Work and volunteering transcripts

Alex:

00:00 – 00:05

So how did you get to work? Like how did you get there?

Brian:

00:06-00:07

What do you mean?

Alex:

00:08-00:11

When you were working with the council like you said before, what.

Brian:

00:11-00:11

Yeah.

Alex:

00:11-00:14

what, how did you get there?

Brian:

00:14-00:15

By bus.

Alex:

00:16-00:18

Really? Okay.

Brian:

00:22 – 00:25

Do you do any maintenance on the like the streets or?

Alex:

00:25-00:27

No, not yet.

Brian:

00:27-00:28

Or roundabouts?

Alex:

00:28-00:29

Not yet.

Brian:

00:29-00:30

Not yet?

Alex:

00:30-00:31

No.

Case:

00:34 – 00:35

Do you know the way?

Brian:

00:39 – 00:55

I might be redundant in case. Long time ago I made redundant. Long time ago.

Alex:

00:56-00:58

What job was that?

Brian:

00:59-01:00

On the council.

Alex:

01:00-01:06

On the council. But what did you do with the council over the. Over the.

Brian:

01:06-01:09

No, the bad weather.

Alex:

01:09-01:09

Bad weather, yeah.

Brian:

01:09-01:29

With their ice and snow. The snow and ice. Ice and bad weather. They slipped.

Case:

01:31-01:32

They slipped?

Alex:

01:36 – 01:40

What did you do for work after being made redundant?

Brian:

01:42 – 02:14

Erm. Take the. Take this things, when they are people’s property. Take their clean stuff and the things round their, round their, their, their, round their homes.

Alex

02:17 – 02:18

Right um.

Case

02:28 – 02:31

I once heard you were in a record shop.

Alex

02:35 – 02:36

Was it paid work?

Brian

02:36-02:39

I can’t remember.

Alex

02:39-02:40

You can’t remember.

Case:

02:41-02:42

Yes it was, yeah.

Brian:

02:42-02:43

It was.

Micheal:

02:45-02:47

You got pensions as well.

Case

02:47-02:47

You’ll get pensions.

Brian:

02:48-02:48

Yeah.

Alex:

02:50 – 03:08

So er the hard work paid off really in the end.

Brian:

02:54-02:54

Yeah.

[Let’s Pretend it’s not the end of the world by Miley Cyrus]

00:00-01:15

Let’s pretend that it’s not the end of the world

Let’s pretend that it’s not the end of the world
Let’s pretend
It’s not the end
Let’s pretend
It’s not the end
Let’s pretend
It’s not the end

Let’s pretend that it’s not the end of the world
The sky is falling, falling like a comet now
Let’s pretend that it’s not the end of the world
The sky is falling, falling like a comet now
Let’s pretend that it’s not the end of the world
The sky is falling, falling like a comet now
I can see it coming down

Harrison:

01:15-01:35

From her ninth album, Something Beautiful, we’ve heard Miley Cyrus with End of the World, and we had Alex Warren and Jelly Roll before that with Bloodline. Don’t go anywhere though, because the rest of the best of 2025 is yet to come in our two with Benson Boone, Perry, Lorde, Max Dean, and many more on the way. See you in a tick.

01:35-01:48

Keep it locked right here. Club Harmony will be right back. All the time. I listen all day, every day. I don’t know, I’m just addicted to it. And we appreciate you tuning in. Club Harmony has returned.

Harrison:

01:48-02:44

Alright, you’re back with Harrison FB on Club Harmony and we’re celebrating the best music from 2025. Before we start the second hour though, what have been your highlights of this year? Feel free to let me know. Well, my highlights were indeed finishing my university course, getting Club Harmony all the way up to 200, as I have done last week, and seeing more movies in theatres than I have seen last year, where that wasn’t that much. Out of what I’ve seen overall this year though, Zootopia 2 has been my favourite. But I’ve yet to see Avatar: Fire and Ash, which is out now by the way, and I will give out my thoughts on it next week. Now in hour 2 we have BLACKPINK, Selena Gomez, Jade, Demi Lovato and Saja Boys, also being known as the Demons in Disguise, will be up in a few with Sodapop being their most popular track compared to your idol. Right now though we have this year’s Eurovision winner by JJ who represented for Austria. This is Wasted Love.

02:44-02:49

Another hour of the best beats from all over the world. Start now!

[Wasted Love by JJ]

02:49-04:00

I’m an ocean of love
And you’re scared of water
You don’t want to go under
So you let me go under
I reach out my hand
But you watch me grow distant
Drift out to the sea, and
Far away in an instant
You left me in the deep end

I’m drowning in my feelings
How do you not see that?

Now that you’re gone
All I have is wasted love
This wasted love
Now that you’re gone
Can’t fill my heart with wasted love
This wasted love

When you let me go
I barely stayed afloat
I’m floating all alone
Still I’m holding on to hope

Now that you’re gone
All I have is wasted love
This wasted love
Now that you’re gone
Can’t fill my heart with wasted love
This wasted

Scott:

00:00-00:04

Have you ever worked, Jason? Had a job?

Jason:

00:05-00:12

Yeah, I have. Yeah, I worked five years in the. In a gardening nursery.

Scott:

00:12-00:18

Did you enjoy it? Can you tell us a bit about your activities, your daily activities, your job roles?

Jason:

00:19-01:11

Erm I don’t think it was a great place to be working, erm but nevertheless, I got on with it. Erm I didn’t really have a job role. I I just. I just decided to go in there and do like planting and weeding and potting and all that kind of thing. Digging, mowing, strimming, all that kind of stuff. Yeah, so so I was there for five years and erm when I’m at home and I have to do the garden, I’m like excuse me, I’ve done it for five years, why in the hell have I got to do it today?

Leon:

00:00-00:59

United Response, I applied for because it said it was supposed to help with people unsure about where to go next and giving general employability advice and helping people with employment, which definitely seemed like the best fit for me because I was really unsure where I’m going to go next, because I didn’t want to go to university, the process of university, like trying to apply, I feel like it was just dumped on me at the last moment and I creating a CV they didn’t really help me with much and I was just too confused on the university aspect and I didn’t want to rush that. But I also didn’t really know what job I wanted so finding an apprenticeship. So it was either, if it weren’t for United Response I would still be very anxious and unsure what to do next.

Dan:

00:59-01:02

So what are you doing at United Response then?

Leon:

01:03-01:55

I mostly help out in the cafe on a Monday, which is volunteering work, which is supposed to help with of people learning customer service and getting to work as a team and like being in that professional job environment. At the same time we’re also doing, there’s a media aspect of the course, helping with filming, doing various media aspects which media was something I actually had interest in. So that’s another part of why I chose United Response. Helping me learn more in that field, considering that is what I was taught in college. There’s also essential skills and core subjects which is just a part of the education process and helps, supposed to help with everyday life and when you move out and become independent.

Dan:

01:57-02:04

So it sounds like you’re really passionate about the media side of things.

Leon:

02:04-02:44

Yes, I very much am considering I’ve always had interest in video games and movies and just like getting to learn the media aspects in general. I’m also very much a PC and computer user so a lot of work I’ve done, I’ve enjoyed doing, is on a computer of some sort. But it’s also just getting to learn more practical stuff like camera work, sound work, you know, I’ve even had fun acting in some of the things we’ve done at the media aspect.

Dan:

02:44-02:55

Would, would you like. Is erm something in media, something you would be interested in potentially doing as a job in the future?

Leon:

02:55-03:58

I thought about that, but here comes the tricky part because I don’t know where to start because I like doing media and I enjoy doing, like, functioning cameras. But in terms of a job, I feel like that would be jumping into the deep end, and I just was unsure if I wanted to get into that or if I should go to university and think about applying for further education in this facility or if I want to start off small before I start getting too much bigger. And I’m unsure, that’s the thing, I’m still unsure what job I want and that’s what this is slowly helping me rethink more because I was thinking maybe just take a small part-time job before I start getting more into work aspects before I eventually go on to become in a, choose a career in this, in the media departments.

Dan:

03:59-04:09

And you also mentioned that you do, you do some volunteering at the cafe with United Response.

Leon:

04:09-04:09

Yes

Dan:

04:09-04:10

So how’s that going?

Leon:

04:11-04:34

I’d say that’s going well. I’m enjoying it. I was a little anxious at first because I had never worked in a cafe. So obviously, like, it was something new, but I got more and more confident. I feel I know what, if I had job needs doing, I know I will just get on with it.

Liv:

00:00-00:29

Sit down, let me tell you a story.

Close your eyes and imagine you are really there.

Through the good days and the bad,

Through all the tears and laughter shared,

Liv:

00:36-01:29

Swimming across the oceans

Waiting far to reach the other side,

Everybody has a different story to tell

About the mountains they have been climbed

And the battles they have been fought

For day and night

Until the sun sets down on the earth

Olivia:

01:31-01:58

Take a seat and I’ll dive right in

Are you prepared for this emotional ride?

Everyone is unique

All of their highs and lows

Liv:

02:06-02:59

Swimming across the oceans

Waiting far to reach the other side,

Everybody has a different story to tell

About the mountains they have been climbed

And the battles they have been fought

For day and night

Until the sun sets down on the earth

Olivia:

03:02-03:29

Hear our voices

Watch us break down the walls

As we stand united

Hand in hand

As long as we have each other

We are invincible

Liv:

03:32-03:46

Ooooh.

Ooooh

Liv:

03:47-04:24

Everybody has a different story to tell

About the mountains they have been climbed

And the battles they have been fought

For day and night

Until the sun sets down on the earth

Will:

00:00-00:10

You’re talking a lot, sort of about gigs. It seems like you’ve done, you know, quite a few of them. Could you talk us through what your first gig was like?

Liv:

00:11-00:32

Erm, my first gig was probably when I got the opportunity to play at the Barbican at through Tang Hall Smart. That was quite a surreal moment because I never thought I’d be on the Barbican stage. Even if I only did a few songs, I’ve always wanted to have like have that opportunity.

Will:

00:33-00:36

Did you have friends and family in the audience?

Liv:

00:36-00:42

I had two of my best friends come and watch and my grandma, mum and dad came to watch me as well.

Will:

00:42-00:47

Did you feel nervous performing in front of people or were you sort of quite used to it?

Liv:

00:48-01:03

I’d say I’m quite used to it. I don’t really get nervous performing and when I am performing I tend to find a spot that I look at. I don’t like tend to directly look at anyone because that way, like, that’s how I stop myself getting nervous.

Will:

01:04-01:06

Yeah. It’s a good way not to, not to overthink, isn’t it?

Liv:

01:06-01:06

Yeah.

Will:

01:07-01:15

I suppose it goes back to, to what you said about music being a sort of Escape. It doesn’t really matter what other people think.

Andy:

01:16-01:47

No, no. And I think from having seen you at the gigs that I’ve been at with you when whenever, when we’ve played, together. I think that it does give you that, like, Will says, an escapism, but it, but it also gives you, instills in you that confidence that I think you would perhaps not have if you were just in a, in the bar or pub or whatever yourself normally. And I could identify that, and I think many of us could, but it almost gives you like a superpower.

Liv:

01:47-01:48

Yeah it does.

Andy:

01:47-01:48

It being there.

Liv:

01:49-01:59

Because if I, if I was just in a bar and someone, some randomer came up and tried to make a conversation, I would literally freeze and I would have no idea what, how, what to say to them.

Andy:

02:00-02:11

But they, but there you are talking, talking through the microphone to a bunch of rowdy people. You’re kind of in command of that, that room, aren’t you? And then when you start singing.

Liv:

02:11-02:11

I suppose

Andy:

02:11-02:12

people just stops and listens.

Liv:

02:12-02:24

I suppose when you’re the one performing, and doing the gig, I suppose, it’s kind of you in control in some ways, which I think helps with the confidence side of things.

Andy:

02:24-02:24

Yeah

Will:

02:24-02:32

Would you say that that first gig was one of the most impactful or if not, is there any that have, you know.

Liv:

02:32-02:33

I’d say the first

Will:

02:33-02:34

Made a lasting impression.

Liv:

02:34-02:55

I’d say the first time I played the Tab Bar was quite impactful because the night I did it was, was actually quite busy as well. There was a lot of people. But they like, erm, everyone seemed to enjoy it, which was nice. And you could see people singing along and like really enjoying themselves.

Will:

02:55-02:59

It must be a great feeling to see that. All the people singing along.

Liv:

02:59-03:06

And even when I was doing my own songs, you could see people were already getting into them as well, which is a nice feeling.

Dan:

00:00-00:05

So you mentioned Primark, tell us more about what Primark is.

Sam:

00:06-00:40

So I work on a Thursday, I work on a Wednesday from quarter past 11 till 5 and I work on a Thursday from 10 till 5. I work on the so I work on the till at Primark. Erm till and card machine and to work on the zone. So on the zone I tend to put the clothes, fold the clothes and put the clothes away. So like the hoodies if there was a hoodie on the floor I’d get the folding table out and fold hoodies and all the t-shirts. It’s good.

Dan:

00:40-00:43

What’s the best part of Primark?

Sam:

00:44-01:12

Maybe the till. Because I love the till. Every time I get a customer, I’ve got a button underneath that says, cashier number one, please, or whichever till you are. They come to me and I scan the items and I say, oh, how, how is your day today? Good morning, good afternoon. Would you like a bag? They say, yes, please. So I start scanning the items, put them in the bag, and I say, that is so much money. It’s either they either do cash, card or gift card.

Dan:

01:13-01:16

So is Primark your first job you’ve ever done?

Sam:

01:17-01:36

Primark was my second job. So I first… yeah, fourth job. So I started working at John Lewis as well. And John Lewis was at the Vangarde. That was like a shopping outlet and a cafe. That was good.

Dan:

01:45-01:48

What, what did you do at John Lewis?

Sam:

01:48-02:31

So at John Lewis I used to work in the PDR, that stands for Partners dining room. That’s where all the staff used to go. So I used to serve the staff all the breakfast, lunch, dinner and tea and I used to work on the shop floor. And serve all the customers. So if all the customers wanted a nice blouse, I used to say, oh, the blouses are over there. Go and help yourself. And I used to show them where the mirror was and the and makeup. And I used to. And if they wanted shoes, I used to say, oh, there’s some shoes. Go and sit down and put, and put your little footsies on and try some shoes on with them. Everybody was really impressed with me. And I did a Makaton course over there. So I literally taught all the staff basic Makaton.

Dan:

02:33-02:35

Why did you leave John Lewis?

Sam:

02:35-02:59 Because John Lewis had shut and I took the redundancy package. At that time I had Matt with me and then from there I moved over to the Parsonage Hotel which was a hotel. Which was a nice hotel. And then I moved out to the Park Inn Hotel.

Scott:

00:00-00:06

Would you have liked to have done any further education or were you happy with the certificate and then move on to do something else?

Sean:

00:06-00:09

I was happy to move on to different things. Yeah.

Scott:

00:09-00:12

Yeah. What different things did you end up going on to do?

Sean:

00:13-00:17

Err so I went to Blantyre Day Centre.

Scott:

00:17-00:18

A day centre, yeah.

Sean:

00:18-00:28

That was nice. But then I went to to People and Gardens. That’s another project. A gardening place.

Scott:

00:28-00:30

Okay. What did you do at the gardening place?

Sean:

00:30-00:32

Oh, it’s sponsored by Eden Project.

Scott:

00:33-00:33

Okay.

Sean:

00:33-00:38

But then I left there because I wanted to change, you see?

Scott:

00:38-00:41

Yeah. What was your job there? What was your role? Did you do

Sean:

00:41-00:42

Gardening.

Scott:

00:42-00:43

Plants? Yeah. Potting the plants?

Sean:

00:43-00:46

And we were planting all different veg and that.

Scott:

00:46-00:46

Okay.

Sean:

00:47-48

And we did all the pumpkins.

Scott:

00:48-00:52

Okay. Do you like, have you ever done a pumpkin yourself for Halloween?

Sean:

00:52-00:55

Oh yeah we do it every Halloween.

Scott:

00:55-00:58

Do you have a heart murmur or a hole in the heart? Is that what?

Sean:

00:58-01:01

No because in 2012 I had a massive heart attack.

Scott:

01:01-01:03

Okay and that didn’t go

Sean:

01:03-04

And I’ve got stents inside me.

Scott:

01:04-01:05

Stents, they’ve put

Sean:

01:05-01:06

two stents

Scott:

01:06-01:08

in your valves yeah?

Sean:

01:08-01:09

Yes.

Scott:

01:10-01:12

Oh how was that scary? Do you remember much about it?

Sean:

01:12-01:13

I was awake when they were doing it.

Scott:

01:14-01:17

Yeah but do you remember having the heart attack then how you felt at that time?

Sean:

01:17-01:18

I was at work when I had it.

Scott:

01:19-01:19

Okay.

Sean:

01:19-01:20

People and Gardens.

Scott:

01:20-01:22

Yeah. And they spotted you.

Sean:

01:23-01:25

Yes. Well, Emma Pala did.

Scott:

01:25-01:29

Okay. So when you went into hospital, obviously.

Sean:

01:29-01:30

She came with me.

Scott:

01:30-01:32

Okay. And they put the stents in.

Sean:

01:32-01:33

Yes.

Scott:

01:33-01:35

And has it been better since?

Sean:

01:35-01:36

It’s been a lot better.

Scott:

01:36-01:39

Yeah. Do you’re on medication for your heart?

Sean:

01:40-01:44

Er I’m on er aspirin for me blood thinners.

Scott:

01:45-01:45

Yeah.

Sean:

01:47-01:51

And a few are another ones I can’t pronounce.

Scott:

01:51-02:00

It’s okay. So obviously, how did that make you feel after, you know, did you know it was a heart attack at the time?

Sean:

02:00-02:01

Well, I didn’t know.

Scott:

02:01-02:01

No. You just felt ill?

Sean:

02:01-02:02

I didn’t know at first.

Scott:

02:02-02:03

How were you

Sean:

02:03-02:11

Because I thought it was, you know, when you get. When you get what, I can’t pronounce it. What?

Scott:

02:11-02:12

It’s okay. Take your time.

Charlotte:

02:13-02:15

Um. Like heart heartburn.

Sean:

02:15-02:16

That’s it. Yes.

Scott:

02:16-02:16

Yeah.

Sean:

02:17-02:18

I thought it was heartburn, but

Charlotte:

02:18-02:20

Was it like, just feeling tight.

Sean:

02:21-02:24

Yeah, but I didn’t realise it was a heart attack, you see.

Scott:

02:24-02:26

Until you went into hospital?

Sean:

02:26-02:26

Yes.

Scott:

02:27-02:28

Do you stay in there for a while?

Sean:

02:29-02:30

Er two weeks.

Scott:

02:30-02:32

Two weeks. Do you remember which hospital it was?

Sean:

02:32-02:33

Er Treliske.

Scott:

02:34-02:34

Sorry?

Sean:

02:34-02:35

Treliske.

Scott:

02:35-02:37

Is that a near?

Ben:

02:37-02:38

That’s in Truro

Scott:

02:38-02:38

In Truro.

Sean:

02:38-02:39

Yes.

Scott:

02:40-02:43

So you stayed in there and you got better?

Sean:

02:43-02:44

I got better.

Scott:

02:44-02:47

Then did you have time off for going back to work and stuff?

Sean:

02:47-02:52

I had time off and then I recovered because I went to a a

Scott:

02:52-02:52

A rehab?

Sean:

02:52-02:59

A rehab yeah, a rehab centre. And then here I am, fighting fit.

Teresa:

00:00-00:12

I learned there. Cuz I used to do like writing classes. Teacher, you know, used to put like dots on a figure and you had to join the dots to do the writing.

Mark:

00:12-00:12

Yeah.

Teresa:

00:13-00:20

I wouldn’t say my writing’s perfect, but it gets me by. And me reading’s getting a little bit better.

Mark:

00:22-00:32

That’s good. And you’ve used those developed skills to do a few jobs for United Response, I believe.

Teresa:

00:30-00:32

Yes, I have. Yes.

Mark:

00:32-00:35

Do you want to tell us a little bit about those?

Teresa:

00:35-01:07

I’ve got one as a quantity checker. That means I go around the northeast or wherever they want me to go and see a client or whatever and make sure they’re being well looked after. Make sure there’s no marks that shouldn’t be on them and making sure they’ve got the facilities for that. However, I’m saying a client got hoists, you know, for the client.

Mark:

01:07-01:07

Yeah.

Teresa:

01:08-01:23

Or if they’re in wheelchairs, making sure they’re being put in comfortably, you know, not huddled in and just making sure that they get the treatment that they need. And to check the house to see if it’s clean enough.

Mark:

01:24 -01:38

Yeah. Okay. So. So using some of your experiences to help other people, which is great. Is there anything else that you do?

Teresa:

01:39-01:44

I do St. Nicholas’ one. I go up and do students interviews

Mark:

01:44-01:44

Oh right.

Teresa:

01:45-02:14

Like with the younger ones. You know, that’s just passed the exam or wherever I talk to them about mental health and stuff like that. And then there’s like a Zoom, what I call a Zoom. It’s what I do with a computer. And I call Abby we would discuss new staff that’s starting with United Response to see if they’re suitable or they’re not suitable.

Alison Hendy:

02:14-02:20

And you do meetings with Abby, don’t you, when you talk to all the new students and ask them questions?

Teresa:

02:20-02:51

Yeah, and then I go through like a programme, like a video. Well, there’s two videos, actually, I go through with the students. One is like a young girl getting a new job for the first time, but it’s her choice, if you know what I mean, what she wants to do, not what anybody else wants her to do, which that’s my case too, and just basically making sure she’s happy at our job.

Mark:

02:53-02:59

So, in fact, you’re putting some bad experiences to really, really positive use.

Teresa:

02:59-03:00

Well, I try. I’m trying.

Mark:

03:00-03:24

Which is a great thing. And I’m sure people find your input very, very helpful from that point of view. Do you find that the attitude of people coming into the care sector now is very different to what it was when you were in secure hospital?

Teresa:

03:24-03:24

Some places no, and some places yes, because they haven’t changed and they still probably go back, way back in time.

Mark:

03:24-03:39

Yeah. In terms of the young people’s attitudes that. That you’re. That you’re dealing with

Teresa:

03:40-03:42

The people I deal with.

Mark:

03:42-03:46

Yeah. Are they more caring now and is it more to do with care?

Teresa:

03:46-03:50

I’m not sure they are, actually. So that’s my job, to make sure they are.

Will:

00:00-00:02

So what do you do for work as well?

Tom:

00:03-00:39

Ooh work. So on every Wednesdays mornings we go to a place called Eco Centre in Wirksworth. A place for skills, gardening and woodwork and it’s an outside work. I’m not a stand. I no stand. No inside work. Good. The lazy and bone idle. Go outside and work.

Will:

00:39-00:42

It was just one day a week then on the Wednesday?

Tom:

00:42-00:44

Yes. Every Wednesdays.

Will:

00:45-00:48

Every Wednesday. Have you ever had other jobs in the past?

Tom:

00:52-01:23

Thank you for this Sallywally. And on every fortnight on Friday mornings, I’m doing my job called Paper Round with Nathan Riley Boy and Thomas Dean McCorbett. All my own. And I’m getting paid to Paper Round dollars and I’m saving all the Paper Round dollars for next Christmas. Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho.