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 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…

Explore how communications managers can counter polarisation by rebuilding civic media from the ground up. This article sets out a participatory storytelling approach, showing why first-hand, place-based accounts outperform top-down messaging. Learn the Community Reporters model, design principles (proximity, continuity, capability), and practical steps for anchoring channels in local institutions. It explains how archetypal motives sustain change, and why treating communication as civic infrastructure strengthens trust, service innovation, and social-democratic legitimacy.

Labour’s cultural agenda is being shaped by a technocratic focus on the “creative industries,” prioritising scale, growth and industrial frameworks. This risks sidelining community arts and civic media that build cultural democracy at the local level. Drawing on experience at the 2025 Labour Conference in Liverpool, this critique argues that the missing middle of cultural practice—grassroots arts, local media, and participatory initiatives—must be supported.

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.

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 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.

The Spotlight on Leicester programme at the Communities Together Festival 2025 highlighted the role of community radio in fostering civic dialogue, creativity, and shared identity. The discussion raised wider questions about how grassroots media can address the UK’s pressing challenges: declining social cohesion, economic stagnation, antagonistic mainstream outlets, and the reduction of BBC local services. Can community media be sustained as essential civic infrastructure for democratic life and cultural exchange?

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.

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.

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.

BBC Radio Leicester’s claim to be “the only station made in Leicester for Leicester” has been challenged, with the BBC now admitting the promotion overstated its case. In a Freedom of Information response, the BBC acknowledged the vital role of community radio, regretting the campaign overlooked their contribution. This episode highlights the importance of collaboration and respect across the city’s media landscape.

Do Ofcom’s proposals on local radio news fall short of what is needed to restore trust, accountability, and civic value? In its response Better Media stresses that local means local: news must be gathered and produced within the communities it serves. The call is for more creative and innovative thinking, centred on decentralisation, subsidiarity, and open data. By building a…

This blog explores how UK public service communications can align with the Public Sector Equality Duty. It asks key questions for Equality Impact Assessments and highlights how community media provides bottom-up, place-based engagement that strengthens belonging, representation, and inclusive dialogue. Public service communications in the UK are under pressure to be more accountable, transparent, and responsive. One area that cannot be overlooked is the duty to consider equality in every aspect of policy making.

Grounded sociological research into media use in the UK is limited and under-attended. While community radio repeats outdated formats, social media creators like Billy Moore’s All or Nothing show how people adapt media for social cohesion, creativity, and everyday needs—beyond Ofcom and BBC control. Our media is ubiquitous. It is everywhere. From streaming services and podcasts to community radio, WhatsApp groups, and TikTok feeds, our daily lives are saturated with platforms and channels.