Meet the Storytellers

  • Episode 01: Melissa Matthews

    Melissa is the creative genius for Suffolk Libraries. Melissa knows all about the power of stories as she once worked with holocaust survivors and their stories, never to be forgotten. Melissa talks about what she hopes might emerge from the podcast and she launches the story ship to its first stop.

  • Episode 02: Tonia Wilson

    From her parents giving her Christmas presents away to children from miner’s families when she was growing up, to being nominated for an MBE (and turning it down), Tonia walks her talk on the trail of social justice. Not only that, she also manages to do it all with a hearty laugh and beautiful honesty.

    Credit: This image of Tonia is hand drawn by visual artist Frederico Dos Ramos.

  • Episode 03: Antonio Santana

    Antonio begins his story in Angola and life circumstances bring him to Ipswich where Antonio lives and works today. Antonio is the human embodiment of resilience and positive thinking and if you ever feel the need for some inspiration then just listen to Antonio for ten minutes.

  • Episode 04: Pierre Rollins

    Episode 04: Pierre Rollins

    When tragic life events happened in Pierre’s family, Pierre leapt into action. Using the connecting medium of music, Pierre has gathered artists from across Suffolk to put together an album to raise funds and shine a light on mental health and suicide awareness. ‘Don’t talk about it, be about it’ is the motto of Lipswich, Pierre’s project, which is a Suffolk wide collaboration.

    Click here to donate to the Lipswich project.

  • Episode 05: Ros Green

    Ros talks about being the first in her family, a long line of Suffolk born and bred, to get a passport that took her to the other side of the world. On her return, with 3 young children, Ros found herself negotiating a time share with a ghostly congregation in the chapel that her family moved into. Ros also happens to be a Doctor in Fairy Stories.

    Ros is the Director of Essex Book Festival and Hungry Arts.

  • Episode 6: Gerry Donlon

    Gerry regales us with tales of being Irish and coming to London in the 70’s. Gerry is involved in many projects in Suffolk and is passionate about Suffolk’s beautiful woodlands. Gerry tells us his poem – ‘Feck The Fecking Frackers’ – written in response to the precious land being threatened by fracking.

    Find out more about Gerry’s storytelling group Bards Aloud.

  • Episode 07: Zoe Martin

    Zoe was born in Suffolk but talks about juggling the identities of two different countries as the family often travelled to her mother’s birthplace in Finland. Zoe tells about the Finnish word – Sisu – which is inner strength, the sort of strength that can get you through rocks, the sort of strength that we could all do with right now.

    Zoe is an artist - click here to find out more.

  • Episode 08: Helen Walters

    Helen talks about coming to Suffolk and finding friendship, laughter and life wisdom through local theatre. It’s the stuff of life really and how the people that we meet can have such an impact on our lives and the decisions that we make.

  • Episode 09: John Row

    John whizzes through several decades of Suffolk life in a way that only a storyteller can. John talks about music, theatre, family and not quite making it as an ordinary teacher, but definitely as an extraordinary one.

  • Episode 10: Helen Olfield

    Helen talks about the quiet brilliance of Suffolk and that the county is made up of unsung heroes who quietly go about their day doing the right thing.

    Helen is founder of Affinity PR - click here to find out more.

  • Episode 11: Leo Grey

    Leo speaks of moving to Suffolk and then finding herself with breast cancer and navigating treatment during a pandemic. Leonie tells of seemingly small acts of kindness from strangers and of the importance and enormous impact of those gestures.

  • Episode 12: Baba Z

    Baba Z has a barber shop in Ipswich and we know that a barber shop is never just a barber shop. Baba Z’s shop is a community hub and he speaks of making each day count. This man is basically the oracle.

    Click here to find out more about Baba Z’s barber shop.

    Click here to find out more about Baba Z’s ‘Where The Key’s At’ podcast.

  • Episode 13: Dan Allum

    Dan grew up in Suffolk, and East Anglia, as a part of the traveller community. Dan speaks of the hard physical work and prejudice that the community was met with and how, by a chance happening, he ended up in the world of theatre. Dan now runs a successful theatre company, The Romany Theatre Company, tackling issues experienced by the travelling community. Dan is an award-winning inspirational speaker, Director, Playwright and, above all, a brilliant storyteller.

    Click here to find out more about Dan.

  • Episode 14: Reverend Patrick

    Reverend Patrick talks of his path to becoming a Reverend which is not your average path to take. Patrick also talks about the power of kindness in the community during lockdown and nobody can argue that kindness is a very good thing.

  • Episode 15: Neil Mason

    Neil is a photographer, amongst very many other things, and an all round very decent human. Neil works with young people from within the BAME community and speaks thoughtfully of how we can all work together, and learn from one another, to create a better world for the next generation.

    Click here to find out more about Neil.

  • Episode 16: Trevor Jones

    Trevor talks of learning to play the trombone as a child which led to a lifetime of love and involvement with music. Trevor talks of growing up in Ipswich and, with poignant humour, of life in the 80’s.

    Trevor’s Instagram is @tbonelive

  • Episode 17: Ezra Hewing

    Ezra works with Suffolk Mind and knows loads of things about loads of things. Ezra talks about the power of story in looking at different aspects of our lives and even manages to sneak in a tasty little treat of a story.

    Click here to find out more about Suffolk Mind.

  • Episode 18: Ian Brown

    As a young boy, Ian had his very first, shiny pair of football boots. He was so proud of them that he slept in them. Ian actually went on to play football professionally, living out his childhood dream, but also coming up against a level of racism along the way.

  • Episode 19: Abbie Clements

    Abbie runs the Halesworth bookshop which has not been without its ups and down, flood, fire and global pandemic, so hopefully that is the biblical 3 out of the way. Abbie is blessed with unending optimism and is fuelled by the magic and power of stories. Abbie’s favourite quote is ‘The more that you read, the more places you’ll go. The more places you go, the more things that you’ll know’ by Dr Seuss.

    Click here to find out more about Halesworth bookshop.

  • Episode 20: Amanda Bowden

    Amanda runs the Felixstowe Sewing School and also enjoys running into the sea. Amanda talks about coming to Suffolk, after getting married, and the joys and highs of open water swimming. Oh, AND, she makes her own swimming costumes, and teaches other people to make their own swimming costumes – with pockets!

    Click here to find out more about Amanda’s sewing school in Felixstowe.

  • Episode 21: Curtis Blanc

    Curtis Blanc aka Tis tells the compelling story of how prison life set him free and how he uses music to challenge youth disengagement in Ipswich. Some people are given lemons and make lemonade, Tis doesn’t even wait to be given lemons. The man is an inspiration.

    Click here to listen to one of Tis’ tracks.

    Click here to watch one of Tis’ productions.

  • Episode 22: Angelle Joseph

    Angelle wears, literally and metaphorically, many different hats. Angelle talks about her passion for helping young people to tell their story through music and also of her love of Suffolk and of the people she has met on her journey here.

    Click here to find out more about the work that Angelle does at Ipswich Community Media.

  • Episode 23: Melissa Day

    Melissa was adopted as a baby in Norfolk and moved to Suffolk as a student. Melissa traced her birth family to a tea plantation in Sri Lanka, where her family still work today. Melissa was also the founder of Ipswich Town of Sanctuary. So many things to talk about!

    Click here to find out more about the tea that Melissa has created.

  • Episode 24: Shelley Nott

    Shelley speaks beautifully of the power and learning in living life in the slow lane. Shelley is a fine artist photographer and talks of the multiple layers within her photos and their links with food. Nature and food, it’s where it’s at.

    Click here to find out more about Shelley’s work.

  • Episode 25: Cad Taylor

    Cad was referred by several people and it seems that, in Ipswich, all roads lead to Cad. Ipswich runs through Cad like a stick of rock. Cad talks of the power and joy of sharing our stories to build a strong community.

  • Episode 26: Richard Weller-Poley

    Richard talks of being rooted in Suffolk as his family have been living in the same home for several hundred years in Boxted. Richard’s family also entered the hall of nursery rhyme fame by being named in ‘A Frog He Would A-Wooing Go’.

  • Episode 27: Kim Trotter

    Kim set up the group, Future Female Society (FFS!) in a bid to meet the needs of Mums and all that becoming a mother entails. Kim remembers the isolation that her 19 year old self experienced when she first became a Mum. Kim talks about the incredible women in Ipswich and the revolution might just start here. You have been warned.

    Click here to find out more about Future Female Society.

  • Episode 28: Lucie Halley-Trotter

    First there was Lucie, then came the word tenacious. Lucie is the very definition of not giving up on life as she managed to turn her life around after an accident left her with a long road to recovery. This has also led Lucie to set up her own line in sustainable active wear. Some people are unstoppable.

    Lucie’s Instagram is @eyoactive

    Click here to find out more about Eyo Active.

  • Episode 29: Lynn and Steve Tricker

    Lynn and Steve are Suffolk’s answer to a proper good love story. They started at the same primary school on the same day and, after going their separate ways for a while after finishing secondary school, they met up again and love won the day! They also started Truly Traceable Pies which are seriously truly traceable and, by all accounts, seriously delicious.

    Click here to find out more about Truly Traceable Pies.

  • Episode 30: Hayley Trueman

    Hayley originally came to Suffolk so that her son, Jack, could go to Summerhill School in Leiston and she never left. Hayley has multiple strings to her multiple bows, one of which is running an etsy shop to sell vintage clothes. Another is being a history buff and Hayley regales people with stories at the Martello Tower in Suffolk. Lucky people.

    Hayley’s Instagram is @marleyscatvintage

  • Episode 31: Linny Bark

    For Linny, life began at 50 when she began to write more and worry less. Life events led Linny to truly appreciate the power of community and how this helped her get back on her feet. Linny has recently published her first book and, I have no doubt, it won’t be her last.

    Click here to find out more about Linny’s writing.

  • Episode 32: Vero Chambers

    Vero talks about the delights of local independent food businesses who have provided delicious food to their doorstep over the past year during lockdown. Vero has also taken the plunge and moved in with her partner, Beano, after 8 years, 10 months and 30 days. Slowly does it…

  • Episode 33: Zoe Redhead

    Zoe talks about Summerhill, the school that her father set up 100 years ago. Zoe talks passionately about the well-being of children and how Summerhill continues to nurture responsibility and equality. We could certainly do with a bit more of that in the world.

    Click here to find out more about Summerhill school.

  • Episode 34: Jasmine Higgins

    Jasmine is the great grand-daughter of A.S. Neill, founder of Summerhill school in Leiston, Suffolk. Jasmine talks of the rich heritage of Summerhill and also of her love of writing, something that she shares with her great grandfather. Jasmine is about to launch herself into the world of publishing to here’s to her success!

    Click here to explore Jasmine’s Etsy shop.

  • Episode 35: Becky Chapman

    Becky tried to stay away from the world of horses but it didn’t work and thank goodness for that. Becky brings a refreshing, and much needed, dose of insight and kindness to the way in which she coaches both horse and human to have a better relationship.

    Click here to find out more about Becky’s riding centre.

  • Episode 36: Johnny Spillings

    Johnny talks about a childhood in Suffolk by the sea and on a farm. Johnny runs the Penny Bun Bakehouse and feeds the many thousands with way more than five loaves and gets up at 1 in the morning to do so. His cakes are legendary and so are the stories if you go to his bakery.

    Click here to find out more about Penny Bun Bakehouse.

  • Episode 37: Susan Eaton

    Sue has had several reincarnations in this lifetime, in terms of what she has done, but is currently an artist working from her beautiful studio in Clare. Sue talks about adopting her mixed heritage son into a white family in a white area and how, even 45 years later, she still feels upset at the children left to live a a life in the care system.

    Sue is an artist - click here to find out more about her work.

  • Episode 38: Katie Eaton

    Katie is a master saddler which takes about as long as medical school but without the trauma. Katie spends her days inhaling the glorious scent of leather and horses which must be very good for your health.

  • Episode 39: Lanai Collis-Phillips

    Lanai is one of those people who know where they are going in life and you breathe a sigh of relief that she is on the planet at the same time as us. Lanai walks in the big, inspiring shoes of her grandmother towards a career in nursing.

    Lanai’s Instagram is @CollisLanai

  • Episode 40: Glenys Newton

    This time it’s Glenys’ turn to be interviewed as Melissa asks what it has been like to travel Around Suffolk In 40 Stories. Glenys clearly doesn’t want to stop and it’s all a bit emotional bringing this story journey to a halt. Hopefully, the stories will continue to travel because that’s what stories do and that is why we tell them.

    Click here to find out more about Glenys.

Generously funded by

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