This episode of Spotlight on Heritage features John Coster and Rob Watson reflecting on the Leicester Saturday Heritage Fair and the wider role of storytelling, participation, and local media in community life. Recorded in the basement gallery of Leicester Adult Education Centre, the discussion explores how informal heritage events foster connection, trust, and collaboration across diverse groups. The conversation also considers the future of community reporting, the need for authentic and independent media, and the importance of sustainable local funding models that strengthen civic and cultural life in Leicester.
In this week’s Spotlight on Heritage, John Coster and Rob Watson meet in the basement gallery at Leicester Adult Education Centre to reflect on the energy and meaning of last Saturday’s Heritage Fair. What began as a conversation about a community event soon turned into a deeper exploration of what heritage, storytelling, and participation really mean in today’s Leicester.
Rob describes the day as “exhausting but full of buzz,” a place where people brought their objects, memories, and curiosities to share. The fair wasn’t about artefacts behind glass but about lived experience—the radios in someone’s bag, the family heirlooms pulled from a cardboard box, the stories that surface when people start talking. As John puts it, the fair worked because of its informality and flow. Every stall was placed with care, allowing visitors to move, pause, and engage without feeling rushed or crowded. That attention to detail, Rob observes, turned the space into something more than an exhibition—it became a meeting point for stories.
The conversation widens into the role of community reporting and the importance of trust in media. Rob distinguishes between journalists and reporters—between those who seek to uncover hidden truths and those who share the life of a community at face value. Community reporters, he says, work by building relationships rather than breaking stories. They give people confidence to speak and a platform to be heard. This, John suggests, fills a gap left by mainstream media’s retreat from local storytelling.
Their discussion touches on how the past connects with the present. Whether it’s a display about the Vikings, a stall about Afghan language and culture, or a conversation about war memorials, all heritage becomes contemporary when it’s part of how people make sense of their lives now. Heritage, they argue, is not nostalgia—it’s a form of shared meaning-making that helps communities talk about who they are and how they live together.
Towards the end of the discussion, the focus shifts to independence and sustainability. Rob calls it “breaking the queue for the begging bowl,” urging a move away from over-professionalised, risk-averse funding systems towards models that circulate value locally. John agrees that events like the Heritage Fair show how much can be achieved when people contribute time, creativity, and trust rather than rely solely on external funding.
The programme closes with a reminder that heritage is alive because it’s lived and shared. The stories told at the Heritage Fair weren’t only about Leicester’s past—they were about the networks of understanding, care, and imagination that keep the city connected today.
Listen to the full conversation in the latest episode of Spotlight on Heritage, available now on Soar Sound Radio.

The Saturday Heritage Fair at Leicester Adult Education Centre celebrates creativity, community, and living history. Produced by Soar Sound Radio, this podcast features songwriter Meg McNeill on Leicester music pioneer Lawrence Wright, Bert McNeal from the Leicester Civic Society on civic heritage, re-enactor Rose on medieval storytelling, volunteers from Satsang Radio on cultural connection, and poet Tim Grayson on creative heritage at Belvoir Castle. Together, they show how Leicester’s people are keeping history alive through music, architecture, performance, radio, and poetry, linking the city’s past with its future.
The latest recordings from the Saturday Heritage Fair at Leicester Adult Education Centre capture how creativity and memory intertwine in the city’s living heritage. Produced by Soar Sound Radio, these conversations highlight the people who are preserving, interpreting, and reimagining Leicester’s past in ways that speak to the present.
The Fair, now an established part of Leicester’s cultural calendar, brings together volunteers, historians, artists, and community broadcasters who each approach heritage from their own angle — through music, architecture, performance, or radio. What unites them is a shared belief that history comes alive when it is experienced, discussed, and made personal.
Songwriter and researcher Meg McNeill opened the day with an unexpected rediscovery: the story of Lawrence Wright, a Leicester-born music publisher and founder of Melody Maker in 1926. Meg’s research connects the city’s industrial roots with its creative legacy, tracing how a local shoe worker’s son built a music empire that shaped British popular culture. Her appeal to find the missing blue plaque marking Wright’s former music shop underlined how easily local cultural achievements can fade from view if they are not actively remembered.
From music to architecture, Bert McNeal, Chair of the Leicester Civic Society, spoke about how the city’s heritage is held not just in buildings but in the shared sense of place they inspire. He described the Society’s work as “campaigning for a better Leicester,” combining the preservation of historic structures with advocacy for thoughtful new development. For Bert, civic pride is inseparable from civic responsibility — ensuring Leicester remains a city where everyone feels included and connected.
The Fair also reflected the power of historical re-enactment to make the past tangible. Rose, a 12th-century re-enactor with the group Normaness, shared how her team recreates medieval life through costume, craft, and combat displays. Her passion extends beyond performance: she is developing a research project on the heritage of Leicester’s Rally Park, exploring how disused industrial land might be repurposed for community use. Her story showed how historical imagination can inform practical change in the present.
A different kind of community connection came from the volunteers of Satsang Radio, part of the Hindu Sanskar Charity. Presenters Sajan, Kaushik, Dhruvi, Aarti, and others described how their Leicester-based station blends devotional music, spiritual discussion, and cultural education to serve Hindu communities locally and abroad. Entirely volunteer-run, Satsang Radio operates as both a form of service and a lifeline — offering companionship for housebound listeners, intergenerational dialogue, and a space to sustain faith and identity through sound.
The day ended with a conversation that bridged poetry, play, and place. Tim Grayson, Poet in Residence at Belvoir Castle, described how his role combines writing, teaching, and creative innovation. Alongside composing poems for events and commissions, he has developed the Belvoir Prize for Poetry and even designed a board game, Tataki, inspired by the castle’s Japanese gardens. For Grayson, heritage is “living, breathing, and reciprocal” — something we learn from and give back to through our creat...

The Saturday Heritage Fair at Leicester Adult Education College celebrates Leicester’s diverse history through storytelling, oral history, and community collaboration. Produced by Soar Sound Radio, this podcast features interviews with local historian Ned Newitt, the Media Archive for Central England (MACE), Leicester Civic Society, St. Philip’s Centre, the Silk Road Project, and Gro Social Capital. Together, they explore how art, archives, and civic action connect past and present, highlighting Leicester’s heritage as a living, shared experience. Listen to the podcast to hear the voices shaping the city’s story today.
The Saturday Heritage Fair at Leicester Adult Education College once again proved how rich and varied Leicester’s cultural story is. Recorded by Soar Sound Radio, this second set of podcast interviews captures a day filled with conversation, curiosity, and civic pride. Through these exchanges, the Fair became not just a celebration of heritage, but a portrait of Leicester itself – diverse, reflective, and deeply connected to its past.
Community reporter Harkesh Farmer opened the event in conversation with Denise from The Evington Echo, who described the magazine’s role in sharing local news and stories. That sense of local connection set the tone for what followed: a day of discovery among people committed to keeping Leicester’s history alive.
Local historian Ned Newitt spoke about his long engagement with the city’s past, from Chartist hymns to the evolution of social housing. His research reveals how working-class people shaped Leicester’s identity through creativity, activism, and community spirit. His books, including The Slums of Leicester, remind us that history isn’t just written in grand events, but in the ordinary streets and lives that built the city.
Phil from the Media Archive for Central England (MACE) described how film can serve as a window into the past, preserving moments of daily life that would otherwise fade from memory. From 1920s footage of children travelling from Leicester to Mablethorpe to modern community videos, these archives give voice to forgotten experiences. His appeal for residents to share their old recordings highlighted the role local people play in shaping collective memory.
The civic dimension of heritage came alive through Bert McNeal, chair of the Leicester Civic Society. Speaking with conviction about the Society’s long-running campaign for a better Leicester, he linked architecture, environment, and civic participation to a sense of shared belonging. For Bert, heritage is not only about preservation but about participation – ensuring Leicester remains a city that people of all backgrounds can take pride in.
From there, the podcast turned to contemporary reflections on belonging and identity. Tom from St. Philip’s Centre discussed the Memories of Living Well Together project, which recorded over a hundred stories from people across Leicester’s communities. His work highlights how the city’s diversity creates a kind of everyday harmony – a quiet, civic confidence that embraces difference without losing its sense of home.
The artistic and global dimensions of heritage were explored by Davia, whose Silk Road project connects Central Asian art with wider cultural narratives, and Meg, a Leicester-based dance artist developing projects that blend visual art and performance. Together they reflected on creativity as a bridge between cultures, with Davia emphasising the need to de-centre Western art traditions and open new spaces for diverse artistic voices.
The day concluded with Russell from Gro Social Capital, introducing the idea of a “pocket museum” – a community-curated collection of fifty objects that tell a local story. His approach treats heritage as a form of social connection, built slowly through conversation, shared memory, and local imagination. It’s a model that fits Leicester perfectly: reflective, inclusive,

The Saturday Heritage Fair at Leicester Adult Education Centre (11 October 2025) showcased local history, storytelling, and community heritage. Produced by Soar Sound Radio, the event featured interviews with the East Midlands Oral History Archive, Vikings of Middle England, The Elizabeth Heyrick Society, the Literary and Philosophical Society, and Satsang Radio. Organiser John Coster highlighted how heritage connects people through creativity, conversation, and shared memory. The accompanying podcast captures Leicester’s diverse voices, exploring how oral history, re-enactment, and local media bring the city’s past to life and inspire future generations.
The Saturday Heritage Fair at Leicester Adult Education Centre on 11 October 2025, organised by John Coster, was a celebration of local stories, shared memories, and creative ways of keeping history alive. Produced by Soar Sound Radio, the event brought together a remarkable mix of people – collectors, re-enactors, archivists, and community broadcasters – all united by a passion for discovering how the past continues to shape our sense of belonging in Leicester today.
Throughout the day, Soar Sound’s community reporters, Roger and Harkesh, interviewed exhibitors and visitors whose work connects the city’s cultural history with contemporary life. From oral history and traditional crafts to social justice campaigns and living history displays, each conversation offered a glimpse into the many ways people care for and interpret Leicester’s heritage.
Colin Hyde from the East Midlands Oral History Archive described a collection spanning more than six thousand recordings, capturing memories that reach back to the nineteenth century. His work shows how personal recollections, once preserved, become part of a shared archive that tells the story of everyday life across the region.
Nearby, Jason from Vikings of Middle England explained how re-enactment brings history off the page and into public spaces. His craft as a blacksmith and his detailed knowledge of Viking life remind us that learning about the past can be tactile and immersive. His enthusiasm for storytelling through metalwork and costume linked history to lived experience and imagination.
The Fair also highlighted the people behind Leicester’s built and social history. In character as Victorian architect and mayor Arthur Wakeley, actor Ken Ogborn gave voice to one of the city’s influential figures whose name still shapes its streets. Later, speaking as himself, Ken reflected on how performing historical roles deepens empathy and connection between people today and those who came before.
Emily from The Elizabeth Heyrick Society shared the story of a pioneering Leicester campaigner for the abolition of slavery. Her call for immediate, rather than gradual, abolition and her leadership within women’s networks marked her as one of the city’s great moral reformers. The Society’s campaign for a statue and educational resources aims to restore Heyrick’s rightful place in public memory.
John Coster, organiser of the ninth annual Heritage Fair, spoke about how the event has grown into a meeting place for individuals and organisations interested in heritage as a living, shared practice. From oral history and archives to local newspapers and digital storytelling, he described heritage as a way of linking communities through curiosity and collaboration.
That spirit of connection ran through all the conversations, from Nigel Wood of the Literary and Philosophical Society, who spoke about Leicester’s long tradition of open debate and learning, to Sajan and Shanti from Satsang Radio, whose broadcasts create companionship and cultural continuity for listeners near and far.
The Heritage Fair demonstrated that Leicester’s heritage is not confined to museums or monuments.

In this episode of Spotlight on Heritage, John Coster and Rob Watson meet artist and creative educator Tina Barton to talk about the value of scrapbooking as a way of preserving personal and family memories. Recorded in the Basement Gallery at the Leicester Adult Education Centre, the discussion looks ahead to the Saturday Heritage Fair, where Tina will be running a hands-on scrapbooking drop-in session alongside other creative workshops and displays.
Tina describes scrapbooking as more than just a craft activity. It’s a way for people to explore their own stories, reconnect with the past, and record moments that might otherwise be lost. From collecting ticket stubs and postcards to writing diary entries or sketching while travelling, she sees scrapbooking as an inclusive practice that allows everyone to express what matters to them in a tangible and creative form.
The conversation reflects on how these practices link to wider ideas of heritage, creativity, and wellbeing. Rob and Tina discuss how taking time to reflect through journaling or scrapbooking can counter the speed of digital life, offering space to slow down and reconnect with personal experience. They also touch on the emotional value of keeping family photographs, diaries, and drawings, particularly as a way of sharing memories across generations.
For Tina, heritage is not only about buildings or artefacts, but about the stories people tell and the connections they make through creative expression. Her scrapbooking workshop invites visitors to bring their own memories to life, using whatever materials they have to hand—old photos, wrapping paper, drawings, or even napkins—and to enjoy the process of making something meaningful and unique.
The Saturday Heritage Fair takes place at the Leicester Adult Education Centre on Belvoir Street, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with free entry. Alongside Tina’s scrapbooking session, visitors can explore talks, exhibitions, and activities including audio storytelling projects, creative workshops, and cultural displays.
Listen to the full conversation with Tina Barton on Soar Sound Radio’s Spotlight on Heritage, and discover how a simple scrapbook can become a personal archive of life, memory, and creativity.

This episode of Spotlight on Business on Soar Sound features James Burkmar, Workspace Development Manager at LCB Depot in Leicester. He reflects on his career journey, explains the growth of the creative economy, and shares how LCB Depot has become a hub for networks, events and collaboration. The discussion highlights the role of initiatives like Last Friday and the new Canopy development at Pilot House in supporting creative enterprises and strengthening Leicester’s identity as a centre for innovation and community.
The first edition of our new Spotlight on Business series on Soar Sound features a conversation with James Burkmar, Workspace Development Manager at LCB Depot in Leicester’s Cultural Quarter. James shared his story of how a varied career in music, community projects and business coaching eventually led him to support creative entrepreneurs and organisations at one of the city’s most important hubs.
James explained how the concept of the creative economy has grown beyond the official definition of “creative industries.” For him, creativity is woven into many sectors of work, from design and architecture to plumbing and software, wherever people solve problems in new and inventive ways. He highlighted Leicester’s history of Point of Sale design and how such cross-disciplinary skills continue to generate new opportunities for innovation.
The discussion explored the importance of building a scene rather than just a workspace. James described how networks such as Creative Coffee and Create Leicester have flourished at LCB Depot, helping practitioners connect across disciplines. He also emphasised how events like Last Friday have turned the Depot into a destination for the wider public, bringing together families, students, artists and businesses in a shared civic space.
A significant part of the conversation focused on the forthcoming launch of Canopy at Pilot House. This new development extends the reach of LCB Depot, offering additional workspaces while preserving the heritage of six historic buildings. With high occupancy levels already secured, Canopy promises to attract businesses from Leicester and beyond, strengthening the city’s creative infrastructure.
Asked about challenges and opportunities, James returned to the central theme of people. Whether facing rising costs, new technologies such as AI, or the day-to-day work of maintaining spaces, what keeps him motivated is seeing the potential of people and the connections that creativity makes possible. For James, the creative economy is not just about intellectual property or business growth, but about fostering places where ideas and communities thrive.
To experience this atmosphere yourself, James recommends visiting Last Friday at LCB Depot, held on the final Friday of each month, or exploring more at lcbdepot.co.uk. The podcast conversation is available now on Soar Sound.

This episode of Spotlight on Heritage marks National Sporting Heritage Day with John Coster and Rob Watson discussing the importance of preserving grassroots sport. They reflect on the legacy of major events like the Olympics and Paralympics, the challenges of sustaining community clubs, and the role of volunteers in keeping local sport alive. The conversation highlights how photographs, programmes and memories from cycling clubs, football teams and minority sports all contribute to a shared civic heritage that deserves recognition and support.
In this week’s Spotlight on Heritage, John Coster and Rob Watson mark National Sporting Heritage Day with a conversation about why grassroots sport matters and how its legacy can be preserved. While global events like the Olympics and Paralympics dominate the headlines, the real heritage of sport is often found much closer to home – in the photos, programmes and memories of local clubs, coaches and volunteers.
John and Rob reflect on their own experiences of mass participation events, from Leicester’s Sky Ride to the London 2012 torch relay, and ask what lasting impact these moments have on civic life. They question whether the promised “legacy” of major events has truly strengthened grassroots participation, and highlight the continuing challenges of sustaining community sports infrastructure in the face of funding pressures and volunteer burnout.
The discussion also touches on the need to archive and celebrate local sporting stories, from cycling clubs and football teams to minority sports that rarely make national news. Sporting heritage, they suggest, is not just about elite achievement, but about movement, participation and the sense of belonging created when people come together on the pitch, in the park, or at the community hall.
National Sporting Heritage Day is a reminder that every photograph, programme, or personal memory can contribute to a collective story. For Leicester, and for communities everywhere, capturing and sharing these stories ensures that the everyday achievements of grassroots sport are valued alongside the spectacles of international competition.
You can hear the full conversation on the Spotlight on Heritage podcast, available now on Soar Sound.

This episode of Spotlight on Leicester features Dave Bushby from Age UK’s Carers Support Service. The discussion explores the realities of unpaid carers in Leicester, the support available through groups, trips, and activities, and the importance of carers’ health and well-being. Dave highlights the role of community connections, GP referrals, and social prescribing, as well as the challenges of funding and recognition. The conversation shows why carers’ contributions matter and how services help them feel supported and valued.
In this episode of Spotlight on Leicester, John Coster and Rob Watson are joined by Dave Bushby, Team Manager of the Carers Support Service at Age UK Leicester. The conversation highlights the often unseen role of unpaid carers across the city and the ways they are supported to maintain their own well-being.
Dave explains how many people do not immediately recognise themselves as carers, even though they may be looking after a family member, neighbour, or friend. The service, based at Clarence House in Leicester, provides advice, one-to-one and group support, day trips, walking groups, and arts and crafts sessions. These activities offer respite and connection for people whose own health and well-being are vital if they are to continue supporting others.
The discussion also looks at how carers link with GPs, social prescribers, and wider community networks. While funding is always a challenge, the service is commissioned by Leicester City Council and works closely with other organisations to ensure carers are not overlooked. As Dave notes, national events such as Carers Week or Carers Rights Day help to shine a spotlight on the contribution carers make, but everyday recognition remains essential.
Dave also reflects on his own career in health and social care, and why he values the opportunity to work with carers directly. The podcast underlines that behind the statistics are real people whose lives are shaped by giving time and energy to others. Supporting them is not only about compassion but also about sustaining the wider system of care on which communities depend.
You can listen to the full conversation on the Soar Sound website and find out more about the Carers Support Service by visiting Clarence House or contacting Age UK Leicester.

The latest Spotlight on Arts podcast explores the work of the Bell Foundry Community Committee in Loughborough. Rob Watson speaks with Trevor Potter and Miffy Ryan about grassroots responses to deprivation, poverty, and social isolation. They describe how local residents are developing self-sustaining projects such as gardening, upcycling, and community-led creativity to strengthen resilience and independence. The discussion highlights questions of class, empowerment, and the value of grassroots action in shaping stronger neighbourhoods built on trust, talent, and shared responsibility.
This edition of Spotlight on Arts comes from Loughborough town centre, where Rob Watson spoke with Trevor Potter and Miffy Ryan about the Bell Foundry Community Committee. Their conversation unfolded against the backdrop of a thunderstorm, but the focus was on the energy and determination of local people to change their circumstances together.
The Bell Foundry area is identified as one of the most deprived in the UK, marked by poverty, poor housing, and social isolation. Trevor explained how his efforts to recycle, garden, and trade online grew into a vision of self-sufficiency for the community. His idea is simple: rather than rely on handouts, people can pool their skills and resources to generate income, support each other, and reinvest in the neighbourhood. Examples include cleaning up unwanted furniture, growing food, and finding ways to share profits through a collective fund.
Miffy described how her first encounter with the estate came through an arts project funded by the police to promote “kindness.” That experience left her questioning the assumptions of outside interventions. She contrasted the imposed notion of kindness with the lived kindness already present among working-class residents, where neighbours look after one another despite material hardship. Since then, she has worked alongside Trevor, exploring how grassroots creativity and entrepreneurship can strengthen the community on its own terms.
The discussion raised broader questions about class, power, and the ways communities are represented. What does it mean to promote empowerment if local people are not listened to? How do you balance the appeal of large, professionalised arts projects with the quieter, DIY efforts that build trust and pride? Trevor and Miffy emphasised that resilience comes from within. They want recognition that residents have solutions and talents that deserve support, not condescension.
As the rain fell outside the café, the conversation turned to the importance of shared activity. Gardening, upcycling, and creative work are not only practical but also social. They offer people something meaningful to do, a way to develop skills, and a reason to come together. For Trevor, the goal is progression—helping neighbours find pride, stability, and independence. For Miffy, it is about reframing art as something embedded in everyday life, inseparable from the struggles and strengths of the community.
The Bell Foundry Committee’s story is one of perseverance, frustration, and possibility. It is about reclaiming agency in a system that often treats people as victims or problems to be managed. By starting with what is already present—talent, solidarity, and creativity—Trevor and Miffy are helping to shape a different narrative for Loughborough. Their work reminds us that community is not an abstract idea but a daily practice of sharing, listening, and building together.

In this edition of Spotlight on Arts we talk with Nicholas Daniel OBE, one of Britain’s most celebrated oboists and the long-standing Creative Director of the Leicester International Music Festival. Nicholas shares his story of how he first came to prominence as BBC Young Musician of the Year at just 18, and how his passion for performance, teaching, and commissioning new works has shaped a career that now influences audiences worldwide.
The conversation explores the themes and programme of the 2025 Leicester International Music Festival, which takes place from 17–20 September. Concerts will be held at Hansom Hall and the Attenborough Arts Centre, featuring music by Schubert, Ravel, and Emma-Ruth Richards, alongside a family concert designed to open up the joy of classical music to younger listeners. Highlights include the world premiere of Emma-Ruth Richards’ new piece Still Life, created in collaboration with visual artist Nic Chalmers.
Throughout the interview Nicholas reflects on why live music matters. He explains how programming is like creating a carefully balanced meal, mixing familiar works with new pieces that challenge and inspire. He speaks candidly about the responsibility of curating music that resonates with audiences, while also expanding the repertoire for the oboe through hundreds of new commissions. His belief is that great music, whether centuries old or newly written, has the power to speak to everyone if given the chance to be heard.
The discussion also touches on Leicester’s distinctive cultural setting, the importance of community engagement, and how music connects across global perspectives. Nicholas stresses the need to make classical music inclusive and accessible, with LIMF offering not just concerts but also outreach in schools, retirement communities, and youth groups. For him, the festival is more than a series of performances: it is a shared experience rooted in connection, creativity, and joy.
The Spotlight on Arts podcast is available now. To find out more about the Leicester International Music Festival and book tickets, visit leicesterinternationalmusicfestival.org.uk.