This episode of Spotlight on Heritage features John Coster and Rob Watson reflecting on the Leicester Saturday Heritage Fair and the wider role of storytelling, participation, and local media in community life. Recorded in the basement gallery of Leicester Adult Education Centre, the discussion explores how informal heritage events foster connection, trust, and collaboration across diverse groups. The conversation also considers the future of community reporting, the need for authentic and independent media, and the importance of sustainable local funding models that strengthen civic and cultural life in Leicester. In this week’s…

The Saturday Heritage Fair at Leicester Adult Education Centre celebrates creativity, community, and living history. Produced by Soar Sound Radio, this podcast features songwriter Meg McNeill on Leicester music pioneer Lawrence Wright, Bert McNeal from the Leicester Civic Society on civic heritage, re-enactor Rose on medieval storytelling, volunteers from Satsang Radio on cultural connection, and poet Tim Grayson on creative heritage at Belvoir Castle. Together, they show how Leicester’s people are keeping history alive through music, architecture, performance, radio, and poetry, linking the city’s past with its future. The latest recordings from the Saturday Heritage Fair at Leicester Adult Education Centre capture how creativity and memory intertwine in the city’s living heritage.

The Saturday Heritage Fair at Leicester Adult Education College celebrates Leicester’s diverse history through storytelling, oral history, and community collaboration. Produced by Soar Sound Radio, this podcast features interviews with local historian Ned Newitt, the Media Archive for Central England (MACE), Leicester Civic Society, St. Philip’s Centre, the Silk Road Project, and Gro Social Capital. Together, they explore how art, archives, and civic action connect past and present, highlighting Leicester’s heritage as a living, shared experience. Listen to the podcast to hear the voices shaping the city’s story today. The Saturday Heritage Fair at Leicester Adult Education College once again proved how rich and varied Leicester’s cultural story is.

The Saturday Heritage Fair at Leicester Adult Education Centre (11 October 2025) showcased local history, storytelling, and community heritage. Produced by Soar Sound Radio, the event featured interviews with the East Midlands Oral History Archive, Vikings of Middle England, The Elizabeth Heyrick Society, the Literary and Philosophical Society, and Satsang Radio. Organiser John Coster highlighted how heritage connects people through creativity, conversation, and shared memory. The accompanying podcast captures Leicester’s diverse voices, exploring how oral history, re-enactment, and local media bring the city’s past to life and inspire future generations.

In this episode of Spotlight on Heritage, John Coster and Rob Watson meet artist and creative educator Tina Barton to talk about the value of scrapbooking as a way of preserving personal and family memories. Recorded in the Basement Gallery at the Leicester Adult Education Centre, the discussion looks ahead to the Saturday Heritage Fair, where Tina will be running a hands-on scrapbooking drop-in session alongside other creative workshops and displays. Tina describes scrapbooking as more than just a craft activity. It’s a way for people to explore their own stories, reconnect with the past, and record moments that might otherwise be lost.

Radio Lear, Leicester Emergent Arts Radio, is a metamodern sound platform broadcasting on the Leicester and Loughborough multiplexes. Combining AI-generated audio with artist-created soundscapes, it offers an experimental, PRS/PPL-free space for creative exploration. Supported via Decentered Media’s Patreon, it invites artists to collaborate, contribute, and expand the possibilities of artistic radio. The launch of Radio Lear marks a milestone in developing…

The Challenges and Opportunities for UK Local Media report offers a vital assessment of declining local journalism and fragmented media policy. Its call for coordination and innovation aligns with Decentered Media’s advocacy for social value communication. However, it underplays issues like social cohesion, corporate extraction, and Foundational Economy innovation. The next step is developing transformational, hybrid models of civic communication—linking information, deliberation, and learning—to build sustainable, community-rooted media ecosystems.

This episode of Spotlight on Business on Soar Sound features James Burkmar, Workspace Development Manager at LCB Depot in Leicester. He reflects on his career journey, explains the growth of the creative economy, and shares how LCB Depot has become a hub for networks, events and collaboration. The discussion highlights the role of initiatives like Last Friday and the new Canopy development at Pilot House in supporting creative enterprises and strengthening Leicester’s identity as a centre for innovation and community. The first edition of our new Spotlight on Business series on Soar Sound features a conversation with…

This episode of Spotlight on Heritage marks National Sporting Heritage Day with John Coster and Rob Watson discussing the importance of preserving grassroots sport. They reflect on the legacy of major events like the Olympics and Paralympics, the challenges of sustaining community clubs, and the role of volunteers in keeping local sport alive. The conversation highlights how photographs, programmes and memories from cycling clubs, football teams and minority sports all contribute to a shared civic heritage that deserves recognition and support. In this week’s Spotlight on Heritage, John Coster and Rob Watson mark…

This episode of Spotlight on Leicester features Dave Bushby from Age UK’s Carers Support Service. The discussion explores the realities of unpaid carers in Leicester, the support available through groups, trips, and activities, and the importance of carers’ health and well-being. Dave highlights the role of community connections, GP referrals, and social prescribing, as well as the challenges of funding and recognition. The conversation shows why carers’ contributions matter and how services help them feel supported and valued. In this episode of Spotlight on Leicester, John Coster and Rob Watson are joined by Dave Bushby, Team Manager of the Carers Support Service at Age…

The latest Spotlight on Arts podcast explores the work of the Bell Foundry Community Committee in Loughborough. Rob Watson speaks with Trevor Potter and Miffy Ryan about grassroots responses to deprivation, poverty, and social isolation. They describe how local residents are developing self-sustaining projects such as gardening, upcycling, and community-led creativity to strengthen resilience and independence. The discussion highlights questions of class, empowerment, and the value of grassroots action in shaping stronger neighbourhoods built on trust, talent, and shared responsibility. This edition of Spotlight on Arts comes from Loughborough town centre, where Rob Watson spoke with Trevor Potter and Miffy Ryan about the Bell Foundry Community Committee.

In this edition of Spotlight on Arts we talk with Nicholas Daniel OBE, one of Britain’s most celebrated oboists and the long-standing Creative Director of the Leicester International Music Festival. Nicholas shares his story of how he first came to prominence as BBC Young Musician of the Year at just 18, and how his passion for performance, teaching, and commissioning new works has shaped a career that now influences audiences worldwide. The conversation explores the themes and programme of the 2025 Leicester International Music Festival, which takes place from…

The latest Spotlight on Heritage podcast features Rob Watson in conversation with John Coster about the upcoming Saturday Heritage Fair in Leicester. They discuss the importance of independent heritage, where family stories and personal artefacts are valued alongside official narratives. The fair offers a space for intergenerational learning, storytelling, and authentic community connection. With live broadcasts from Soar Sound and contributions from Radio Lear, the event highlights how lived experience shapes understanding of the past, present, and future. This edition of Spotlight on Heritage turns the tables, with Rob Watson interviewing John Coster about the upcoming Saturday Heritage Fair.

At the Leicester Communities Together Festival on 13 September 2025, Jubilee Square hosted advice stalls, performances and family activities. Reporting for Soar Sound, Helen Pettman, editor of the Evington Echo, interviewed local organisations including Citizen's Advice, Age UK, Leicester Libraries and Turning Point. Her conversations highlighted support for housing, mental health, carers, fostering and community creativity. Well attended and energetic, the festival showed how Leicester’s communities share knowledge and build connections, with organisers praised for delivering an event that was both informative and enjoyable. The Leicester Communities Together Festival, held on 13 September 2025 in Jubilee Square, proved to be a lively and meaningful occasion, bringing local people and organisations into the heart of the city.

The Leicester Communities Together Festival on 13 September 2025 brought Jubilee Square alive with advice stalls, performances and community spirit. Hosted by John Coster for the Spotlight on Leicester podcast, the event featured engaging conversations with local leaders, artists and volunteers. Topics ranged from diversity and resilience to mental health and creativity, showing how Leicester’s communities work together. Well attended and lively, the festival proved both informative and entertaining, highlighting collaboration as a strength of the city. The Leicester Communities Together Festival, held on 13 September 2025 in Jubilee Square, brought hundreds of people together for a day of shared learning, celebration and connection.

Spotlight on Leicester explores the Communities Together Festival in Jubilee Square, where services, charities and community groups meet residents. In the podcast, Kate Galoppi outlines council support, Mo Peberdy shares lived experience of volunteering, and Krupa Bhatt highlights inclusion. Together they show why face-to-face contact matters and how the festival builds stronger connections. This event is part of Leicester’s wider commitment to accessible support, participation and wellbeing across the city. In this edition of Spotlight on Leicester, we focus on the upcoming Leicester Communities Together Festival, which brings people, services and community groups into Jubilee Square for a day of connection and celebration.

This Spotlight on Arts episode features live artist and curator Miffy Ryan in conversation with John Coster and Rob Watson. Miffy reflects on her journey from early creative interventions at school to her current practice of live art, curation, and community collaboration. She discusses using art as a language to process emotions, challenge institutional expectations, and create open, improvisational spaces where people can explore creativity on their own terms. Highlights include her “Lady of the Sea” performance at Leicester’s Highcross shopping centre, her focus on trust and vulnerability in collaboration, and her role in the upcoming Docspace exhibition.

Soar Sound is inviting volunteers to take part in two major Leicester events this autumn. On 13 September 2025, the Information and Advice Festival at Jubilee Square will showcase services for health, activity, and community support, with Soar Sound broadcasting live stories and interviews. On 11 October 2025, the Saturday Heritage Fair at Leicester Adult Education will bring together over 25 local heritage projects, workshops, and talks, where Soar Sound volunteers will interview exhibitors and visitors, create live content, and share updates online. Volunteers can gain hands-on experience in audio recording, editing, photography, and social media, while connecting with people in the community media and heritage sectors.

What does community media offer that mainstream broadcasters cannot? How are local radio stations like Utsav Radio and Satsang Radio preserving language, music, and cultural identity in Leicester? Why is the Evington Echo still vital for community storytelling after four decades? What inspires new volunteers to join local journalism, and how can younger generations shape its future? How do events like the Soar Sound Roadshow strengthen connections across diverse communities?

How can collaborative community media strengthen local connections and cultural life? What benefits do volunteers gain by sharing their skills with grassroots media projects? Why do initiatives like the Evington Echo, UTSAV, Satsang, and Soar Sound Radio need wider support to remain sustainable? What role can professional expertise play in helping these organisations develop robust governance, training, and creative capacity? How does active participation in local media enhance personal growth, build networks, and contribute to inclusive civic engagement?