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Lords a Living

Lords a Living: Episode 2

Episode 2

BBC Radio 4 - Lords a Living, Episode 2

Baroness Richardson returns to the titular land of her peerage - Calow, North Derbyshire.

Ruth McDonald accompanies Baroness Richardson of Calow to the village she chose as her titular peerage. Will her expectation of 'home' ring true, and what will home make of her?

Ruth McDonald accompanies members of the House of Lords to the titular land of their peerages to meet the communities who live there now. Does reality match-up to expectation for a peer who hasn't visited "home" in several decades, or never been there at all, and what will "home" make of them? 

In this second programme, Ruth takes Baroness Richardson of Calow back to the village in North Derbyshire. A life baron since 1998 it's been 52 years since Kathleen Richardson last lived here but Calow has left its mark on her. In the place where her faith was awakened, its impact has proved pivotal to her career as a Methodist trailblazer - first female minister, bishop, and president of the Methodist conference. But as she has changed and moved on, how has the village that shaped her altered? 

From a catch-up at the United Reform Church where old faces and memories come flooding back, to the story of how the NHS rescued a former mining area, Baroness Richardson meets the people who live out their lives in Calow, including a session knotting with the scouts and bowling with the over 65s... And as she sizes them up, the locals contemplate the arrival of their hitherto largely unknown peer: just what will Calow make of the Baroness and what will she glean from them?

Producer: Regina Gallen.

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Ruth McDonald takes members of the House of Lords to the titular land of their peerages

Ruth McDonald accompanies members of the House of Lords to the titular land of their peerages to access the communities who live there now

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