In Focus Podcasts

A short history of The Wallace Monument in Stirling and the man who inspired Braveheart.

As a young reporter watching Councillor Tom McAughtrie in action was fascinating. Over four decades he has been involved in some of the big decisions that have shaped not just the town of Dumfries but of the region as a whole. Over the years, and thanks to the the advent of social media, Tom and I have kept in touch and when I started doing these podcasts I immiediately thought Tom, with his strong views and opinions, would make a great subject and listening back to the result of the couple of hours we spent together I don't think I was wrong. You'll not be disappointed, Tom's views are as forthright as ever, especially when it comes to council officials working from home and Labour party complacency in the last decade and a half.

Articulate, immaculately dressed, ambitious and with a laser like focus on where he wants to be! Daniel Robinson is a Hastings lad, a former Filsham Valley pupil he had spent his time since leaving education building his career, treading a well worn path. But last year he decided to change direction and gave up his job and took off for four months to travel in Latin America. Now he’s home he’s got a business to build and a social media following that’s growing by the day. https://www.thetiesupply.co.uk/ https://www.hastingsinfocus.co.uk/2019/10/26/adventurer-dan-didnt-dare-to-dream-he-dared-to-conquer-the-world-well-part-of-it/

'Someone else can tell you your fat but all it does is make you a bit depressed,' says Rob Cooke who this year found the motivation to shed five stones and plans to keep on slimming down. Rob has overhauled his lifestyle and the way he eats and he quite literally got on his bike to feel fitter and healthier while at the same time raising money for a cause close to his heart, prostate cancer, which claimed his father's life just over two years ago. Rob's self notivation is inspiring and makes a great listen. AND if you want to donate to his cause then just follow the link below.https://www.justgiving.com/page/robert-cooke-1704101648022?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=page%2Frobert-cooke-1704101648022&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share

Ross Drury has never backed away from a challenge and his new challenge, along with business partner Dan Hutton, is to turn the Stade Hall in to the coolest village hall of all time, to create what he describes as a significant cultural building in the centre of town, hosting everything from pilates to opera and theatre via craft fairs and anything else local people choose to use it for - it's a blank canvass he says.On leaving university all Ross wanted to do was pursue a career in theatre but always brutally honest about the range of his talents, he says he's a terrible actor which is why he chose to direct, "if I wanted to be involved in good theatre I had to stop acting" he says. Just out of university when the financial crisis hit he struggled to make his projects work and says on many occasions he was one mistake away from being homeless.In this interview Ross talks with brutal honesty about his successes and his failures, about the need to be objective about your own work and says quite bluntly that as far as his career is concerned, at nearly 40 he has still not achieved what he set out to do.If you want to book The Stade hall or find out more about its potential go to https://stadehall.com/

In 2018 structural problems spelled the end for St Leonards Parish Church which now stands abandoned on the St Leonards seafront. In this episode we take a look at its history.To see phtotgraphs of the interior of the church visit https://www.hastingsinfocus.co.uk/2021/10/26/the-sad-history-of-st-leonards-parish-church/ Or to find out more about the Science on Sea project follow this link https://www.hastingsinfocus.co.uk/2020/08/11/science-on-sea/