Olly Benson
@ollybenson.uk
NHS Englander. Ex VCSE and BBC.
Mainly interested in volunteering, public participation and engagement, so stuff around people, building communities, health, power, digital, media etc.
Husband | 🚸 Dad x2 | 💔 #ACHD
🌍 Warwickshire, UK
Mainly interested in volunteering, public participation and engagement, so stuff around people, building communities, health, power, digital, media etc.
Husband | 🚸 Dad x2 | 💔 #ACHD
🌍 Warwickshire, UK
You've got to feel for Warwickshire news teams. It's bad enough having a town called Rugby in their patch, but keyword searching the news wires for local stories gets even harder during the Olympics, thanks to the IOC President, Kirsty Coventry.
February 13, 2026 at 6:12 AM
You've got to feel for Warwickshire news teams. It's bad enough having a town called Rugby in their patch, but keyword searching the news wires for local stories gets even harder during the Olympics, thanks to the IOC President, Kirsty Coventry.
This is long overdue ... like most of their trains! Hopefully will make the regular trip to Leeds slightly more enjoyable.
CrossCountry reveals refurbished train as part of £75m project
The upgraded train is the first to be brought into service as part of a £75m investment.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 11, 2026 at 10:48 PM
This is long overdue ... like most of their trains! Hopefully will make the regular trip to Leeds slightly more enjoyable.
I like that online orders arrive in fully recyclable packaging. Although not so much when someone [hard stare at family] puts it into the recycling before I've actually taken the contents out.
February 11, 2026 at 9:18 AM
I like that online orders arrive in fully recyclable packaging. Although not so much when someone [hard stare at family] puts it into the recycling before I've actually taken the contents out.
Reposted by Olly Benson
A group of volunteers have been running @nhshackday.com since 2012. In a crazy world, it is all about coming together with common purpose to solve problems in our health service. Please reshare this post about #30 in Cardiff Mar 21/22. We would love to have you join us. ti.to/nhshackday/3...
February 1, 2026 at 7:34 PM
A group of volunteers have been running @nhshackday.com since 2012. In a crazy world, it is all about coming together with common purpose to solve problems in our health service. Please reshare this post about #30 in Cardiff Mar 21/22. We would love to have you join us. ti.to/nhshackday/3...
Hard agree...
Last week I was honoured to be announced as the winner of the inaugural Unwin Award -- a new literary prize that recognises authors whose work has made a contribution to the world. This is the speech I gave making the case for human creativity newsletter.carolinecriadoperez.com/p/making-the...
February 9, 2026 at 6:25 PM
Hard agree...
Good article on Welsh Ambulance Service and the innovations they are using to reduce demand on #NHS services, including use volunteer first responders.
Wales is fixing its ambulance service — by sending out fewer ambulances
The Welsh ambulance service was in a dangerous crisis. Now drones, volunteers, video calls and AI are helping call handlers in Newport send ambulances only to the 999 callers who really need one
www.thetimes.com
February 9, 2026 at 1:14 PM
Good article on Welsh Ambulance Service and the innovations they are using to reduce demand on #NHS services, including use volunteer first responders.
Reposted by Olly Benson
Dear economists. I would like to know how many appointments are missed due to poor hospital car park design. See also: how many hours of productivity lost to the workforce. NB: I am currently trapped in a car park
February 9, 2026 at 10:20 AM
Dear economists. I would like to know how many appointments are missed due to poor hospital car park design. See also: how many hours of productivity lost to the workforce. NB: I am currently trapped in a car park
Enjoyable afternoon in the company of Stephen Fry at De Montfort Hall in Leicester.
February 8, 2026 at 4:10 PM
Enjoyable afternoon in the company of Stephen Fry at De Montfort Hall in Leicester.
Absolute shambles at Milton Keynes train station this evening. Spent the last two hours watching trains heading north speed past; whilst waiting to go north.
February 7, 2026 at 7:05 PM
Absolute shambles at Milton Keynes train station this evening. Spent the last two hours watching trains heading north speed past; whilst waiting to go north.
Entirely pointless tickets.
February 7, 2026 at 10:03 AM
Entirely pointless tickets.
Just looked it up, and the dates of the next Excel World Championship final in Las Vegas are 46356 to 46358.
Experience: I am the Excel world champion
I have been called the LeBron James of spreadsheets, but I try not to take myself too seriously
www.theguardian.com
February 6, 2026 at 12:10 PM
Just looked it up, and the dates of the next Excel World Championship final in Las Vegas are 46356 to 46358.
After his seminal 2004 album A Grand Don't Come For Free, Mike Skinner is back doing financial advice.
The Streets Are Saying Bitcoin Is Gonna Fall to $30,000
Bitcoin analysts are scrambling to assess just how far Bitcoin might fall, as it appears to be entering a prolonged bear market.
futurism.com
February 6, 2026 at 8:13 AM
After his seminal 2004 album A Grand Don't Come For Free, Mike Skinner is back doing financial advice.
February 5, 2026 at 6:22 PM
Any guesses where I am?
February 5, 2026 at 3:08 PM
Any guesses where I am?
Reposted by Olly Benson
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
February 5, 2026 at 11:50 AM
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
Fascinating conversation with @shaunlintern.bsky.social about health scandals, and whether the NHS really learns from them.
It's #MondayMorning and that means Episode 2 of #SickSocietyPodcast is out! This week, in the wake of #GOSH revelations, @shaunlintern.bsky.social help us understand the anatomy of a #health #scandal. Here's a little teaser from the episode. On all major #podcast platforms. Links in comments
February 3, 2026 at 9:36 PM
Fascinating conversation with @shaunlintern.bsky.social about health scandals, and whether the NHS really learns from them.
Just had an enjoyable hour in the company of @timharford.ft.com and members of the #CautionaryTales podcast team, virtually watching a table read of a forthcoming episode.
Fascinating to see the development process in action.
Looking forward to hearing the final version in a few weeks.
Fascinating to see the development process in action.
Looking forward to hearing the final version in a few weeks.
February 3, 2026 at 6:23 PM
Just had an enjoyable hour in the company of @timharford.ft.com and members of the #CautionaryTales podcast team, virtually watching a table read of a forthcoming episode.
Fascinating to see the development process in action.
Looking forward to hearing the final version in a few weeks.
Fascinating to see the development process in action.
Looking forward to hearing the final version in a few weeks.
Once again, stuff like this should always be based on need, not clinical condition. Excluding parents of children with other conditions that require frequent visits to regional centres creates a two-tier health system.
Families of children with cancer to have travel costs covered
The government sets aside £10 million a year to help families and young people under 24 access cancer treatment.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 3, 2026 at 7:37 AM
Once again, stuff like this should always be based on need, not clinical condition. Excluding parents of children with other conditions that require frequent visits to regional centres creates a two-tier health system.
Pain is also the thing that breaks the idea of the social model of disability. That is probably not unrelated.
The social model offers Govts a practical route to resolve disability: make buildings accessible, mandate subtitles etc.
But pain is not external so can't be fixed in the same way.
The social model offers Govts a practical route to resolve disability: make buildings accessible, mandate subtitles etc.
But pain is not external so can't be fixed in the same way.
Pain is a canonical example of the kind of problem the modern state should be able to address, and cannot. I've written about how - if we could solve for this - we could solve for anything.
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/pain
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/pain
Pain
Solving problems that don’t belong to anyone
howtorunacountry.substack.com
February 2, 2026 at 10:44 PM
Pain is also the thing that breaks the idea of the social model of disability. That is probably not unrelated.
The social model offers Govts a practical route to resolve disability: make buildings accessible, mandate subtitles etc.
But pain is not external so can't be fixed in the same way.
The social model offers Govts a practical route to resolve disability: make buildings accessible, mandate subtitles etc.
But pain is not external so can't be fixed in the same way.
Odd wording in the headline.
Just wait until their child gets older and they are "banned" from certain schools because they are not in the catchment area, or "banned" from eating at a restaurant because there are no tables available.
Just wait until their child gets older and they are "banned" from certain schools because they are not in the catchment area, or "banned" from eating at a restaurant because there are no tables available.
Woman faces 'harrowing' birth after she's banned from closest hospital
An MP is calling for an urgent review into the ruling as charity bosses speak out.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 2, 2026 at 6:12 PM
Odd wording in the headline.
Just wait until their child gets older and they are "banned" from certain schools because they are not in the catchment area, or "banned" from eating at a restaurant because there are no tables available.
Just wait until their child gets older and they are "banned" from certain schools because they are not in the catchment area, or "banned" from eating at a restaurant because there are no tables available.
Returning something that requires me to take the parcel to a "Royal Mail drop-off point". Turns out they mean a postbox.
February 2, 2026 at 9:21 AM
Returning something that requires me to take the parcel to a "Royal Mail drop-off point". Turns out they mean a postbox.
This Sunday @thetimes.com interview with Wetherspoon's Tim Martin has a hilarious typo in it. See if you can spot it.
February 1, 2026 at 11:32 AM
This Sunday @thetimes.com interview with Wetherspoon's Tim Martin has a hilarious typo in it. See if you can spot it.
Ouch...
Why The Mill will be republishing ‘MEN Premium journalism’
How a publicly-funded scheme is being misused
manchestermill.co.uk
January 30, 2026 at 4:06 PM
Ouch...
Today I had to stop listening to a podcast I really wanted to listen to, because the audio quality was so poor. The guest sounded like were on the other side of the room.
I know I started in radio so I get a bit more obsessed about this than most people, but audio quality is important people!
I know I started in radio so I get a bit more obsessed about this than most people, but audio quality is important people!
January 30, 2026 at 9:49 AM
Today I had to stop listening to a podcast I really wanted to listen to, because the audio quality was so poor. The guest sounded like were on the other side of the room.
I know I started in radio so I get a bit more obsessed about this than most people, but audio quality is important people!
I know I started in radio so I get a bit more obsessed about this than most people, but audio quality is important people!
Enjoyed this retelling of the Post Office Scandal by Alice Levine and @matt-forde.bsky.social on the British Scandal podcast.
Treaded the line between their light hearted banter (which works fine for historical stories) and reflecting the seriousness and ongoing trauma of this recent scandal.
Treaded the line between their light hearted banter (which works fine for historical stories) and reflecting the seriousness and ongoing trauma of this recent scandal.
British Scandal - Season 65: The Post Office Scandal
The British Scandal podcast from Wondery tells the stories of the murkier side of the British elite. The great fear one thing more than any other, scandal.
wondery.com
January 28, 2026 at 11:19 PM
Enjoyed this retelling of the Post Office Scandal by Alice Levine and @matt-forde.bsky.social on the British Scandal podcast.
Treaded the line between their light hearted banter (which works fine for historical stories) and reflecting the seriousness and ongoing trauma of this recent scandal.
Treaded the line between their light hearted banter (which works fine for historical stories) and reflecting the seriousness and ongoing trauma of this recent scandal.