Feels like it's been AGES since Betty & Stevie properly caught up. It must be, because apparently Betty "misses Stevie's face".

Yeah, right!

Betty & Stevie share their experience of receiving the "little prick" - erm, vaccine, and what they're looking forward to as the lockdown lifts.

And we want to hear from you - have you received your little prick? What was your experience like? Leave a voicemail message with us on the Speak Up Sunderland website!

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Speak Up Sunderland is a podcast proudly produced in Sunderland, for Sunderland.

This episode was hosted by Betty Ball and Stevie B, and produced by Jay Sykes.

Our music was created by Timecrawler 82, and our logo and branding by Jorge Vinicio.

Join us on our journey:

Our website - SpeakUpSunderland.com Twitter - @SpeakUpSun Instagram - @SpeakUpSun or join us on our Facebook and YouTube!

How can you capture the mood of a country at war in a documentary?

With a uniquely poetical, musical filmmaking style, artist and filmmaker Prof. Esther Johnson was commissioned by 14-18 Now to create "Asunder" - a uniquely moving and vibrant documentary which interweaves narratives from conflict overseas with characters in the North East.

"Asunder tells the story of what happened to an English town during the First World War, with almost all of its men abroad fighting and its women and children left behind. The North East was in the front line, thanks to its shipyards and munitions factories."

Our host Betty Ball meets Esther to hear all about the process of creating Asunder - poring over a hundred sources of archive material, working with renowned presenters Kate Adie and Alun Armstrong, and the composition of original music which makes Asunder such a distinctive WW1 documentary.

Featuring original music from the soundtrack composed by Sunderland’s Mercury-nominated Field Music and Newcastle’s Warm Digits, performed with the Royal Northern Sinfonia and The Cornshed Sisters.

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Speak Up Sunderland is a podcast proudly produced in Sunderland, for Sunderland.

This episode was hosted by Betty Ball, and produced by Jay Sykes.

Our music was created by Timecrawler 82, and our logo and branding by Jorge Vinicio.

Join us on our journey:

Our website - SpeakUpSunderland.com Twitter - @SpeakUpSun Instagram - @SpeakUpSun or join us on our Facebook and YouTube!

This is Len Gibson, BEM.

He’s reading from his collection of poetry, which he’s compiled over the past hundred years of his life. You heard that right, Len Gibson turned 100 years old on the third of January this year.

Len’s regarded as not only a hero to Sunderland, but also a national hero. During the second world war, Len was a member of the 125 Anti-Tank Regiment Royal Artillery.

Between 1942, and 1945, Len was held as a Far East Prisoner of War - he was forced by the Japanese Empire to work on a railway which stretches between Thailand and Burma - the “Death Railway”, as it’s come to be known. Len was one of an estimated 180,000 - 250,000 prisoners of war who were subjected to forced labour on the railway.

Len’s a well-known figure here in Sunderland. Usually, Len would be delivering a reading at our city’s Remembrance Parade. It’s one of the biggest parades in the UK, the biggest outside of London.

This year, because of the ongoing lockdown, the Remembrance Parade it’s moving online. Sunderland City Council are creating a series of short films alongside the day.

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Speak Up Sunderland is a podcast proudly produced in Sunderland, for Sunderland.

Our hosts Betty Ball and Stevie B, and our producer is Jay Sykes.

Our music was created by Timecrawler 82, and our logo and branding by Jorge Vinicio.

This episode features recordings of the Sunderland Remembrance Parade by Mike Walker Camera, and additional music by Andy G. Cohen.

Join us on our journey:

Our website - SpeakUpSunderland.com Twitter - @SpeakUpSun Instagram - @SpeakUpSun or join us on our Facebook and YouTube!

"Oh my God. OH MY GOD! It's Betty and Stevie!! [Unintelligible.]"

From across the pond, living in Traverse City, Michigan, meet Mark Whitley - the self-proclaimed number one fan of Speak Up Sunderland. He's listened to every episode of Speak Up Sunderland. No, but for real, every. Single. Episode.

We wanted to surprise him with a video chat. (In fact, everyone was surprised. Betty was still in her dressing gown, bless!)

We reflected on some of our “favorite” moments throughout the series, and just why Mark loves podcasts!

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Speak Up Sunderland is a podcast proudly produced in Sunderland, for Sunderland.

Our hosts Betty Ball and Stevie B, and our producer is Jay Sykes.

Our music was created by Timecrawler 82, and our new logo and branding by Jorge Vinicio.

Join us on our journey:

Our website - SpeakUpSunderland.com Twitter - @SpeakUpSun Instagram - @SpeakUpSun or join us on our Facebook and YouTube!

Meet "Wor Vera", a.k.a. singer Deborah Taylor-Smith, who's donating her time and her voice by performing songs from throughout the decades outside care home residents across the North East.

As care homes across the country are losing lives to COVID-19, Deb, who's studying BA Performing Arts at the University of Sunderland, is lifting spirits for residents when they're in need of positivity more than ever.

"I have to hold back tears. A lot of the places I go to, the care homes, people are living with dementia. They can't remember that they've just had food before the show, they don't remember what happened five minutes ago.

"But as soon as I start singing these songs, they light up, they wave flags, they're dancing. It's overwhelming."

Join us as hosts Betty Ball & Stevie B meet Deborah back at the last Speak Up Sunderland Live before the COVID-19 outbreak began, at the Fire Station in Sunderland.

Hear about her journey; from gaining confidence and realising her talent, to beginning singing in public, booking gigs, and making a successful living from singing.

Featuring Abbie Bianchi, and Angie Cumerford.

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We want to be your platform if you have anything to share with us - how you're feeling, how you've been affected, or your family, your business, your wellbeing - absolutely anything.

Please send us a voice recording as a private message on our Facebook - we'll be using content in our upcoming episodes.

--- --- ---

Speak Up Sunderland is a podcast proudly produced in Sunderland, for Sunderland.

Our hosts Betty Ball and Stevie B, and our producer is Jay Sykes.

Our music (heavily butchered this episode!) was created by Timecrawler 82, and our new logo and branding by Jorge Vinicio.

Join us on our journey:

Our website - SpeakUpSunderland.com Twitter - @SpeakUpSun Instagram - @SpeakUpSun or join us on Facebook!

Our hosts Betty Ball and Stevie B get together for a call after a really intense week.

Now with his job as a deep cleaner classifying him as a "key worker", Stevie B shares his experience of deep cleaning tower blocks of COVD-19.

It's not all doom and gloom - Betty gets sloshed in the bath, and we learn the etiquette of proper underwear.

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We want to be your platform if you have anything to share with us - how you're feeling, how you've been affected, or your family, your business, your wellbeing - absolutely anything.

Please send us a voice recording as a private message on our Facebook - we'll be using content in our upcoming episodes.

--- --- ---

Speak Up Sunderland is a podcast proudly produced in Sunderland, for Sunderland.

Our hosts Betty Ball and Stevie B, and our producer is Jay Sykes.

Our music (heavily butchered this episode!) was created by Timecrawler 82, and our new logo and branding by Jorge Vinicio.

Join us on our journey:

Our website - SpeakUpSunderland.com Twitter - @SpeakUpSun Instagram - @SpeakUpSun or join us on Facebook!

Happy New Year from Betty and Stevie at Speak Up Sunderland!

Together we chat festive memories, play a stupid game, and tell you all about a couple of new projects we're launching next year:

• A special first listen to a supercut of our first "Ball's Deep" - where we put Betty through her paces - challenging her with intense experiences & awkward situations in the area. Whether that's with hard-as nails-fitness instructors, getting her art on & drawing naked people, or whatever you can think of.
• "An Elephant Never Forgets" - a new series documenting aural histories of the Frank Caws Elephant Tea Rooms building in Sunderland. It's a project we're working on in partnership with Living History North East, and the Sunderland Libraries.

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Speak Up Sunderland is a podcast proudly produced in Sunderland, for Sunderland.

Our hosts Betty Ball and Stevie B, and our producer is Jay Sykes.

Our music (heavily butchered this episode!) was created by Timecrawler 82, and our new logo and branding by Jorge Vinicio.

Join us on our journey:

Our website - SpeakUpSunderland.com Twitter - @SpeakUpSun Instagram - @SpeakUpSun or join us on Facebook!

Meet two of the volunteers who take the calls that help save lives, and hear what it's like on the other end of the phone line at the Sunderland Samaritans.

Sandy Shearer and Katie Mitchell share why they're driven to support this important charity, and a bit of behind-the-scenes gossip into the perhaps unexpected humorous phone calls.

The Sunderland Samaritans are turning 50 next year, so they’re looking to recruit more and more volunteers, with their “50 for 50” campaign. Head to samaritans.org/volunteer if you fancy joining them, or call 116 123.

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Speak Up Sunderland is a podcast proudly produced in Sunderland, for Sunderland.

Our hosts Betty Ball and Stevie B, and our producer is Jay Sykes.

Our music (heavily butchered this episode!) was created by Timecrawler 82, and our new logo and branding by Jorge Vinicio.

Join us on our journey:

Our website - SpeakUpSunderland.com Twitter - @SpeakUpSun Instagram - @SpeakUpSun or join us on Facebook!