Share

cover art for The Parched Pea Pod

The Parched Pea Pod

What makes Preston and its people tick?


Latest episode

  • 6. A lifetime in showbiz nostalgia

    17:44||Season 2, Ep. 6
    In this episode our host John 'Gilly' Gilmore speaks to local entertainer Alma Stuart-Burgess about her experiences as a blue coat at holiday camps, stories from the local entertainment scene and also shares the words of advice given to her from comedian Victoria Wood.

More episodes

View all episodes

  • 5. Spiritual awakenings and connecting communities

    21:03||Season 2, Ep. 5
    In this episode our host John 'Gilly' Gilmore speaks to Kailash Parekh MBE who tells how she arrived in Preston from India via East Africa at the tender age of just five. She shares her memories of transitioning to a new country at such a young age and her work later in life as an education professional, campaigner and community worker.
  • 4. Keeping Lancashire warm and cosy

    19:02||Season 2, Ep. 4
    In this episode Gilly speaks to our podcast sponsor, Cosy Homes in Lancashire, which helps secure free government funding to help people across Lancashire make their homes warmer, more energy efficient, and cheaper to run. The scheme is supported by 13 local authorities in Lancashire and we hear from people who have benefited from the free scheme.
  • 3. The heritage and wonder of a Georgian Square

    19:42||Season 2, Ep. 3
    In this episode Gilly wanders down the historic Georgian Square located in the heart of Preston where suffragette Edith Rigby once lived - Winckley Square - where he meets those fighting to preserve the future of this city oasis.
  • 2. Getting lost with superheroes in the most British of bookshops

    22:21||Season 2, Ep. 2
    In this episode Gilly takes a stroll down Friargate in Preston and calls in to one of the oldest bookshops in the country and also speaks to the owner of That Comic Shop, also on Friargate, and hears about community events in the city.
  • 1. The woman who escaped the Nazis - Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines

    21:02||Season 2, Ep. 1
    In this episode our host John 'Gilly' Gilmore hears the remarkable story of Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines, known for being one of the "Winton children" rescued from Czechoslovakia by Sir Nicholas Winton before WWII.She was separated from her family at age nine and was put on a train bound for England to flee Nazi persecution, eventually settling in Preston.
  • The Parched Pea Pod - Series 2 coming soon!

    01:14||Season 2
    The most Prestonian of podcasts is returning for Series 2 - and it's bigger and better.The Parched Pea Podcast is hosted by legendary city broadcaster John ‘Gilly’ Gillmore who gets out and about to speak with some of the fascinating cast of characters who make up the Lancashire city of Preston.This series is a collaboration between Lancashire Post, Blog Preston, and new for this series - Central Radio.Named after Preston delicacy Parched Peas, the podcast is being supported by Cosy Homes in Lancashire which aims to help individuals across the country to make their homes warm and keep energy bills down.