland, Site Lead Chaplain for Westmorland General who also supports The Orchard mental health ward in Lancaster.

28 mins Hearing how playing games or getting a brew helps when it comes to keeping mental health well.

28 “Do you get paid for playing Rummikub…?!”

Episode 1. Brew Monday

Feeling down or having low mood doesn’t just happen on Mondays in January. Our mental health can be tested at any time during the year.

In this edition of When Life Gives You Lemons hosts Joanna Young and the Rev Ian Dewar hear more about what mental health actually means.

Gemma Wright, Practice Development Nurse and Professional Nurse Advocate for the Bay area, works for Lancashire and South Cumbria Foundation Trust and offers an insight into mental health services as well as five practical tips for better mental health.

We’re also joined by members of Citizens Advice North Lancashire’s specialist mental health team. Dave, Maria and Gully tell us more about the wide variety of people who come for help and reveal how they’ve managed to get debt worth £1.2m written off in less than a year.

This edition is one of a mini-series of three we’ve produced for you covering the subject of mental health. Check out Help is Close and Joanna’s conversation with her musician brother Frank who has written about his own experiences of mental health.

Also Gemma features in this podcast produced for The Bay HealthFestivals:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4dewNRq62babaJtTQH95CP?si=r7LSdIgDStuf-UGUjQprIw

If you live in Furness you may also enjoy this Bay Health Festival podcast about Mind In Furness who are developing an allotment on Walney as part of a scheme to promote better mental health:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/42LkhcWY2QnR79e1e7w09D?si=MpsddT9jQZSu5qP-gYSmqw

If you or someone you know needs urgent mental health support call 0800 0130710.

Show notes:

1 min 55” Is this podcast for me?

4 mins Meet Gemma Wright

6 mins How do mental health staff look after themselves?

11 mins The five steps to mental wellbeing

15 mins Meet Citizens Advice North Lancashire Mental Health Matters

team: https://www.northlancashirecab.org.uk/news/where-can-i-get-

help-with-my-mental-health

19 mins How patience pays off, we hear how one client managed to find a

new lease of life after months of support.

33 mins Joanna and Ian consider how the Bay area has a wide range of

support on offer.

Do you know your rights when it comes to the workplace? 

How about sick pay, leave, maternity or paternity pay, zero-hour contracts, workplace bullying or harassment, and rubbish bosses?

Joanna and Ian along with expert guests, discuss all this and more, to help make sure your working life is a happy one.

After this week’s Budget announcement, are you grappling to understand what the Chancellor’s decisions mean for you?

There was a lot to take in and it will take time for the full implications to be seen.

So, in this special episode of When Life Gives You Lemons, our chief executive Joanna Young is joined by Citizens Advice North Lancashire’s Research and Campaigns Lead

Caroline Robertson to consider what the headline changes to National Insurance, the minimum wage and bus fares may mean for you.

It might well help signal where you stand now and will certainly give you an idea of where to go to find out more.

For example check out this page of useful info from Citizens Advice on the Budget here:

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/what-the-autumn-budget-2024-means-for-you/

And if you live in Lancaster, Morecambe or Barrow contact us where you are for more practical, free, life advice.

Rev Ian Dewar will be back behind the mic in the next episode!

Until then, like, share and give us a rating.

We have the Autumn Budget in October and there have already been changes announced about the Winter Fuel Payment and who qualifies to receive it.

In this episode, visit the local Citizens Advice office in Morecambe and hear from those who work there, including the trained volunteers and expert advisers. They'll tell you what it's like to visit your local Citizens Advice branch and what sort of support is available.

Hear from members of the team who urge you to check your eligibility for certain benefits. Pension Credit is one of the most under claimed benefits in the UK and it may open the door to receiving other benefits like the Winter Fuel Payment. This is money many people are entitled to, but don't know about!

Don't miss out - check your eligibility today!

I know it doesn't sound like a laugh a minute - but this is important!

Unfortunately, all of us will face this lemon at some point. Yet most of us feel blindsided when we get bad news and don't plan for the worst.

Are you prepared for a serious, life-changing diagnosis? Have you thought about finances, income, even writing a will?

It's not something we like to talk about, but it's important to prepare for when life throws you a curveball.

Life advice is here - join hospital chaplain Rev Ian Dewar and Citizens Advice North Lancashire CEO Joanna Young, along with expert guests, for a frank and funny discussion about death and illness - and how you can make the tricky times less painful.