25. Finance 2023

To celebrate the return of The Cov Pod, we kick things off with me on the other side of the mic with an interview with Moz Baker from Coventry Hospital Radio as part of his Cov Kid Memories. You can find out more about Coventry Hospital Radio over at www.mixcloud.com/covhosradio where you can also listen back to more of Moz's Cov Kid Memories. Thanks to Moz and Coventry Hospital Radio for giving me permission to share the interview via this feed! Keep your ears out for more episodes of The Cov Pod which will be out soon! Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Aaron Ashmore⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Intro music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Heal in Time⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Institutes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

We find ourselves a couple of days before the Coventry theatre debut of Boy Out The City, the autobiographical show written and performed by Coventry lad, Declan Bennett. As the Belgrade show listing tells us: "Declan takes us on a journey into the messy and turbulent world of toxic masculinity, homophobia and men’s mental health; confronting his Catholic school days in Coventry, discovering the Gay scene in 90’s Soho and surviving the harsh bright lights of New York City." The show had a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe and a short run in the West End, and it now comes home to Coventry for the first time from Mon 25th to Thurs 28th Mar 2024 Declan is a Belgrade Youth Theatre alumni, part of the pop group Point Break, and he also played Charlie Cotton on EastEnders. Grab tickets for Boy Out The City here: ⁠https://www.belgrade.co.uk/events/boy-out-the-city/⁠ Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Aaron Ashmore⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Intro music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Heal in Time⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Institutes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ In partnership with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Coventry City Council⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Two Coventry Aarons collide with an interview with local photographer, cultural enthusiast, and regular gig-goer, Aaron Law. We talk about Aaron's passion for the city, the new George Wagstaffe Pheonix Tree, his work to help preserve the William Mitchell Hertford House and Three Tuns murals, as well as what it's like to travel the world following bands such as Depeche Mode and The Cure. Host: ⁠⁠⁠Aaron Ashmore⁠⁠⁠ Intro music: ⁠⁠⁠Heal in Time⁠⁠⁠ by ⁠⁠⁠The Institutes⁠⁠⁠ In partnership with ⁠⁠⁠Coventry City Council⁠⁠⁠.

A festive treat with an interview with Coventry’s Dame, Iain Lauchlan; star, writer and director of the Coventry Belgrade pantomime With a career spanning over 40 years in the children's entertainment industry presenting many well-loved children's programmes such as Playschool, Fingermouse, and Playdays, and outside of Coventry, he is perhaps best known as the writer of the BAFTA award-winning children's television series, The Tweenies. However, this episode takes a look at something close to the heart of almost every Cov Kid; the Coventry Belgrade pantomime.  Iain has been the driving force behind the panto as writer, director, star and savior of the theatre at the time, and this year marks Iain's 26th Coventry panto! Host: ⁠⁠Aaron Ashmore⁠⁠ Intro music: ⁠⁠Heal in Time⁠⁠ by ⁠⁠The Institutes⁠⁠ In partnership with ⁠⁠Coventry City Council⁠⁠.

It’s no secret that local authorities across the country are facing huge financial pressures, and Coventry City Council is no different as it forecasts a £30m budget shortfall.  Coventry recently shared that without additional central government funding, it could effectively declare itself bankrupt and only deliver services it has to by law. A report, released in December, proposed local money-saving options and Cllr Richard Brown, Cabinet Member for Finance and Phil Helm, Senior Finance Officer at Coventry City Council join me to talk through the Council's proposals. Host: ⁠Aaron Ashmore⁠ Intro music: ⁠Heal in Time⁠ by ⁠The Institutes⁠ In partnership with ⁠Coventry City Council⁠.

A sit-down with poet, rapper, writer, and most recently, Coventry's newest Poet Laureate, John Bernard. I talk to John about his relationship with the city after moving to Coventry at a young age, his pride in becoming Poet Laureate, his music career, and the work he does locally to inspire and support young people. Host: Aaron Ashmore Intro music: Heal in Time by The Institutes In partnership with Coventry City Council.

Coventry is looking to be the best city in the UK for children and young people to live and grow up in. To find out more about Coventry's approach to children's services, I spoke to Councillor Patricia Seaman, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, and Matt Clayton, Strategic Lead for Looked After Children at Coventry City Council to hear more about Child Friendly Cov, the recent Ofsted 'good' rating and the work taking place which puts Coventry at the forefront of children's services innovation in the country. Next up, I speak to Yanik, 17, a young person who shares his experiences of being a carer leaver, taking part in the House Project, how he encourages other young people to get involved, and how he has taken an interest in public speaking. Finally, I am joined by my own two boys, Oscar (9) and Caleb (6) who I quiz on their favourite places in the city to visit, their opinions on whether Coventry is a good place to live, and whether they plan to stay living in the city when they grow up! Host: Aaron Ashmore Intro music: Heal in Time by The Institutes In partnership with Coventry City Council.

In this episode of The Cov Pod, Aaron dives deep into the world of the renowned Godiva Festival, held annually in Coventry.  Joining him are three special guests who shed light on various aspects of the festival and its preparations for this year. Aaron welcomes back Jon Hogan, Festival Director, to discuss the improved sustainability initiatives being implemented at this year's Godiva Festival. They explore the festival's commitment to reducing its environmental impact, including initiatives such as waste management and eco-friendly practices. Jon shares insights into the challenges faced and the steps taken to create a greener and more sustainable festival experience for attendees. Aaron then sits down with Sam McNulty, who has worked closely with the Council for the past 10 years to curate the acoustic stage lineup of artists for Godiva Festival. Sam shares his experiences and insights into the process of artist bookings, discussing the diverse range of acts, genres, and considerations involved in creating an engaging program. Finally Aaron welcomes The Institutes, the Coventry band who provide the podcast's intro music. The band members discuss their journey, musical influences, and their excitement about performing at the Godiva Festival. Host: Aaron Ashmore Intro music: Heal in Time by The Institutes In partnership with Coventry City Council.

A sit-down with the founder and owner of the HMV Empire, Phil Rooney, who talks me through his history in Coventry, the changes in the pub industry, and how he became involved in music promotion, which led to the original Empire on Far Gosford Street. Phil also shares the journey of building and launching the new HMV Empire and tells us about his pride in seeing up-and-coming Coventry bands on the Empire stage, alongside huge names such as Ed Sheeran, Tom Grennan, and Paul Weller. Host: Aaron Ashmore Intro music: Heal in Time by The Institutes In partnership with Coventry City Council.

Welcome to the latest episode of The Cov Pod, where we explore the recent changes to the voting process in the Coventry local elections. First up, I talk to Liz Read, Electoral Services Manager at Coventry City Council, about the new requirement for photo ID when voting and the improvements in accessibility at polling stations for people with disabilities to ensure they are accessible to all voters. Liz discusses the importance of training poll workers to be aware of accessibility issues and how to assist voters with disabilities. Next, I speak to Asraf, a poll inspector who has been involved in the voting process for the past 25 years. Asraf shares his experiences of overseeing polling stations and ensuring that the voting process runs smoothly. Finally, I speak to Chris, who is blind, about the improvements in accessibility at polling stations for people with disabilities. Chris shares his personal experiences of voting and how the changes in the voting process will hopefully improve the experiences of people with disabilities. He also talks about the importance of continuing to make voting more accessible for everyone. Host: Aaron Ashmore Intro music: Heal in Time by The Institutes In partnership with Coventry City Council.