The Listening Project

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Capturing the nation in conversation, in partnership with the British Library.

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The Listening Project: The Pressure of Life

The Pressure of Life

BBC Radio 4 - The Listening Project, The Pressure of Life

The high cost of school uniforms, noisy neighbours and a catch-up conversation.

Three conversations between strangers on the financial strain of buying new school uniform;  noisy neighbours; and surviving lockdown while still at school. Fi Glover presents.

Fi Glover presents three conversations between strangers. 

This week: mums Holly and Christina compare notes on the financial strain caused by the cost of new school uniform; Richard and Janet discuss how best to cope with having noisy neighbours; and as part of our catch-up with those who have taken part in the project over the last ten years, Fi talks to Lloyd and Ariba who were 16 at the time of their first recording two years ago., both studying for their A levels and both affected by the lockdowns and the subsequent closure of their schools.

The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation lasts up to an hour and is then edited to extract the key moments of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in this decade of the millennium. You can learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject

Producer: Mohini Patel

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