It’s the last Friday of the month which can only mean one thing - our Big Chat Word Up Collab! Hannah and Dan welcome Naomi Hutchison into the studio to share her experience of spoken word and Word Up! Naomi first wrote poetry over lockdown and has even more recently begun taking to the stage to read aloud. We’re lucky enough to hear a couple of Na…

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco speaks with Scott Walker - detective, kidnap negotiator and author! Scott was a detective at Scotland Yard for 16 years working counter-terrorism, homicide, domestic abuse, organised crime, and kidnappings. He left the police in 2015 to work as a kidnap negotiator in the commercial sector and ended up he…

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco chats to Malachi, host of the growing podcast, Malavision. Malachi is a remarkable young man, who at the age of 15 has already been thrown so much in life - with having an inoperable brain tumour when he was only baby that caused him to be blind, to battling mental health issues, he wants to create a pla…

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco chats to Lynne Meek, owner of online shop The Meek Boutique. Lynne shares how she started the shop in the summer of 2018 and how it quickly grew beyond what she could have ever imagined! Originally only intending it to be a small add on to her personal styling business, Lynne and her husband have now put…

It’s the last Friday of the month which can only mean one thing - our Big Chat Word Up Collab! Coco and Hannah welcome David Smith into the studio, who has been regularly attending Word Up since day one. He’s seen poetry as a hobby since a child and loves taking inspiration from poets like Spike Milligan, making his poetry more often than not, incr…

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco chats to Tim Laurence, the founder of the Hoffman Process in the UK. The Hoffman Process is a week long intensive retreat which enables you to let go of old baggage and create space for new opportunities in your life. Tim was the last person to be trained under Bob Hoffman who founded the process in the …

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco speaks with Divorce Doula Farhana. A Divorce doula is someone who provides hand-holding and information throughout the divorce process and can compliment the services of a solicitor. Farhana shares how she changed her career during the pandemic in order to not only transform her own life, but the lives o…

It’s the last Friday of the month which can only mean one thing - our Big Chat Word Up Collab! Coco, Hannah and Dan welcome the lovely Lee into the studio today, a regular at the monthly spoken word event that takes place at The Forum. We learn a bit more about this amazing community event in our much loved town, with the aim of giving voices to pe…

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco shares her upcoming plans and the direction she sees the podcast going in. There are a lot of exciting opportunities for our local community to get involved in, as we see the need for this platform in our town continue to grow. The most important thing to us is to bring value to you all, and the recent d…

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco speaks with Matt Hillier who is better known as The Humble Bear. Matt shares his powerful journey from addiction to enlightenment and how he now has the tools to help others find their purpose. Matt’s own purpose is to support and empower people to find happiness, peace and joy in their life using whiche…

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco speaks with celebrity chef Rosemary Shrager whose second novel “The Proof In The Pudding” was recently released. Coco and Rosemary also discuss her other new pursuits, such as creating sugar free chutneys and jams, her range of pies and more details about her novels. Rosemary also works with charities su…

This weeks episode of The Big Chat is the first of many collab episodes with Hannah Gee and Dan Culmer from Word Up! Each Friday at the end of the month, Hannah and Dan will be hosting The Big Chat and bringing in a variety of inspiring guests that have an important message to share. In this episode, we learn how Dan started Word Up 10 years ago af…

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, the tables have turned, and Eileen, Editor of SO Magazine interviews Coco! Coco shares how she went from her 9-5 office job in London to founding and directing several companies in Tunbridge Wells. Doing PR in the local area gave her the platform to ensure the TW Soapbox Race is the success it is, but when th…

In todays episode of The Big Chat, Coco talks to Polly and Caroline from The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre. Nearly a year and a half on since she was last in the studio with Coco, President Polly and her right-hand woman Caroline share exactly what’s been happening at the Centre since then and what they’ll be up to in 2023, including the TW Soapb…

In todays episode of The Big Chat, Coco talks to Valentine, an incredible singer-song writer who’s born and raised in Tunbridge Wells. Speaking on his younger years, Valentine shares what inspired him to become the artist that he is today and what has impacted him the most. Sharing his own mental health journey, Valentine has a very open and honest…

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco talks to Alex Cornelius, the Head Teacher of Langton Green Primary School. The chat focusses around mental well-being and the increased need for mental health support post-pandemic. With two children of her own who have attended/are attending the school, Coco knows first hand the support that the Primary…

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco talks to Poppy O’Neill, author of mental-wellbeing resources for children and parents. Back in December, The Big Chat sponsored Wicked Productions pantomime at the EM Forster Theatre and Poppy kindly donated 90 of her books for children receiving goodie bags. Poppy shares her inspiration for writing and …

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco chats with Hugh Whitaker of Humor Street Art who specialises in spray-painted murals for businesses and homes. From a week’s notice for the Champion’s League final creation to heading to Steven Gerrard’s house to transform his son’s bedroom, a lot has changed for Hugh over the previous two years since he…

Trigger warning - alcoholism, suicide, death In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco talks to Jen Williams, Fundraising & Marketing Manager and Ray Weston, Hub Manager at the Mental Health Resource Hub. The Hub is located on Grosvenor Park at the top end of Grosvenor Road in Tunbridge Wells which provides safe spaces and person-centred mental …

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco talks to Rosemary Shrager, Ambassador and Peter Sanlon, Trustee, of the Number One Community Trust. Number One Community Trust is a community centre serving the residents of Showfields and Ramslye. Their aim is to enhance the quality of life of the residents through events, activities and community proje…

The Big Chat is back for 2023 and what better way to kick off the new year than with a conversation between two friends! Coco chats with her close friend Antonia Blyth, an entertainment journalist who specialises in covering awards in Hollywood in the entertainment industry. Antonia conducts interviews and writes articles for an LA based magazine, …

The next of this week’s episodes of The Big Chat is a Beauty and the Beast pantomime Takeover special straight from the EM Forster Theatre! Coco chats to the wonderful Amanda Swift as Fairy Pots. Amanda tells Coco more about the character she plays and even shares her opening monologue with us. Amanda also helped edit the pantomime’s script after i…

The final of this week’s episodes of The Big Chat is a Beauty and the Beast pantomime Takeover special straight from the EM Forster Theatre! Coco chats to the fantastic Darren Tough as the Beast. Darren shares how he started working with Wicked Productions and also how he gets into character. This is a super quick episode of The Big Chat as the cas…

The first of this week’s episodes of The Big Chat is a Beauty and the Beast pantomime Takeover special straight from the EM Forster Theatre! Coco chats to legendary soapbox commentator Tom Swift as Phillippe Phloppe all about how Wicked Productions created this years pantomime. Tom shares the beautiful story behind this production of Beauty and the…

The next of this week’s episodes of The Big Chat is a Beauty and the Beast pantomime Takeover special straight from the EM Forster Theatre! Coco chats to the fabulous Eilish Stout-Cairns as Belle. Eilish shares how she first came to work with Wicked Productions after Tom and Amanda saw her perform at an adult pantomime earlier this year! She also s…

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco talks to Stevie Rice, the Chief Executive of West Kent Mind. As some of you may know, The Big Chat have proudly donated the goodie bags for this year’s pantomime by Wicked Productions at the EM Forster Theatre, which have chosen West Kent Mind as their charity to support. Stevie shares how the cost of li…

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco and Giles recap on all of the amazing guests we’ve had on the show in 2022. From Tunbridge Wells Soapbox Stars supporters, to some of the heroes of Local and Live, it’s been a jam packed year! Coco also shares what we can expect to hear over the next few months, with the important topic of mental health …

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco talks to Jaime Cooke, who is the founder of SPN and is also now known as DJ Cookie! Coco and Jaime last spoke on the Big Chat a year and a half ago so they reflect on what has changed since then. Jaime has learnt how to DJ so she can not only take her classes at SPN to the next level, but also offer retr…

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco chats with Ralph de Lisle, the founder of IKÓ Drinks for a recap after their first Big Chat episode back in April last year! IKÓ brings you the kick of coffee, the health benefits of tea and the mood lift of chocolate, all in one refreshing herbal drink. Ralph and Nicole discuss how the business has grow…

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco talks to Iaysha Salih, who is an angel and abstract artist in Tunbridge Wells. Iaysha shares how she first discovered her love of art and how she has now made it her career. Coco and Iaysha also touch on the topics of meditation and healing, and how Iaysha’s work enables her to practice both. We are luck…

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco talks to Sophie Bland, the founder of Bod and Ted, a much-loved shop along Tunbridge Wells high street. Sophie shares how the business began when she was just 21 with her and her Mum taking over the lease of a shop in Devon. Nicole and Sophie discuss everything from the rise in slow fashion to Mum guilt …

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco talks to father and son team Paul and Billy from The Sticky Monkey! The Sticky Monkey is a Tunbridge Wells family run business specialising in print, graphics and signage. Paul and Billy share how the business both started and grew in lockdown and some of the projects they’ve been involved with, includin…

This episode of The Big Chat is a bitesize special with Coco and Giles! In our local town of Tunbridge Wells, the 11+ is still very much in place and Coco and Giles discuss the impact of this on children. Coco also shares her own experience of being in both the grammar and comprehensive systems. Tune in for a Big Chat catch-up ahead of Friday’s epi…

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco talks to Zac Carpenter, the youngest homoeopath in the UK. Zac shares how his journey in holistic energy medicine began and how he can help support your own journey in healing. Zac will help you get to your healing goal as quickly and safely as possible. In this episode, Coco and Zac share deeply about t…

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco talks to Dani and Nette, 2 of the founders of the Strong Female Lead. The Strong Female Lead movement both empowers and unites inspirational women with powerful skillsets. Coco, Dani and Nette discuss parenting after last week’s event was centered around family and how it’s important that people have a s…

This episode of The Big Chat is a bitesize special with Giles and Rachel, who are both members of the Chatty Hatter team. Rachel is a passionate vegan and Giles finds out how her journey with veganism began and why she’s stuck at it for almost 3 years. If you’re inspired by this bitesize episode, why not try out a month of veganism in January? You …

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco talks to Sophie Green, artist and conservationist. From teacher to artist, Sophie has always been a painter with a focus on wildlife. Her latest exhibition, titled the Impermanance Collection, consists of 11 original artworks and 3 prints, with a focus on climate change and the wildlife that is affected.…

In this week’s episode of The Big Chat, Coco talks to Lawrence Prestidge, children’s author and actor. Lawrence shares how he got started in the creative industries, with his first interview for acting at Disneyland Paris taking place at the age of just 17! More recently he has been writing children’s books and also has created a brand-new sitcom f…

This episode of The Big Chat is a bitesize special with Coco and Giles. The Queue seems to be the topic of the moment and as a nation, Britain has a love-hate relationship with queuing - loving the system and despising those that try and skip it! Coco and Giles reflect on some of the more intense queues they’ve been apart of throughout their lives …

“I expect nothing and I am grateful for everything” This episode of The Big Chat is an extra special fundraising episode for Junior. Listen to Nette talk about her gorgeous son and the hurdles that he has to overcome. The fundraiser is now live and any money raised will enable Nette to continue to give June the life that he deserves. Please head to…

This episode of The Big Chat is a bitesize special with Coco and Giles! The school year has now well and truly begun so they think back to the summer and talk about some of the incredible immersive experiences that are currently available. Coco and Giles also touch on the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and the monumental changes that are occurring i…

This episode of The Big Chat is the last in our takeover series from Local and Live! Coco and Giles chat to the brilliant photographers that help to bring this event to life. On the sofa are David, Sally-Anne, Nigel and Oliver who all share how they first got involved with Local and Live. Each of the photographers also shares how they best capture …

This episode of The Big Chat is the seventh in our takeover series from Local and Live! Coco and Giles chat with Paul Dunton, the awesome creator of Local Live. Paul bought his vision to life 17 years ago in Tunbridge Wells, with the event going from strength to strength each year. Paul shares with Coco and Giles some of the challenges he faces wit…

This episode of The Big Chat is the sixth in our takeover series from Local and Live! Coco chats with Dani, who has many strings to her bow. From heading up the Strong Female Lead, to providing tech solutions to children she is a part of the Tunbridge Wells community in a BIG way. She introduced Coco to Miss Brown Sugar, who created the beautiful b…

This episode of The Big Chat is the fifth in our takeover series from Local and Live! Coco and Giles chat with Phil Mills, one of the event organisers of Local and Live. He has been part of this fantastic community event for the past 8 or 9 years and this year has taken on the special role of fully experiencing the festival and providing feedback t…

This episode of The Big Chat is the fourth in our takeover series from Local and Live! Coco and Giles chat with Matt Dunford, co-founder of Fine Grind. Five years ago, Paul Dunton asked Fine Grind to be a part of Local and Live, of course they jumped at the chance, despite Matt’s child being due to be born that very weekend! Local and Live has give…

This episode of The Big Chat is the third in our takeover series from Local and Live! Coco and Giles chat with Paul Dunn, a collaborative musician bringing sounds from around the world to Tunbridge Wells. He is a self-taught pianist who believes music is all about communication, which is why playing live is so important to him. If you want to hear …

This episode of The Big Chat is the second in our takeover series from Local and Live! Coco and Giles chat with Anna, one of the fantastic people who give their time to volunteer at Local and Live and help make this amazing community event happen. Anna explains exactly what her role is during the festival and why she decided to get involved. She ha…

This episode of The Big Chat is the first in our takeover series from Local and Live! Coco and Giles chat with Mark and Léanie, the two amazing individuals who make up the band Karamelien. Karamelien are a groovy new music project that brings both Léanie and Mark together. Léanie Kaleido is an accomplished UK-based singer-songwriter, and Mark Foste…

In this week's episode join Giles Paley-Phillips, Chatty Hatter podcast producer, as he chats to the people who make up this fantastic community event. Hear snippets of performances throughout the day, some live commentary, and some words from the amazing charities this event supports. We are proud to announce that racers raised over £31,000 for ou…