Mole End Media

Headway Gloucestershire

In April and May, 2022, a group of brain injury survivors met at Headway, in Gloucester, to talk about how their lives have been changed.   Sharing stories was therapeutic.  The nature of the injuries included stroke,  hemorrhage and accident.  In many cases speech was affected and one of the common themes which emerged was the frustration at not being understood.   This is our account of how Acquired Brain Injury has affected us. If you have a traumatic brain injury or you are a carer, fr...

A GEM of a Podcast - trail.

A GEM of a Podcast - trail.

Last Stand at Imjin

For four days, between April 22nd and April 25th 1951, seven-hundred men of the Gloucestershire Regiment stood against 27,000 Chinese troops in the Korean War.  The Battle of Imjin River could only result in death or capture for the 29th Brigade of the Glorious Glosters.       Their orders were to delay the Chinese long enough to allow United Nations forces to regroup and protect Seoul; had they broken through the capital would have fallen.  The Glosters were surrounded but, crucially, they ...

Farewell to the Soren Larson

VE Day news bulletin 3

VE Day news bulletin, recorded as if BBC Radio Gloucestershire was on air on May 8th, 1945.

VE Day news bulletin 2

In 1995, I recorded three news bulletins as if BBC Radio Gloucestershire was on air on May 8th, 1945. The bulletins brought the latest news from Europe and stories happening in Gloucestershire on the day. #news #latestnews #breakingnews #headlines #VEDay #BBC #Archive #History #Radio #75thAnniversary #Anniversary

VE Day news bulletin 1

Here is the VE Day news as BBC Radio Gloucestershire would have broadcast it on May 8th, 1945.

Face Time, '90s Style

We take face to face communication for granted now.  We have Zoom, Skype, Teams, Face Time, Facebook Live - a whole host of platforms which allow us to see each other, no matter how far apart we are.  The COVID-19 lockdown has brought a growth in the use of visual communication. There was a time when visual technology was untried and unreliable.  It was the realm of science fiction.  Back in 1993 I reported on the launch of Britain's first 'affordable' video-phone.

True Gritters

When heavy snow falls, the job of keeping Britain moving falls to teams of drivers who head out on to the roads most people avoid. The gritters get their share of criticism, but it's a tough job.  They have to prioritise the main routes and try and keep up with the changing weather. Andrew Vincent watched Gloucestershire's gritters swing into action on one snowy night.

Refuelling Package

Every day the RAF operates flying petrol stations.  Refuelling tankers, flying from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, patrol Britain's skies topping up military aircraft on missions. Transferring thousands of gallons of fuel 20,000 feet in the air and flying at 400 miles an hour takes co-ordination and precision from the pilots. This is a typical day at one of Britain's flying petrol stations.

Air to Air Refuelling; Live

This is a sample of a live broadcast from 20,000 feet over the North Sea.  I was on board an RAF refuelling tanker taking part in a NATO exercise. The piece was a logistical challenge.  My signal from the aircraft had to be picked up by a transmitter on the Isle of Wight.  That signal was then sent to another transmitter in Portishead, which converted it to a telephone signal to be bounced on to BBC Radio Gloucestershire.  I had to talk to each transmitter in turn as the chain was establish...

The Last Boxing Booth

Boxing booths used to be a regular sight at fairgrounds.  Punters would be challenged to take on the trained fighters with the promise of a few pounds winnings.  They also offered valuable training opportunities for wannabe boxers who couldn't afford to go to a gym or pay for sparring partners; some would follow the booths around to use as free sparring. They fell into decline.  People were reluctant to risk a beating and injury for a few quid.  Britain's last boxing booth was run by Ron Ta...

Patriot to Traitor; the story of Lord Haw Haw

May 1st, 2020, marks the 75th anniversary of the last broadcast of one of Britain's most infamous traitors.  William Joyce was known to millions as Lord Haw Haw.  Between 1939 and 1945 he broadcast from Germany to British homes, trying to undermine morale on the Home Front. Despite his crude propaganda, he attracted a huge audience.  His execution remains controversial; did the British courts have the right to hang him when so many others who betrayed the country escaped with prison sentenc...

Auntie's War

The role of the BBC has been under the spotlight during the Coronavirus pandemic; for many it has been a vital source of news and information.  Some critics have accused the Corporation of both scaremongering and playing down the crisis. We are approaching the 75th Anniversary of VE Day - the end of the Second World War in Europe.  The BBC's role as a public service broadcaster had already been tested during the General Strike of 1926; should it be a government mouthpiece, as Winston Church...

From First Shot to Last Post

Friday May 8th, 2020, marks the 75th anniversary of the war in Europe.  After six years and fifty-five million deaths, Europe was at peace.  The Far East campaign - the Forgotten War - would continue for another three months.  But VE Day marked the beginning of the end. Using BBC archive and music from the period, From First Shot to Last Post, traces the Second World War through the eyes of the correspondents.  From the declaration of war on September 3rd 1939 to the Japanese surrender on S...

The Myth of the Blitz Spirit

With Britain in lockdown during the Coronavirus outbreak, the Blitz Spirit has been invoked again and again.  It was the time, in 1940 and throughout the war, when the British people were at their best. Or were they? Is the Blitz a fitting model for how we conduct ourselves during the Corvid-19 crisis?  Or is it a myth?  Were we as noble in suffering then as we like to think?  Or was self-interest, opportunism and cheating the system just as rife then? Let's examine the Myth of the Blitz Spi...

All About Us

The 18th and final episode of All About Me.  Not the ending I expected, thanks to a life-changing incident a few months ago.  The event did bring into perspective everything I have been talking about in this serious.  It's been emotional.  Bye.  xx

Dad's Secret

Families have their skeletons, their black sheep and their secrets.  Some are known only to a few and people can live in blissful ignorance for years.  When a secret is revealed it can both confirm suspicions and confound expectations.

Mum and Dad

We are all copies of our parents, no matter how much we think we have broken away.  It's almost de rigueur to blame Mum and Dad for the problems in our own lives.  The author Ian McLaren said, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle."  That includes those two people we think should be molding us into sorted human beings.

Anne

When Mum died, my moment of reflection was interrupted by a late visitor.  Her best friend was never on time and she didn't change a habit of a lifetime at Mum's deathbed.

Magnolia Thunderpussy and Me

On a trip to Australia, Greta meets the the delightful, the delectable and the shaggable Magnolia Thunderpussy and witnesses the ascendance of one queen and the decline of another.

We Need to Talk About Driving

How I came to be bad-ass in Wyoming.  If you come lookin', you better come armed.

Flush

Being accused of something you didn't do is a sting which won't go away.  When it strikes at your personal hygiene and cleanliness, it is especially cruel.

Stupid Game, Anyway

In the words of the Police, I can't stand losing.  So I have hit upon an attitude which means I never lose; never take part.

The Last Time I Saw George

We are only the stars in our own life-movie.  In everyone else's we're just an extra.  This is the story of an extra in my life movie, George.  One day I realised he had plans of his own.

Feather and Reptile

Birds and tortoises; two creatures which give me the creeps.  How did such harmless animals becomes symbols of terror for me?  It all comes down to childhood trauma.  Well, 'trauma' is over-stating it.  But the incidents scared the crap out of me.  Oh, and guinea pigs; I have a thing about them, too.

Farewell to Kingsholm

Greta moves on to primary school where he clashes with the monarchy, becomes a socialist, learns to read and adjusts to the smell of rotting corpses.

The Play's the Thing

Most children are put on stage at some point, whether they want it or not.  You are never too young to be dressed up, taught lines and thrust in front of a roomful of people.  Some thrive, some die. This is my acting career.  Those who shine brightest, burn shortest.

The Ringy-a-Bill Man

Doing business in a pre-internet age; before the Rag and Bone man was a singer. (Parental warning; this podcast does contain Max Bygraves).

The Ice Cream Man Cometh

Pimping your mum out for free ice cream.  A whole new meaning to 'Shall I put a flake in that?'

The Facts of Life

Learning about the birds and the bees is a big moment in any kid's life.  We often pick up a lot of myth and misinformation before the teachers can get to us.  My dad was drunk when he told me so his ramblings were added to the playground gossip I'd already learned.  It could have scared me for life. This episode contains references to naughty bits and sex stuff.  If it bothers you, you need to get out more.

Mrs Wyatt Had a Fright

After the Morning School for Little Ones I moved on to St Marks Infant School which was ruled by Mrs Silk.  She was mad, prone to pulling her hair out and with an unusual concept of appropriate punishment.  If nothing else, I learnt how to answer the phone as her 5-year-old press-ganged secretary.

A Whole Lotta Rosie

I was the only child in our street, so my mum decided I needed to meet other children.  She found a kindergarten which, she thought, must be good because it charged in guineas.  That's where I met the first woman to scare the crap out of me.

A Child is Bored

All the cool people were born early enough to appreciate the 60s.  I was born in 1962 so I was too young to join in.  My cultural nursery was the 1970s, with their bad hair, bad clothes, Mike sodding Yarwood on a Saturday night, strikes and strife.  In Episode One, I arrive late to the party that was the 60s, to find everyone has hooked up and all that's left is a warm bottle of Blue Nun. Parental Guidance; this episode does include a foul-mouthed toddler.