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Lives in a Landscape

Factual: Life Stories

Documentary series telling original stories about real lives in Britain today

Lives in a Landscape: Series 19

Lives in a Landscape: Series 19: Episode 1: Titans Together

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Episode 1

Episode 1: Titans Together

Series 19

Titans Together

BBC Radio 4 - Lives in a Landscape, Series 19, Titans Together

Alan Dein finds renewed community spirit in Rotherham following the sex abuse scandal.

Rotherham has suffered following revelations about the extent of child sex abuse, but community spirit is being harnessed by the Titans rugby team to bring together young and old.

In the start of the new series of Lives in a Landscape Alan Dein discovers that instead of prescribing tablets local GPs are writing out prescriptions for a few weeks of Titan therapy: watching rugby games, attending weekly lunches and fitness classes. The pensioners are sitting alongside the players as they train and even as they strip down for next year's fund-raising calendar.

Titan therapy, at Rotherham Titans rugby club, has been so successful that many of those initially given funding for six weeks are still attending.

Those like 82 year old Grace couldn't be happier: "Tuesday morning and the weekend games are the highlight of my week - I was close to taking my own life when the doctor arranged for me to come here. But now it's changed my life completely."

For Match Day Captain, Tom Holmes, the idea has its roots in the club's long history of encouraging community involvement: "We need this more than ever in this area now and we all look forward to Grace and the others being here. I haven't told them this, but they are sort of like my own grand-parents. We've christened them the Conservatory Choir - on match days they sit there in our VIP section and you can hear them chant through the game."

Val is 70 and when her husband died just over a year ago she was hit by loneliness and ill health as she adapted to her new life. Coming to the Titans every week gives some structure to her week: "The players look out for me and they're the first to notice if I'm looking ill or down. The loneliness of the four walls is really hard. I loved my husband very much and it's so hard being without him. We get treated so well here - I love the lads and they sit with us for hours chatting and eating. I don't know how I'd have managed without this."

Producer Susan Mitchell.

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Documentary series telling original stories about real lives in Britain today.

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Series 19

Episode 1: Titans Together

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