The small VOICE podcast

18/12/2023

Some excellent recommendations from Darren & Holly for Christmas in our December podcast... Ho, and indeed, ho, ho.
Books, TV and music, including a sublime 'Silent Night' performed for us by Hannah Rarity (a Christmas tradition!).

The whole smallVOICE team wish you well for Christmas and the new year. See you on the other side.

Some Christmas cheer from Holly and Darren in December’s podcast. Come away in and warm yourself with their reviews and recommendations for the festive period. There’s a helpful list be…

06/11/2023

In November's podcast, another difficult one ... Holly and Darren talk about how best to talk about the violence in Israel and Gaza. What do we say? To what extent does social media make things worse? How do we pray?

Another tricky, but unavoidable, subject …. In this podcast, Holly and Darren talk about how best to talk about the violence in Israel and Gaza. What do we say? To what extent does social med…

11/10/2023

Our latest podcast is live! Holly & Darren review the debut novel, For Thy Great Pain, Have Mercy On My Little Pain, by Victoria MacKenzie. Long title, short book! It's about the lives of two extraordinary women - Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe - it explores medieval women’s lives, the effects of grief and trauma, and the genesis of women’s writing. And. Much. More.

In this month’s podcast Holly & Darren review the debut novel, For Thy Great Pain, Have Mercy On My Little Pain, by Victoria MacKenzie. It’s a short novel, published earlier this year, an…

05/10/2023

For 25 years Stephen Fischbacher and the Fischy Music team have worked with children, singing, song writing and healing their relationship with the world around them. But what happens when singing …

14/09/2023

Our latest podcast is now live. A difficult one, looking at the recent Lucy Letby conviction. Let us know your thoughts ...

A difficult one this month, as Holly and Darren explore some of the issues arising from the recent Lucy Letby murder conviction. On 21 August this year, Lucy Letby became only the third woman alive…

31/08/2023

A special feature to help celebrate 25 years of Fischy Music! smallVOICE roving reporter, Margaret, spoke with Stephen Fischbacher, Suzanne Butler, John Cross of Fischy Music and also with Linda who is a Primary School teacher in Glasgow. The value of Fischy songs to young people reaches much further than music and words...

For 25 years Stephen Fischbacher and the Fischy Music team have worked with children, singing, song writing and healing their relationship with the world around them. But what happens when singing …

05/08/2023

Our latest podcast is now live - and we review Barbie! Available on podcast apps, on TuneIn radio, and on our website:

Welcome to our slightly pink and fluffy podcast for August as Holly & Darren bravely review the film sensation, Barbie. As ever, get back to us with your views – leave a comment on this w…

10/07/2023

Our latest podcast is an interview feature about the work of Amplifying Voices who are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year. Their mission is to train communities to use the tool of media (radio, podcasts, speakerboxes) to create better futures, with an emphasis on finding their own voice, working collaboratively and building peace.

Our roving reporter Margaret spoke with founders Jon Hargreaves and Alex Stout, and also Johnny Fisher who is their Scottish Associate.

We’re delighted to find out about another ‘small voice’ that is making a big difference … Amplifying Voices is an organisation based in Worthing in the south of England and …

20/06/2023

Our June podcast is live - some excellent summer recommendations for reading, viewing and listening from Holly & Darren!

In this podcast Holly & Darren offer you some fine suggestions for summer reading, viewing, and listening. We’ve gone lighter for the summer but still some meaty stuff: Will baking change…

22/05/2023

Lots of good chat about spiritual care in our latest podcast - just gone live! Thanks so much to for joining us!

Welcome, gentle listener, and thanks for joining us! In this podcast we explore spiritual care – both in health care and in life in general. And we’re delighted to speak with Laura who …

24/04/2023

Our latest podcast is live, wherein Holly and Darren get to grips with AI chatbots and the end of the world as we know it. (Or is it?)

Welcome faithful listener, hungry for knowledge? Well, so are we, and in this podcast Holly and Darren try to get their heads round the latest artificial intelligence scare – OpenAI’s C…

29/03/2023

The Easter Play Edinburgh was first performed in 2005 and is a large-scale community Passion Play telling the Easter story in Edinburgh's iconic Princes Street Gardens on Easter Saturday. Find out more, and hear from some of the people involved this year, in our special podcast feature!

We have a special feature for Easter! Our roving reporter, Margaret, has been out talking to people involved in this year’s Easter Play in Edinburgh. This is a large-scale community Passion P…

26/03/2023

The GRF team was very sad to learn that Andrew Barr has died. Andrew was our Chair for twenty years, stepping down in 2020. Prior to that, Andrew held senior posts in broadcasting with both the BBC and ITV, in religion and education, including his time as Head of Religion and Education for BBC Scotland. Andrew was a thoughtful, creative and visionary broadcaster. He was always incredibly supportive of all our work and we send our love and thoughts to his family at this sad time.

22/03/2023

Our latest podcast is live! Wherein we chat about Nick Cave & Sean O'Hagan's fantastic book Faith, Hope and Carnage

https://www.smallvoice.org.uk/sv-podcast-where-we-get-a-little-bit-book-clubby-and-read-faith-hope-carnage/

07/03/2023

As heavily trailed in our latest podcast, we're Lent-reading Faith, Hope & Carnage by Nick Cave and Seán O’Hagan... Read along, let us know what you think of the book, and then listen to the podcast review coming soon!

03/03/2023

Love this from John Harvey and The Iona Community

19/02/2023

As we approach that Lenty time of year ... a new podcast!! Holly & Darren and a little bit of faith and doubt. https://www.smallvoice.org.uk/sv-podcast-the-one-with-a-bit-of-faith-and-doubt/

It’s almost Lent and Holly and Darren are discussing faith, doubt and spiritual practices. Will you have Plenty Lenty? Is doubt sacred? How do we kindle the spark of faith within us? How do …

12/02/2023

Also in our latest podcast: we asked for your thoughts, dear listener. We'd love to hear from you! We aim for honest, thoughtful Christian podcasting. What have you enjoyed? What new feature, interview, or strand would you like to hear? Let the panda know, don't be shy...

10/02/2023

The smallVOICE team was sad to hear of the recent death of Willie Raworth. Willie was Anne's 'Thousand Words' guest back in December 2013 where he talked about a photo that meant a lot to him - a photo of his dog, Pepper. Pepper was a trained 'therapet', and Willie and his wife Alyson regularly visited Barlinnie prison along with Pepper, where he was a big hit with staff and inmates alike. You can listen to Willie talking with Anne here:

‘A Thousand Words’ is our strand as part of the smallVOICE podcast, where Anne has a conversation with a guest about a photograph or picture that means a lot to them. This is the photog…

02/02/2023

Just a wee reminder that our latest podcast contains a review of My Old School, Jono McLeod's bizarre, Bearsden-based doc featuring the fab Alan Cu***ng. Available to watch on BBCiPlayer now. And, also in a quick-fire media round-up, shout outs for U2's Bono's autobiography, the latest album from Belle and Sebastian, Cariad Lloyd's Griefcast podcast and the fabulous The Traitors... Spoiler alert: one of our presenters did not like The Banshees of Inisherin, and says so.

25/01/2023

Just for Burns' Night, the sublime Hannah Rarity and Calum Morrison ...

Hannah Rarity and Calum Morrison played live for us at one of our first ever smallVOICE Sessions at The Wild Olive Tree Cafe at the start of 2019. It was Burn’s Night, 25 January, and we’re v…

22/01/2023

And that's our latest podcast & media review gone live!
Have a listen on our website or subscribe on your podcast app ... you know you want to.

Welcome to this smallVOICE podcast for January, presented by Darren & Holly. During the next half an hour or so, they’ll bring you up to date about how our wee team is doing and our plans…

21/01/2023

“Ok, it's almost February, so probably time to wish you all a happy new year. In other news, we've recorded a short podcast ... available soon. ”

25/12/2022

"All shall be well,
and all shall be well,
and all manner of thing shall be well."
Julian of Norwich

With hope, love, peace & courage at Christmas from Iona Abbey.

22/12/2022

A 'Christmas Card' podcast extra from us to you ... May we all find light in the darkness. Featuring a sublime version of Silent Night by Hannah Rarity. https://www.smallvoice.org.uk/a-smallvoice-christmas-card/

We wanted to send you a sort of ‘Christmas Card’ greeting from the whole smallVOICE team…. Christmas is a special time for many people, but it can also be challenging and difficult for others…

20/11/2022

Darren introduces his chat with faith/folk band Siskin Green - that's the talented Jane Bentley, Suzanne Butler and Margaret McLarty. Now live on our website here:

We’re so pleased to present this Podcast Extra interview with folk/faith band Siskin Green. They are of course the lovely and talented Jane Bentley, Suzanne Butler and Margaret McLarty and yo…

17/11/2022

Holly introduces the first of two Podcast Extras which were originally due to go out in October. In this first Extra, our roving reporter Margaret speaks with Jayne Lamond of Strathcarron Hospice about SnowDrop Cafe in Denny and how the idea of these small cafes to combat loneliness came to fruition.

Here is another ‘small voice’ interview highlighting an organisation that’s small but making a BIG difference. One of the effects of the pandemic and lockdown in 2020 was that ven…

12/11/2022

The second of two special podcast extra tributes to Anne, it's another chance to hear Anne describe this painting which meant a lot to her. From our 'Thousand Words' feature in April 2019.

This is the second podcast extra tribute to our friend and smallVOICE presenter Anne. Our ‘Thousand Words’ strand has been running since the very start of the smallVOICE podcast in 2013…

05/11/2022

This podcast extra is a tribute to our friend and smallVOICE presenter, Anne Muir, who died suddenly at the end of September. Anne had presented and helped shape the smallVOICE podcast right from i…