For the final episode of the year, A Voice Like This presents a complete reading of

A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas.

A seasonal favourite, Thomas’s lyrical memoir captures the sights, sounds, and small moments of a Welsh childhood at Christmas; snow-filled streets, family rituals, and voices that linger long after the season has passed.

This episode is offered simply and in full, without interruption.

A Voice Like This will return in mid-January with new episodes and new poetry.

Until then, Merry Christmas, and take care.

A Visit from St. Nicholas

As Christmas approaches, this special bonus episode invites a quiet moment of calm amid the winter bustle. Phil offers a gentle reflection on the season before reading 'A Visit from St. Nicholas', the beloved poem more commonly known as ’Twas the Night Before Christmas.

A festive pause, a breath of stillness, and a timeless story that continues to shape the magic of Christmas for generations.

Poem featured: A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore

Thank you for listening.

Wishing you a peaceful, gentle, and truly joyful Christmas.

What does it mean for love to last?

Not the rush of feeling, or the drama of declaration, but the quieter, steadier work of trust. The kind that’s built carefully, tested over time, and strong enough to stand without constant reassurance.

In this episode, we explore love as something enduring and unshaken, through two poems that speak across centuries.

Seamus Heaney’s Scaffolding offers a grounded, human image of commitment; practical, patient, and earned. William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 follows, affirming love as a constant force: unchanged by time, untouched by circumstance, and steadfast in the face of all that seeks to alter it.

Together, these poems remind us that the strongest bonds are often the quietest - built with care, and trusted to hold.

Poems featured:

• Scaffolding – Seamus Heaney
• Sonnet 116 – William Shakespeare