Spare a Thought

Tom talks to Dr Julia Patterson, the Chief Executive of EveryDoctor. EveryDoctor is a campaigning organisation fighting for patients, staff and the future of the NHS. 

This episode focuses on Julia’s journey from NHS doctor to campaigner and the personal costs of campaigning, what Wes Streeting’s reforms mean for NHS England, Julia’s book Critical and much more.

You can find out about the work of EveryDoctor by heading to their web...

Tom talks to Kim Mamhende, the Chief of Staff at The CAE, a Swansea-based charity that supports migrant, immigrant, refugee and asylum seeking communities in Wales. 

Together Tom and Kim’s conversation centres on the work of the CAE, how work helps migrants and immigrants integrate into society, why the UK wouldn’t run without migrants and what role entrepreneurialism plays in bringing communities together.

You can find out about t...

Tom talks to Will Hayward, a Wales based freelance journalist, columnist and podcaster. Together they talk about how Will got into journalism, his books about Wales, the Welsh media environment and who is most likely to become next First Minister after the 2026 Senedd Elections. 

You can subscribe to Will’s Substack here: https://willhaywardwales.substack.com/ and listen to his podcast For Wales, See Wales here: https://forwalessee...

In this episode of Spare a Thought, Tom speaks with Luke Young, Head of Policy at Citizens Advice. Luke has previously worked for organisations including NUS Wales, Stonewall, the Senedd, and the Labour Party.

Tom and Luke discuss the people who shaped Luke’s worldview, the work of Citizens Advice, the unique challenges facing Wales, recent UK Government changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and three policy changes Luke ...

This month Spare a Thought celebrated 1,000 downloads. As a way to celebrate, Tom has put together a retrospective of Season 1, to look back at the conversations he had with the first cohort of guests. 

You can find the links to the individual episodes from Season 1 below:

Spare a Thought for the Iris Prize

Spare a Thought for Refugees

Spare a Thought for International Students Part 1

Spare a Thought for International Students Part...

In this episode of Spare a Thought, Tom speaks with Paul Hargreaves, CEO of Cotswold Fayre, a UK-based wholesaler committed to ethical and sustainable business. Paul is also the author of two influential books, Forces for Good, which explores how businesses can help create a better world, and The Fourth Bottom Line, a guide to flourishing in a new era of compassionate leadership.

Together, they discuss how Paul came to found Cotswo...

At the end of January, Cardiff University announced plans to cut academic staff in a bid to plug a £30 million shortfall in its finances. A formal consultation with staff, titled Securing our Academic Future, is underway and will conclude in May.

Universities across the UK are facing financial pressures thanks to student visa restrictions causing a dip in international student numbers, growing competition to attract top UK students...

Content warning: This episode features personal experiences of living with long Covid. While some listeners may find aspects of this discussion difficult and triggering, we believe these stories are important to share. Listener discretion is advised.

In this episode, Tom is joined by breathing coaches Vikki Jones and Jackie Baxter to explore what it means to live with Long Covid, how breathwork can support recovery, and the broader...

Content warning: This episode features personal experiences of living with long Covid. While some listeners may find aspects of this discussion difficult and triggering, we believe these stories are important to share. Listener discretion is advised.

Five years after the pandemic started, we live parallel lives. There are those who have returned to the ‘old normal’, they have retained their routines, their social lives, the jobs th...

Recent surveys seem to indicate that many in society, particularly young men, believe equality has gone too far, that women’s rights are infringing on their ability to succeed.

In this conversation, recorded in February 2024, Tom speaks to Dr Iain McKenzie about feminism, the role men can play in the feminist debate and, why reading feminism is like wearing a new pair of glasses that helps us understand the inequalities that exist...

To celebrate international women’s day, Tom speaks to Professor Laura McAllister CBE and Lowri Roberts about Welsh Women’s football. 

Together Tom, Laura and Lowri discuss the development of the women’s game in Wales, Cymru’s journey to the 2025 Women’s Euros and the opportunities that will open up.

Professor Laura McAllister is Vice President at UEFA, she is a former Wales Women’s football international and captain, and a professo...

Gwern Gwynfil is the acting Director of New Wales, a new Welsh cross-party think tank, and is the former CEO of Yes Cymru, Wales’ independence campaign group. 

In this episode Tom speaks to Gwern about the Welsh language, surprising facts about Wales, the successes and shortcomings of devolution, and the future of Wales.

You can find out more about New Wales by heading to their website: https://new.wales/ 

Join the New Wales team a...

Briony Goffin is a writer, tutor, and mentor. She teaches creative writing at Cardiff University and is a specialist in facilitating creative writing experiences in community and healthcare settings.

In this episode, I spoke to Briony about where ideas come from, being creative, getting back into writing and facilitating workshops.

You can find out more about Briony and the sessions she runs by visiting the Cardiff Writer’s Studio ...

Stephen Wheatley is a volunteer crew member for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in London. In this episode Stephen speaks to host Tom Spare about the RNLI’s mission, its history and his experience of volunteering for the 200 year old charity. 

So, sit back and spare a thought for the RNLI. 

Stephen’s Just Giving Page raising money for the Royal National Lifeboat 200th anniversary: https://www.justgiving.com/page/step...

Content warning: This episode includes reference to genocide, sexual assault, coercion, torture and other topics listeners might find distressing. Listener discretion is advised.

Dima Hamdan is a Palestinian filmmaker and former journalist. In this episode Dima Hamdan talks about why she became a filmmaker, her experience of being a member of the Palestinian diaspora and why she made the Iris Prize winning film Blood Like Water. 

H...

This fifth episode of Spare a Thought completes a miniseries focused on international students studying in UK universities. 

In this episode Tom interviews Tanya Thomas, a partner at Spencer West solicitors, who specialises in Higher Education disputes and dispute resolution. During their conversation Tom and Tanya discuss the issues that students raise when their experience at university goes awry, the challenging situations inter...

This fourth episode of Spare a Thought continues a mini series focused on international students studying in the UK.

In this episode, Tom interviews four former international students and one current, all from Cardiff University - Sidd, Lily, Sumani, Zuzanna and Nathan. He finds out why they chose to study in the UK, the barriers to living here and how their experiences differ from living in their home countries. 

Later in the epis...

This third episode of Spare a Thought starts a mini series focused on international students studying in the UK. In episode three, Tom chats with Julie Campbell, International Student Advisory Manager at Ulster University about international students and the Higher Education sector. 

International students provide a net contribution to the UK economy of £37.4 billion, but their contribution goes way beyond numbers and figures. Ther...

In the second episode of Spare a Thought, Tom chats with Dr Samantha James, an NHS doctor who volunteered for the German charity Sea Watch collecting refugees in distress in the Mediterranean in 2022. 

Together, Sam and Tom discuss why Sam became a doctor, how she found out about Sea Watch and explore her experience in the Mediterranean. 

To donate to Sea Watch: https://sea-watch.org/en/ 

To follow Sea Watch on Instagram: https://w...