Podcasts tell inspiring stories

A new series of podcasts sharing the experiences of ten Shropshire businesses and their leaders during the pandemic has been launched.

The Marching On podcasts tell the stories of a range of county businesses which were either born out of Covid or have adapted and grown during the lockdowns.

Produced by The Media Insiders and Sound Rebel, the podcasts offer a unique insight into business life during the Covid crisis.

Marches Growth Hub Shropshire manager Emma Chapman said the series – available to listen to on the Marches Growth Hub website – documented the amazing ways in which the business community and individuals running enterprises had responded to the pandemic.

“The Marches Growth Hub is here to help all businesses in the county make the most of their potential and achieve their ambitions, and we’ve been privileged to hear some incredible stories of how the business community has risen to the challenge that Covid has presented in the past two years.

“We thought it would be a terrific idea to ask some of those businesses which have either grown from, or adapted within, the pandemic to share their stories so that our whole business community could learn from them."

Each of the ten businesses has been interviewed by Ed Nell, from The Media Insiders and produced by his colleague Ben Anderson.

Ed has nearly 20 years experience on BBC and commercial radio stations, working on flagship shows in major markets at Free Radio Shropshire, Key 103, Hallam FM, BBC Nottingham, BBC Coventry & Warwickshire, Beacon Radio, Wyvern FM and BRMB.

Ben has managed and coached some of the UK’s best radio talent over the last ten years and is a former managing editor for Capital FM in Liverpool and North Wales. He now runs Sound Rebel, an independent podcast production company based in Liverpool which works with brands and personalities across the world.

Businesses featured in the podcasts include Worm Soil, Alexa and Bud, Bright Star Boxing, Jenna Blair Yoga, Hunkington House Kitchen, Iron and Fire, J A Milton Upholstery, Next Generation Agri, Martin & Jones Marketing and The Shropshire Microfarm.

The podcasts are also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and other providers.

The scheme is funded by the Marches Growth Hub Shropshire through the Shropshire Council-led ARG Economic Recovery programme. The Recovery Programme is a £3.2million series of projects, utilising Additional Restriction Grant (ARG) funding from Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to fund wider business support activities.

Pictured: Caroline Bailey of Hunkington House Kitchen features in one of the Marches Growth Hub podcasts