Coming to you from The Shrewsbury Coffeehouse, Alex is joined by Sian from DwtyLife.com, who is bringing Happier Festival to The Flaxmill in Shrewsbury on 26th July 2025.

But before we dive into the festival, we get to know more about Sian herself. In an open and honest conversation around mental health, Sian shares her personal journey — both physical and emotional — and how it led her to where she is today.

In the midst of the pressures of life in the mid-2020s, it’s refreshing to discover spaces where you can drop your guard, unwind, and find inspiration for positive change. That’s exactly what Happier Festival aims to offer: a day for guests to connect with others, try something new, treat themselves, and simply enjoy a fun, uplifting experience.

All the details and tickets can be found on the Dwty Life website — but to make things easier, here’s the direct link:

https://www.dwtylife.com/happierfest

Wishing all the best to Sian and the team — Happier Festival sounds like a winner!

Outro music: What I Miss by Josh Lobley

In anticipation of the hugely popular Shrewsbury International Comedy Festival, we bring you a comedy star of serious calibre — Cally Beaton!

In this episode, Alex speaks with Cally about her fascinating journey from the world of corporate TV, where she worked with major names like MTV and Comedy Central, to the bold mid-life leap she made into stand-up comedy.

Now an accomplished comedian, Cally is touring a hugely popular show, hosts the sharp and hilarious podcast Namaste Motherfckers*, and has a book of the same name on the way. The podcast features an impressive lineup of guests, and the upcoming book promises the same wit, insight and bite.

You can explore everything Cally is up to — pre-order the book, catch up on podcast episodes, and grab tour tickets — via her website: https://callybeaton.com/

To secure your tickets for events across the festival, head over to the Shrewsbury International Comedy Festival website: https://sicfest.co.uk/

Huge thanks to Cally for being a fantastic guest, and a special shoutout to Nev Street for pulling this together — it was a scramble, but we made it happen!

Outro music: What I Miss by Josh Lobley

While scrolling through social media, Alex stumbled upon some captivating content—side-by-side comparisons showing how Shrewsbury’s historic buildings once looked. Intrigued, he reached out to the creator behind the posts: Freya Rickman of Cooper Green Pooks, one of Shrewsbury’s oldest businesses.

Freya’s passion for Shrewsbury—especially its rich history—is infectious, and the content she’s been producing lately truly deserves recognition.

So, Alex invited Freya for a coffee and a chat at the Old Market Hall, right in the heart of town. And what better place to talk about history than a building that’s been standing since 1596?

This conversation left Alex feeling genuinely inspired, especially by the energy and creativity of younger people engaging with local heritage in such meaningful, high-quality ways.

A huge thank you to Cooper Green Pooks for lending us Freya, to the wonderful team at the Old Market Hall (especially Roberto) for being so welcoming, and of course to Freya—you're brilliant, keep doing what you do.

Outro Music: What I Miss by Josh Lobley

Join Alex and Vicks as they chat with Jon and Darren from Shropshire Youth Support Trust (SYST), live from Telford.

In this inspiring episode, discover how SYST supports young people across Shropshire—not just through services, but through the passion and lived experiences of the people behind the charity.

Darren Duffy went from fruit picking in Europe with little direction to becoming a successful entrepreneur, now driven to help the next generation find their path.

Jon Gidney, a former PGA golfer, learned first-hand the importance of sponsorship in sport. After a career in sports marketing, he's now dedicated to helping SYST grow and reach even more young people.

In a world crying out for confident, independent young minds ready to work, create, and lead, SYST is making a real difference.

Find out more about Shropshire Youth Support Trust at their website.

INTRO MUSIC: What I Miss by Josh Lobley

Join Alex and Vicks on this episode of The Shrewsbury Biscuit Podcast as they explore the University of the Third Age (U3A) with guest Michael Reece, chairman of Shrewsbury U3A. As part of her "homework," Vicks introduces a topic Alex knows nothing about—uncovering the vital role U3A plays in tackling loneliness by offering clubs, education, and social activities for those no longer working.

Links:

🔗 Shrewsbury U3A

🔗 Roy Fletcher Centre

We'd like to extend a special thank you to our valued partners at Shropshire Business Suite. Located in the heart of Shrewsbury, they offer a state-of-the-art venue featuring professional meeting rooms, conference facilities, and dedicated podcast spaces. For more information, be sure to visit their website at : https://www.shropshirebusinesssuite.co.uk/

Intro Music: What I Miss by Josh Lobley

Join Alex as he goes for walk around the fantastic Shropshire County Show for it's 150th event at the DMOS West Mid Show Ground.

This show is all about showing off what Shropshire has to offer in terms of agricultural richness and tradition. Alex takes time to speak to a representative of young farmers and to the NFU about what is important about farming across the county and what shows like this means.

Alex also discusses traditions with commentator Tom Sellers as he talks about what judges are looking at when they are inspecting the animals and why awards for prize stock are so important.

Thank you to the organisers for sending out tickets. Alex and his family had a fun day out as well as getting some brilliant content from the hugely diverse array of people that were in attendance.

Join us for our coverage of Loopfest 2025. Here is Sunday.

After overdoing it during Saturday at Loopfest, Alex is taking it easy on Sunday. Starting off with one of the fringe venues, Alex starts off at Nerdy by speaking to Kate Rose. Take a walk wit Alex as he speaks to many more artists during a fun-filled day of music.

To all of the performers, organiser and everyone who made Loopfest the wholesome, adventure that it was, THANK YOU. It was a very enjoyable event to cover.

Here is our coverage of Loopfest 2025, starting with a very fun Saturday!

Join Alex as he ventures across a very busy town filled with music and excitement. With a mic in-hand Alex's mission is to cram in as many interviews with artists performing at the many venues that make-up this huge event.

To all of the artists, organisers and everyone that made this year's festival go down so well, THANK YOU! This year was ace!