Sustainability Episodes

In episode five of the Meet the Mancunian podcast, host Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe speaks with Charlie Baker, founder of Your Home Better, about making existing homes greener, warmer and healthier through retrofit. Charlie shares how becoming aparent and a belief in creating a future shaped his purpose,and explains why improving current housing can avoid major construction emissions. He outlines retrofit measures such as insulating floors, walls and roofs, upgrading ventilation and windows, ad...

In the fourth episode of Season 12 of the Meet the Mancunian podcast, host Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe speaks with Alun Morris, creator of the Red Lane Growing Project in Bolton and a community engagement worker with Bolton at Home. Alun shares how moving from Buckinghamshire led him into outdoor volunteering and conservation, and how a derelict former playground became a secure community growing space. He describes the project’s evolving focus, including a “grow it, cook it, eat it” approach, ...

Host Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe speaks with Norton Robinson, director of Fungall CIC, about tackling food insecurity sustainably through community mushroom farming. Norton shares how his interest began at university and through exploring “speculative futures,” leading to a bedroom mushroom lab and then community-based projects. Fungall builds local mushroom farms that transform waste—especially brewing and coffee waste—into mushrooms that become community meals, supporting people facing food inse...

In the second episode of Season 12 of the Meet the Mancunian podcast, host Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe speaks with Seb Linares, Development Manager at Farm Urban, about using sustainable, hydroponic urban farming to improve health and reduce barriers to fresh food access. Seb shares how his early interest in fixing the food system led to joining Farm Urban, a social enterprise transforming towns and cities into greener, healthier, more inclusive places. He describes projects in Greater Manchester—...

In the season 10 finale of Meet the Mancunian podcast, host Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe speaks with Sophie Jones, Community Engagement Lead at In Our Nature about taking climate action in communities across GreaterManchester. Sophie shares her lifelong passion for environmentalism, her journey from being a school recycling monitor to studying zoology and working with the Manchester Climate Change Agency. She discusses how In Our Nature supports diverse Manchester communities in taking climate action ...

In the ninth episode of Season 10 of the Meet the Mancunian podcast, host Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe speaks with GhadaSoliman, Founder, of Sustainable Threads. They discuss Ghada's journey from overcoming a serious health condition to her passion for volunteering and helping marginalised communities. Ghada shares how Sustainable Threads reuses old fabrics to create new products, aiming to support vulnerable womenand promote environmental sustainability. Despite funding challenges, and having to o...

Join host Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe in the sixth episode of Season 10 of the Meet the Mancunian podcast as she interviews Lydia German, Senior Content and Campaigns Officer at Lancashire Wildlife Trust. Lydia discusses her journey into wildlife conservation, inspired by her grandfather and her passion for environmental politics. She shares insights on the goals and challenges of Lancashire Wildlife Trust, including their aim to have 30% of land and sea recovering by 2030 and mobilising one in fo...

In the fifth episode of Season 10 of the Meet the Mancunian podcast, host Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe interviews Simon Owen,founder of Standby Productions and the first-ever ambassador for the Wildlife Trust of Lancashire, Greater Manchester, and North Merseyside. Simon shares his passion for supporting the environment and his journey from birdwatching with his dad to making award-winning wildlife films. He discusses the importance of peatlands, the challenges of conservation funding, and his uniq...

A warm Mancunian welcome to all my listeners from your host Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe. In the third episode of Season 9 of the Meet the Mancunian podcast, I interview Claire Biggs, Director of Sustainable Northmoor Urban Greening (SNUG) and Spirit of Manchester award nominee for Inspiring Campaign. Claire discusses her involvement with Longsight Community Artspace and the impact of their projects on the local community. From offering free art workshops and exhibitions to transforming an unuse...

A warm Mancunian welcome to all my listeners. Presenting Season 6, Episode 10 of the #MeettheMancunian #podcast #GM #manchester #community #architecture #socialimpact. I'm Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe, your friendly host. In the tenth episode, the Meet the Mancunian podcast talks to Charlie Butterwick [https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliebutterwick/], Director, Architecture Unknown [https://www.architectureunknown.co.uk/] about his passion for community-led architecture. He shares his passion for work...

A warm Mancunian welcome to all my listeners. Presenting Season 6, Episode 3 of the #MeettheMancunian #podcast #mancunian #manchester #sustainability #foodwaste climate change #foodinsecurity #community #socialimpact #nonprofit #socialenterprise #britishfoodfortnight. I'm Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe, your friendly host. In the third episode, the Meet the Mancunian podcast talks to Corin Bell [https://www.linkedin.com/in/corin-bell-1999825a/], Executive Director, Open Kitchen Manchester [https://www....

A warm Mancunian welcome to all my listeners. Presenting Season 6, Episode 2 of the #MeettheMancunian #podcast #mancunian #manchester #sustainability #socialvalue #community #socialimpact #youth #nonprofit Hosted by Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe (https://www.instagram.com/meetthemancunian/). In the second episode, the Meet the Mancunian podcast talks to Matt Richardson [https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-richardson-9b156183/?originalSubdomain=uk], Social Value Lead, Growth Company [https://www.growthco....

Good morning. Presenting Season 5, Episode 12 of the #MeettheMancunian #podcast #mancunian #manchester #climatefriendly #betterbusiness #purposeled #community #socialimpact #nonprofit Hosted by Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe (https://www.instagram.com/meetthemancunian/). In the twelfth episode of Season 5, the Meet the Mancunian podcast talks to Hannah Cox, Founder, Better Not Stop (https://betternotstop.com/) and Better Business Network (https://thebetterbusiness.network/). Hannah talks about supporti...

In the eighth episode of Season 5, the Meet the Mancunian podcast talks to Hannah Ballard, Director, Sustainable Change Studio (https://www.sustainablechange.studio/) [https://www.sustainablechange.studio/]about using storytelling to empower start-ups and charities to engage, educate and mobilise against the climate crises. Hannah talks about taking a thoughtful emergent approach to climate action and the importance of collaborating with supportive communities to tackle the problem. Hannah also ...

Good morning. Presenting Season 4, Episode 8 of the #MeettheMancunian #podcast #mancunian #manchester #sustainablefashion #sustainability #community #socialimpact Hosted by Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe (https://www.instagram.com/meetthemancunian/). This week's Mancunian guest is Sarah Revington, Event Co-ordinator, Stitched Up (https://stitchedup.coop/). Stitched Up is focused on inspiring action on sustainable fashion. They have a sustainable clothing hub in Stretford Mall, run workshops on sewing, m...

Presenting Season 3, Episode 10 of the #MeettheMancunian #podcast #mancunian #manchester #sustainability #volunteering #community Hosted by Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe (https://www.instagram.com/meetthemancunian/). This week's Mancunian guest is Dan Scott, Founder, The Eyewear Stylist (https://theeyewearstylist.co.uk/). Dan is passionate about sustainability and volunteering and is active in the Salford Sustainability and Social Value Network. He is also a volunteer with homelessness charity Coffee4C...

#podcast #Season2 #mancunian #manchester #recycling #sustainability #plasticwaste. This week's Mancunian guest is Camilla Reghenzi, Co-Director, Plastic Shed (https://www.plasticshed.org/). Plastic Shed is a social enterprise focused on running creative and educational plastic recycling workshops for the community. They help members of the community turn plastic waste into new and useful things. They also run the Merseyway Workshop (https://www.merseywayworkshop.com/), a community-focused, inspi...

This week's Mancunian guest is Cath Broadhead, Co-Founder, This is the Promise (https://www.instagram.com/this_is_the_promise/). Cath shares how she started an urban homestead bringing local produce and sustainable living to Manchester. This episode is for you if you are interested in eating healthily in a climate-friendly way. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/deepa-thomas-sutcliffe/message

This week's episode features Mancunian Aaron Fletcher who is the Owner of Buzzing Sounds and Advisor to Step Up Manchester (https://www.stepupmcr.org/). Step Up Manchester is the place-based giving scheme for Manchester. Step Up aims to connect people within the local community to enable ideas to flourish. People may donate time, funding, resources, skills, space, or expertise to help others in the community. Aaron talks about his passion for audio, community, and how local business owners can u...

This week's Mancunian guest is Jean Wright is the Eco Lead for Wythenshawe Waste Warriors (https://wythenshawewastewarriors.co.uk/). Wythenshawe Waste Warriors are a group of volunteers focused on cleaning up the parks and green spaces in Wythenshawe. Jean shares her experiences with the link between litter pollution and climate change. She also shares her favourite places in Manchester. If you are concerned about litter and its impact on biodiversity, this episode is for you. Get inspired and p...