Meet the Mancunian Podcast

Home
United Kingdom
Manchester
Meet the Mancunian Podcast

The Meet the Mancunian podcast: social impact stories from Manchester Podcast cover art designed by artist Mahua Roy (https://www.instagram.com/mahua_r/).

The Meet the Mancunian podcast introduces listeners to inspirational Mancunians who are making a difference in the local community. Whether they run a charity or a social enterprise, volunteer, or coach others, host a community, or go it alone; all my guests have fascinating stories to tell. Presented by Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe, newbie Mancunian (https://www.instagram.com/meetthemancunian/). Tune in every Tuesday for your weekly dose of inspiration.

11/12/2025

Many of you know about my passion project, Meet the Mancunian: social impact stories from Manchester. I feature community heroes on my podcast – the volunteers and the everyday worker bees who make Greater Manchester a better place.

Eleven seasons in, I’ve had the privilege of interviewing 126 inspiring guests from all walks of life, working across causes from homelessness and youth empowerment to mental health, sustainability, and so much more.

I was genuinely delighted to see my 2025 report this week. I treat it as a small barometer of how the podcast inspires listeners and supports people who want to begin or deepen their own social impact journey. Spotify is just one of the many places listeners tune in from, but these insights still meant so much to me.

Three things in the Wrapped awards especially made my day:
⭐ 2025 Rising Star – our growth outpaced 83% of other shows
⭐ 2025 Marathon Show – fans listened longer than 82% of other shows
⭐ 2025 Most Shared Show – shared more than 85% of other shows

For a tiny, self-funded indie podcast with no sponsor, this is incredibly motivating. It reminds me that Meet the Mancunian has found a niche — not just in Manchester, but among listeners around the world who genuinely care about purpose and social impact.

I’m deeply grateful:
💛 To every guest who trusted me with their story and life lessons
🎧 To every listener who has tuned in, supported, or shared an episode with a friend
🎨 To the wonderful Mahua Roy, who has created the colourful creatives that give the podcast its identity from Season 1
🤝 And to collaborators like Macc, Wythenshawe FM, Grow Radio, The Joy Ethic Show, and BBC Manchester for championing these voices

Stay tuned — Season 12 arrives in Spring 2026!
If you work or volunteer in a charity or community organisation in Greater Manchester, you can register as a guest at www.meetthemancunian.co.uk

And if you care about purpose and social impact, do give the podcast a listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or the website. With so many themes across 11 seasons, I’m sure one will resonate with your cause. 💚

Spirit of ManchesterWFM 97.2 Joy Ethic Grow Radio BBC Manchester

28/11/2025

🔊 Audiogram 11.6 – Talking Volunteering & Community Support with Wardeh Al Nasir

Check out this inspiring quote from Wardeh Al Nasir, Director of Community Thriving Together, on the :

“We don’t need to be perfect to start. We just need our passion, our dedication, our being true and being ourselves to start. And just by keeping going and believing in what we do, we will be perfect by gaining the experience.” – Wardeh Al Nasir ✨

Wardeh’s personal journey through isolation and language barriers led her to create a safe, empowering community for underrepresented individuals in Manchester. 🤝💛

🎧 Listen to the audiogram to hear more from Wardeh!
📌 Full episode & transcript: www.meetthemancunian.co.uk

Spirit of Manchester Thriving Together

25/11/2025

🎉🎙️ Season 11 Finale of the Meet the Mancunian Podcast!
In this heartfelt finale episode, I speak with Wardeh Al Nasir, Director of Community Thriving Together and nominee at the Spirit of Manchester Awards. Wardeh opens up about her journey from facing isolation and language barriers to creating a supportive community for underrepresented groups in Manchester. 💛🤝

We explore the importance of volunteering, the challenges ethnic minorities often face, and the incredible impact her organisation is making through compassion, inclusion, and empowerment. 🌍✨
Thank you to all listeners and amazing guests for another inspiring season! 🙏💙

The podcast will now take a break and return in Spring 2026 with more powerful Mancunian stories. 🌼🎧

Listen & read the transcriptwww.meetthemancunian.co.uk/s11e6

Spirit of Manchester Thriving Together

23/11/2025

New on the Meet the Mancunian podcast! 💬
🔊 “Never give up… The Manchester United Disabled Supporters Association inspired me to look beyond the disability and keep going.” – Nathaniel Yates

Nathaniel’s GMR Rail Safety Access campaign is pushing for safer, more accessible train stations across Greater Manchester — and making a real difference. 💪

🎧 Listen to the audiogram to hear more from Nathaniel!
📌 Full episode & transcript: www.meetthemancunian.co.uk

Spirit of Manchester

18/11/2025

🚆 NEW EPISODE!
This week on the Meet the Mancunian podcast, Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe speaks with Nathaniel Yates, a passionate train safety access campaigner.

After a fall at a train station in 2013, Nathaniel realised just how inaccessible many stations in Manchester were. What began as frustration turned into a powerful campaign — petitions, awareness videos, speaking on panels and winning support from Mayor Andy Burnham. Their work is making real change and inspiring others to take action too.

💡 Did you know? Fewer than half of Manchester's stations are accessible for people with mobility challenges or wheelchair users.
🎧 Listen to Nathaniel’s episode and read the transcript: https://www.meetthemancunian.co.uk/s11e5

Spirit of Manchester

17/11/2025

🎧 NEW AUDIOGRAM!

In Episode 11.4 of the Meet the Mancunian , we hear from Tahera Khanam, Founder of Better We.

🔊 She shares an incredible mindset shift:
“If you have any problem in life, go solve another person’s problem… help them, talk to them, share. Your problem will be automatically solved.”

Tahera is empowering women and young people in Longsight, tackling challenges and building community. 💙

▶️ Listen to the audiogram and feel inspired!
📌 Full episode & transcript: www.meetthemancunian.co.uk

Spirit of ManchesterBetter We CIC

11/11/2025

🌟 New Episode Alert! 🎙️

Meet Tahera Khanam, founder of Better We and Spirit of Manchester Awards nominee for Volunteer of the Year! 💜

In this heartfelt episode of the Meet the Mancunian podcast, hosted by Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe, Tahera shares how she empowers women and youth in Longsight through community clubs and training programmes. She also opens up about overcoming personal challenges — including cancer — and the strength found in community support. 💪

💡 Did you know?
👉 68% of households in Longsight are deprived in one or more dimensions — Better We is helping to change that!
🎧 Listen and read the full transcript here: https://www.meetthemancunian.co.uk/s11e4

Better We CIC Spirit of Manchester

07/11/2025

🔊 New Audiogram!
Check out this inspiring quote from Idowu Morafa, Founder of Across Ummah, on the :
💬 “If we all work together collectively to support one another, to help us to extinguish the fire of racism in the community… our Manchester will be a better place for everyone to live.” – Idowu Morafa
Idowu talks about tackling substance abuse, supporting families and driving change in Manchester. 💚
🎧 Listen to the audiogram now!
📌 Catch the full episode & transcript: www.meetthemancunian.co.uk

Spirit of Manchester

04/11/2025

🎙️ New Podcast Episode!
In this episode of Meet the Mancunian, Deepa speaks with Idowu Morafa, Founder of Across Ummah and double nominee at the Spirit of Manchester Awards. 🌟

Idowu opens up about tackling substance abuse, supporting families, and building stronger, healthier communities. She also shares the challenges he’s faced and why mental health support, education, and community action matter more than ever. 💬💛

Did you know substance abuse affects 3 million people in the UK? Together, we can break the stigma and support those in need. 🤝
🎧 Listen and read the transcript: https://www.meetthemancunian.co.uk/s11e3

Spirit of Manchester Ummah

02/11/2025

💚 “Keep an open mind to people. Because people will always surprise you, often positively. I’ve learned that people are incredible. People will go the extra mile, they will go the extra milimetre. You never know what people are going to do.” – Francis Duncan, Irish Community Care
Francis joins the to share how his team supports the Irish and Irish Traveller communities in Manchester through advocacy and culturally appropriate support.
🔊 Listen to the audiogram and be inspired by his words!
🎧 Full episode & transcript: https://www.meetthemancunian.co.uk/s11e2

Spirit of Manchester Irish Community Care Manchester

28/10/2025

🎧 Episode 2 is out now!
Meet Francis Duncan, Community Engagement Manager at Irish Community Care, in this inspiring episode of Meet the Mancunian hosted by Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe. 💚
Francis opens up about his work supporting the Irish and Irish Traveller communities in Manchester — tackling misconceptions, overcoming bias, and celebrating culture. ☘️
💡 Did you know?
✅ 33% of Manchester’s population are of Irish descent
✅ Romani gypsies, Roma and Irish Travellers are distinct community groups
✅ There are around 300,000 Irish Travellers in the UK
Tune in to hear how culturally appropriate communities and advocacy can make Manchester more inclusive and connected. 🌆
🎧 Listen now: https://www.meetthemancunian.co.uk/s11e2

Spirit of Manchester Irish Community Care Manchester

25/10/2025

💬 “Never give up. I think in life we face so many challenges but it’s so important to never lose track of the goal and our vision.” – Jillian Alexander, Founder, Unbound Programme

Jillian joins Meet the Mancunian 🎙️ to talk about tackling modern slavery, supporting survivors, and why believing in your purpose matters.

🎧 Listen to this inspiring audiogram from Jillian!

📌 Full episode & transcript: www.meetthemancunian.co.uk

Spirit of Manchester

Address

Wythenshawe
Manchester
M231PW

Telephone

+447379412936

Website

http://www.meetthemancunian.co.uk/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Meet the Mancunian Podcast posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Meet the Mancunian Podcast:

Shortcuts

Want your business to be the top-listed Media Company in Manchester?