Olly Benson
@ollybenson.uk
NHS Englander. Ex VCSE and BBC.
Mainly interested in public participation and engagement, so stuff around people, volunteering, building communities, health, power, digital, media etc.
Husband | 🚸 Dad x2 | 💔 #ACHD
🌍 Warwickshire, UK
Mainly interested in public participation and engagement, so stuff around people, volunteering, building communities, health, power, digital, media etc.
Husband | 🚸 Dad x2 | 💔 #ACHD
🌍 Warwickshire, UK
Reposted by Olly Benson
Volunteering in A&E 'there's nothing like it' #LocalToOssett #westyorkshire
Volunteering in A&E 'there's nothing like it'
Volunteers at St James's Hospital say a warm smile and a cup of tea go a long way.
www.bbc.com
December 29, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Volunteering in A&E 'there's nothing like it' #LocalToOssett #westyorkshire
Volunteering has declined and needs a revival, argues @jemima.bsky.social, but doesn't really suggest how that should happen.
‘Wellness’ culture is empty without service to others
Volunteering has declined along with religion — it needs a revival
giftarticle.ft.com
December 29, 2025 at 8:35 AM
Volunteering has declined and needs a revival, argues @jemima.bsky.social, but doesn't really suggest how that should happen.
Classic Betteridge's Law example.
Will Britain lose something when hereditary peers exit the Lords?
I’ve spoken to hundreds of peers as the final ‘hereds’ await their fate. Their answers provided food for thought over Labour’s promise to abolish them
www.thetimes.com
December 29, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Classic Betteridge's Law example.
♥️
Soul Music - Soul Music at 25 - BBC Sounds
A special programme marking 25 years of the award-winning series.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 28, 2025 at 11:07 PM
♥️
Made a few calls and looks what's happened! The power! 💪🏼
December 28, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Made a few calls and looks what's happened! The power! 💪🏼
Who doesn't like A-ha's Take On Me?
Like most people I know a bit of the backstory, including the fact it flopped twice in the UK before the American label put some effort behind the promotion.
This is a great listen talking through all the previous demos/versions and then taking the track apart.
Like most people I know a bit of the backstory, including the fact it flopped twice in the UK before the American label put some effort behind the promotion.
This is a great listen talking through all the previous demos/versions and then taking the track apart.
Episode 301: A-ha
"Take On Me"LISTEN: APPLE · SPOTIFY · AMAZON · OTHER APPS"Take On Me" by A-ha is an iconic hit of the 1980s. It came out in October 1985 with an equally iconic music video that he
songexploder.net
December 27, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Who doesn't like A-ha's Take On Me?
Like most people I know a bit of the backstory, including the fact it flopped twice in the UK before the American label put some effort behind the promotion.
This is a great listen talking through all the previous demos/versions and then taking the track apart.
Like most people I know a bit of the backstory, including the fact it flopped twice in the UK before the American label put some effort behind the promotion.
This is a great listen talking through all the previous demos/versions and then taking the track apart.
I've got to that age where you read a court story and the judge is one of your friends...
December 27, 2025 at 9:29 PM
I've got to that age where you read a court story and the judge is one of your friends...
Weird that the BBC is still promoting this story on the homepage despite the fact the company that provided the data, MRI, have revised the figures to show a 4% uplift on last year.
Boxing Day sales fall flat once again
Although shoppers are still bargain-hunting, fewer people headed to the high streets and shopping centres compared with last year.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 27, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Weird that the BBC is still promoting this story on the homepage despite the fact the company that provided the data, MRI, have revised the figures to show a 4% uplift on last year.
This is lovely from @paulscheer.com. Take 20 mins out your day to watch it.
I Talked To 50 Dads At The Eras Tour
YouTube video by DARK WEB | Paul Scheer & Rob Huebel
youtu.be
December 26, 2025 at 9:30 PM
This is lovely from @paulscheer.com. Take 20 mins out your day to watch it.
Surely this is none other than blatant trolling of @apiln.bsky.social by @thetimes.com?
Readers look back on 2025 in verse
It’s the best carol service of all: Times readers fit the news to festive favourites. Goodwill to all men and women, apart from…
www.thetimes.com
December 26, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Surely this is none other than blatant trolling of @apiln.bsky.social by @thetimes.com?
This appears to be an annual thing. Not happy.
In my bit of Warwickshire it appears they do the traditional... checks notes... letting off fireworks for Christmas Eve?!?
Have they not thought of the poor reindeers who will be scared witless?
Have they not thought of the poor reindeers who will be scared witless?
December 24, 2025 at 11:04 PM
This appears to be an annual thing. Not happy.
Happy big chocolate day!
December 24, 2025 at 7:23 AM
Happy big chocolate day!
Well done to local lad Chris Wakelin for winning the Scottish Open.
Not entirely clear what the relevance of your daughter's dental health in the story is though.
Not entirely clear what the relevance of your daughter's dental health in the story is though.
Scottish Open: Chris Wakelin defeats Chang Bingyu in final to win title
England's Chris Wakelin wins eight frames in a row on his way to securing the Scottish Open title with a 9-2 victory over Chang Bingyu in Edinburgh on Sunday.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 22, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Well done to local lad Chris Wakelin for winning the Scottish Open.
Not entirely clear what the relevance of your daughter's dental health in the story is though.
Not entirely clear what the relevance of your daughter's dental health in the story is though.
This is like Canoe man all over again. The police dog just wanted a new job...
@apiln.bsky.social
@apiln.bsky.social
December 20, 2025 at 12:45 PM
This is like Canoe man all over again. The police dog just wanted a new job...
@apiln.bsky.social
@apiln.bsky.social
Such a weird decision. I know they need the money, but when your event is rapidly descending into obscurity and irrelevance, taking it from wall-to-wall coverage on the BBC and sticking it on a random pay-channel is a strange move.
BBC replaced by TNT Sports as Commonwealth Games live broadcaster
The subscription channel takes over from the BBC which had been the principal partner since 1954 and provided free-to-air coverage.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 19, 2025 at 10:41 PM
Such a weird decision. I know they need the money, but when your event is rapidly descending into obscurity and irrelevance, taking it from wall-to-wall coverage on the BBC and sticking it on a random pay-channel is a strange move.
The Christmas issue Radio Times this year is £6.50. Which is only 20p less than the cost of the TV licence fee for the fortnight it covers.
December 19, 2025 at 9:02 PM
The Christmas issue Radio Times this year is £6.50. Which is only 20p less than the cost of the TV licence fee for the fortnight it covers.
Enjoyed this more than I expected, not being a fan of East17. Turns out Tony Mortimer is one of the more interesting pop stars.
Ps. The band he references but can't remember the name of is Extreme, I think.
Ps. The band he references but can't remember the name of is Extreme, I think.
Find out what persuaded manger Tom Watson to take on East17 and other tales behind their perennial Christmas banger @msmirandasawyer.bsky.social catches up with Tony Mortimer for @talk90stome.bsky.social
open.spotify.com/episode/3QU0...
open.spotify.com/episode/3QU0...
Stay Another Day – The story of East 17's accidental Christmas classic with Tony Mortimer
Spotify video
open.spotify.com
December 16, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Enjoyed this more than I expected, not being a fan of East17. Turns out Tony Mortimer is one of the more interesting pop stars.
Ps. The band he references but can't remember the name of is Extreme, I think.
Ps. The band he references but can't remember the name of is Extreme, I think.
Happy National #CatHerdersDay for those who celebrate.
CAT HERDERS DAY - December 15
CAT HERDERS DAY Cat Herders Day, on December 15th, recognizes those whose life or job is like herding cats. #CatHerdersDay They seem cute, adorable, and
www.nationaldaycalendar.com
December 15, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Happy National #CatHerdersDay for those who celebrate.
Dear the football team my daughter played against this morning. Your three pages of instructions for where to park were helpful. But it would have been more helpful to tell us there were no refreshments available and we should arrive with our own coffee on this beautiful but freezing cold morning.
December 14, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Dear the football team my daughter played against this morning. Your three pages of instructions for where to park were helpful. But it would have been more helpful to tell us there were no refreshments available and we should arrive with our own coffee on this beautiful but freezing cold morning.
Nothing makes you feel more like a crim than having a full scan of your weekly shopping at Sainsbury's. Especially when they accompany you from one end of the store to the other to do it.
Happy to report I got 100% accuracy. I want a certificate or something.
Happy to report I got 100% accuracy. I want a certificate or something.
December 13, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Nothing makes you feel more like a crim than having a full scan of your weekly shopping at Sainsbury's. Especially when they accompany you from one end of the store to the other to do it.
Happy to report I got 100% accuracy. I want a certificate or something.
Happy to report I got 100% accuracy. I want a certificate or something.
In the NHS there is a saying that civility saves lives. By stopping and asking a stranger if he was OK, Nathan Newby prevented a horrific terrorist attack at an NHS hospital.
This is an incredible read. And proof that not all heroes wear capes.
This is an incredible read. And proof that not all heroes wear capes.
Two men meet in the carpark of a Leeds hospital. They sit on a bench and start chatting. One of them has a bomb in their backpack and the other must talk them out of using it. A mindblowing and entirely true story that reads like a thriller. as.ft.com/r/13756c02-0...
‘It’s just a bomb’
[FREE TO READ] The true story of two strangers and an extraordinary act of courage
as.ft.com
December 13, 2025 at 10:31 AM
In the NHS there is a saying that civility saves lives. By stopping and asking a stranger if he was OK, Nathan Newby prevented a horrific terrorist attack at an NHS hospital.
This is an incredible read. And proof that not all heroes wear capes.
This is an incredible read. And proof that not all heroes wear capes.
Train Gods certainly did not look down on me favourably this evening.
I really want to do the right thing and take the train, but they don't make it an easy choice.
I really want to do the right thing and take the train, but they don't make it an easy choice.
December 11, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Train Gods certainly did not look down on me favourably this evening.
I really want to do the right thing and take the train, but they don't make it an easy choice.
I really want to do the right thing and take the train, but they don't make it an easy choice.
Somewhat shocked to discover the new hotel I am staying in hasn't hidden the stairs but has a nice large sign pointing to them. I'm on the first floor; absolutely no reason for me to use the lift sans luggage.
December 10, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Somewhat shocked to discover the new hotel I am staying in hasn't hidden the stairs but has a nice large sign pointing to them. I'm on the first floor; absolutely no reason for me to use the lift sans luggage.
I need to stop writing Cool in response to messages at work. I think I am using it ironically but not sure that my colleagues realise this.
a man in a music band shirt is holding a skateboard and talking to fellow kids .
Alt: a man in a music band shirt is holding a skateboard and talking to fellow kids .
media.tenor.com
December 10, 2025 at 8:17 AM
I need to stop writing Cool in response to messages at work. I think I am using it ironically but not sure that my colleagues realise this.
Up early doors for my final trip of the year to Leeds. Hoping the storm and train Gods look down on me kindly.
December 10, 2025 at 5:15 AM
Up early doors for my final trip of the year to Leeds. Hoping the storm and train Gods look down on me kindly.