Tag Archives: Featured

Clive Hilton, On Demand

Easter Special: Are We Raising Resilient Kids?

 


Sunday Brunch featured soundbites from the above ‘Sussex & Surrey Soapbox’ podcast episode…. to skip chapters click on the 3 horizontal lines (left in the above player). Have your say via WhatsApp (bottom right).

HAPPY EASTER – resharing our most listened to episode to date…

A lively, honest debate on gentle parenting — what it gets right, where it falls short, and how to balance empathy with boundaries.

The panel tackles discipline, the evolving role of parents, and how to prepare kids for a tough adult world where not everyone wins. Thought-provoking, fun, relatable, and real.

Soundbites on SUSY Sunday Brunch from 10am AND again on the Midweek Checkin Wednesday Midday.

Roundtable featuring: Georgie Lucas, Iqbal Khan, Micaela Leal and Aga Es, hosted by Clive Hilton.

Clive Hilton, On Demand

Mental Health: Are You Okay? The Question That Saves Lives

Sunday Brunch featured soundbytes from the above ‘Sussex & Surrey Soapbox’ podcast episode…. to skip chapters click on the 3 horizontal lines (left in the above player). Have your say via WhatsApp (bottom right) or join the conversation in our Facebook Group HERE.

One in four adults will face a mental health problem each year across the SUSY area, but numbers don’t capture the quiet part: the loneliness, the slow slide, and the moment someone realises they’re not coping. From the Red Lion & Cellar Room in Betchworth, Surrey, we talk plainly about mental health in Sussex & Surrey and why it’s showing up more in everyday life, workplaces, and friendships.

Maureen Jones, a psychotherapeutic counsellor, shares what she’s seeing more of: anxiety, depression, isolation after Covid, and that undercurrent of not belonging. We dig into early warning signs many people miss, like broken sleep, irritability, comfort eating, zoning out, and feeling emotionally numb. We also come back to one simple habit that can cut through all the awkwardness: asking “Are you okay?” and meaning it.

Our special guest Graham Dearing from Menshare Listening Group tells his story, from pushing through school and building a high-pressure finance career to hitting a point where “buckle down and work harder” stopped working. He talks candidly about imposter syndrome, unrealistic roles, trying different medications and therapies, and why empathy and confidentiality in peer groups can be the support that finally lands. We also discuss barriers to workplace help, concerns about privacy, and the bigger picture around crisis care, including NHS plans for mental health A&E and the need for proper follow-up and long-term talking therapy.

If you’re looking for support, we point to Menshare Listening Group and Sistershare across the area, and Maureen wraps up by sharing practical guidance on finding properly qualified private counselling through the Counselling Directory. 

Roundtable Featuring: Graham Dearing (Menshare Listening Group), Maureen Jones, Georgie Lucas, Iqbal Khan, Aga Es & James Tidy. Host: Clive Hilton. 

Clive Hilton, On Demand, Tony Williams

Why Don’t We Vote? The Local Politics Reality Check

 

Sunday Brunch featured a special programme dedicated to the upcoming elections. If you missed it – tune into the midweek catch up this Wednesday at midday or via ‘Sussex & Surrey Soapbox’ podcast across all platforms…. to skip chapters click on the 3 horizontal lines (left in the above player). Have your say via WhatsApp (bottom right) or join the conversation in our Facebook Group HERE.

Local Elections SPECIAL – Featuring: 

Cllr Richard Biggs (Conservative) – Leader of Reigate and Banstead BC, Councillor for Horley West and Sidlow.

James Tidy (Reform UK), Vice Chairman of Reform UK, Crawley.

Cllr Abigail Chapman-Miller (Labour) – Parish Councillor & sits on East Surrey Executive Committee.

Cllr Mark Smith (Independent) – Councillor in Redhill and sit on Reigate & Banstead BC.

Cllr Bob Lanzer (Conservative) – West Sussex County Council Councillor and cabinet member for Public Health and Wellbeing, Cllr Crawley BC.

Hosts: Tony Williams, Clive Hilton and thank you to Jacq Inwood for production assistance.

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Only 1 in 3 people vote in local elections… yet the outcomes shape our everyday life — from the state of the roads and high streets, to the cost of your housing and even how quickly you can see a GP.

So why do so many people feel disconnected from local politics?

In this special episode, recorded in Copthorne ahead of polling day on 7 May, we bring together voices from across the political spectrum — Conservative, Labour, Reform UK and an Independent councillor — to move beyond slogans and confront what residents across Sussex and Surrey are actually saying.

We put the real, unfiltered comments from local Facebook groups to the panel and challenge them to respond to the issues people care about most — and the answers aren’t always comfortable. Tony and Clive help turn up the heat to ensure a BS, word-salad free answer!

From housing pressures and crumbling infrastructure to immigration, council tax and the growing toxicity of online debate, this is a frank, grounded conversation about trade-offs, accountability and whether local leaders are truly listening AND serving the community.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your vote across Sussex & Surrey really makes a difference — this episode is for you.

Please share with others and we would love to hear  What one change would improve your town most?

Key Topics:

  • 90-second pitches from Conservative, Labour and Reform on priorities and misconceptions 
  • Raw resident feedback ‘what ONE thing need fixing in this town’: potholes, roads, housing, drugs, lack of leadership, councils/councillors, litter, high street decline and immigration (well over 50 responses).
  • Housing crisis: supply vs affordability, social housing and rising rents 
  • Infrastructure lagging behind development: roads, GPs, schools and transport 
  • Local government shake-up: unitary authorities, devolution and democratic accountability 
  • Party politics vs grassroots councils: should local decisions be less political? 
  • Social care pressures, stretched budgets and the reality behind council tax rises 
  • Potholes and road maintenance: funding, quality and long-term fixes 
  • Immigration and asylum: hotel use, processing delays and policy tensions 
  • Civility in politics: social media toxicity and its impact on public service 
  • Gatwick expansion: economic opportunity vs local impact