Insight on Premier Radio

‘Insight’ programme notes for December 2011, and January and February 2012

‘Insight’ is a weekly radio programme with a focus on disability and faith produced by Torch Trust, presented by Marilyn Baker, and broadcast on Sundays from 4pm on Premier Christian Radio, available on DAB.

Go to Audio Downloads to listen to recent programmes

December 4 Heart for Truth

This is a second interview with Carolyn Bramhall, focusing on her ministry today to hurting people. Since Carolyn has been delivered from the effects of childhood abuse, she now devotes her life to helping others with deep wounds from their past lives. Carolyn believes that no one is so messed up that God cannot free them completely, heal and remake them. And she also believes that ordinary people of faith without a great deal of counselling training can be used to support damaged people as they take that journey of healing. Carolyn has diplomas in counselling, theology and Christian work, and has worked in the area of mental health, both Christian and secular, for thirty years. She has been married for thirty years to John and both are leaders in the local Anglican Church.

December 11 Jane Emerton

How would you react if, without warning, you lost your sight virtually overnight? Would your life fall apart? How would you cope with losing your career? What about the realisation that you wouldn’t see your children’s faces again? Would you get depressed? Angry? Twenty years ago Jane Emerton was a young mum with small children. But, in just six weeks, she lost her sight. How did she cope? Jane travelled from her home in Northampton to Torch House to share her story with Marilyn Baker.

December 18 The promise of Christmas

This programme is about celebrating the giver rather than the gifts, with the thought that the greatest giver of all is God himself. Thoughts on this theme are presented in words and music. Included is a poem about the incarnation called The Final Word and other writings by Christian songer/songwriter Michael Card, taken from his book Immanuel, Reflections on the Life of Christ, published by Word Books. If you’re blind or partially sighted it’s available on cassette to loan free from the Torch Library. The music in the programme includes Marilyn Baker’s own recording of Hark, the Herald Angels Sing; and Michael Card’s Thou the promise.

Please note: There will be no Insight on either Christmas Day or New Year's Day because of special festive programming by Premier.

January 8 Marilyn Marooned!

In this first programme of 2012, the tables are turned on regular presenter Marilyn Baker. Instead of asking the questions, Marilyn is on the receiving end as producer Lin Ball invites her to choose four pieces of music to take with her to a desert island. This isn’t an easy task, since Marilyn’s career as a Christian singer/songwriter spans 40 years. Marilyn recalls her childhood attraction to music, especially to playing the oboe. She went on to study music at the Royal College of Music, where she had a significant change of direction – deciding that she wanted to use her own music to communicate the love of God.

January 15 Beautiful

This programme focuses on people with learning disabilities and the work of Prospects. There are more than 1.5 million people with learning disabilities in the UK and many are unreached by the gospel. Prospects is a Christian organisation which exists to help churches reach out to them in their communities and support people with learning disabilities in becoming effective members of their church community.

In the programme we hear excerpts from a new CD rom resource from Prospects called ‘Beautiful’. Tony Phelps-Jones, on the leadership team at Prospects, referring to 1 Corinthians 12, argues that the Church is impoverished if it doesn’t include people with learning difficulties and their gifts. We also hear from the Bishop of Reading, the Rt Rev Stephen Cottrell, who is a supporter of Prospects; the Rev Paul Yately, who describes the positive results of having a Prospects group at his church; Leslie Biffin who is involved with a Prospects group in Bridgwater; and Cath Pilling, a parent, who explains how supportive churches can be to the family which includes a child or young adult with learning difficulties.

January 22 Darren Paskell

Darren Paskell, born blind, is only in his mid 20s but has already had a varied life experience including a degree in computer science and spending part of his gap year in China. Darren describes how he came to a faith commitment at university which led to him going on mission trips with River Church – a group of four churches based in the Thames Valley area. We also hear about his unusual hobby – blind target shooting!

January 29 Lisa Kennet

Lisa Kennet is one of a team of four visually impaired people who work on the community radio station in Swindon, putting together a weekly magazine programme called ‘Sideways Look’. Lisa describes how she came to be involved in radio work and how she makes it work in practical terms. She also describes some of her hobbies, including rock climbing and gymnastics, and talks about her faith in God which is vital to her positive outlook on life.

February 5 Art Magazine

In today’s programme, presented by Shelly Stevenson, we meet an artist with virtually no sight and a sighted rug-maker who wants her art to be touched and enjoyed by people with sight loss.

Matthew Rhodes painted a portrait of Gus Poyet, Brighton and Hove Albion’s Manager and a former Chelsea football player. What was remarkable about this was that Matt didn’t learn how to paint until after he lost most of his sight in a car accident. Matt was in the services and came out of Bosnia without a scratch. But then he was in a horrific car accident in Germany. He survived the crash, but with brain damage. At St Dunstan’s, which provides care for blind and partially sighted ex-servicemen and women, Matt started to paint. Shelly talked with Matt about his experiences.

Shelly also talked to tactile artist Emily Twomlow who creates amazing carpets that need to be touched to experience their beauty.

February 12 Christine Medway

Today we meet Christine Medway. Christine was diagnosed quite young with a common eye condition with a confusing name: retinitis pigmentosa. As Christine says, people with RP often look pretty normal, but often have a very debilitating level of sight loss. Christine has no peripheral vision and uses a white cane. But that hasn’t prevented her from becoming an ordained priest in the Church of England. Torch CEO Gordon Temple talks to her about RP and her personal story.

February 19 E-readers

There are so many e-readers out there now, with so many features – but which one is best for those who are partially sighted or blind? Shelly Stevenson talks to technology reporter, Matt Kavanaugh to find out. They discuss the merits and shortcomings of the Kobo Touch, the Kindle Keyboard, the Sony PRS 300 and the Sony T1 readers. There are several cheaper models available than the ones Matt and Shelly talked about, but for Insight they concentrated on models with most accessibility for blind and partially sighted people.

February 26 Holiday at Home

Outlook Trust is a Christian organisation which focuses on reaching older people with the Good News about Jesus Christ. One of the initiatives run by Outlook Trust is Holiday at Home. Churches which sign up to this get ideas and support for running a summer programme which brings in elderly and disabled people locally. These are usually people who find it difficult to go on holiday independently.

Marilyn talks to Brian Kennard, minister of the Methodist Church in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, to hear about their experience of running Holiday at Home. And she meets 90-year-old Irene Arnold who tells about the difference Holiday at Home has made to her – including a return to church attendance.