Comfort: A Woman's Hour Christmas Day special

Woman's Hour

BBC

Society & Culture, Health & Fitness, Personal Journals

4.2 • 2.9K Ratings

🗓️ 25 December 2024

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

As this is the season of Comfort & Joy, today’s programme is devoted to the theme of ‘Comfort’. At this time of year when many women are frazzled and craving a bit of comfort, Nuala McGovern and Anita Rani explore why it so important with their guests.

Fiona Murden is an organisational psychologist, award winning author of the books Defining You and Mirror Thinking and host of the podcast Dot to Dot – Life Connected. She explains what comfort is, why we crave it and why it’s necessary, but she also discusses the importance of sometimes pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone.

Molly Case is a former cardiac care nurse and now works in palliative and end of life care. She works out what matters most to the people she cares for and how she can provide a level of comfort for them.

The Reverend Bryony Taylor is a priest in the Church of England and works as Rector of Barlborough and Clowne in the Derby Diocese. She is also the author of More TV Vicar? a book about Christians on the television. She describes how faith can be a source of comfort for many people, especially at this time of year.

The food writer Grace Dent, and chef and restauranteur Dipna Anand, recall the favourite foods from childhood that bring them emotional comfort and bring back happy and nostalgic memories, as well as what they will be having for Christmas.

Hygge took the world by storm when Meik Wiking published The Little Book of Hygge – The Danish Way to Live Well in 2016. Hygge has been described as a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or wellbeing. Anita and Nuala are joined by Becci Coombes, whose father is Danish. She grew up with a love of all things Hygge and runs an online business - Hygge Style.

The band The Unthanks are known for combining traditional English folk, particularly Northumbrian folk music, with other musical genres. They have just finished a UK tour, and they have a new album out – The Unthanks In Winter. They perform two songs live in the studio: Bleary Winter and The Cherry Tree Carol.

Presented by Nuala McGovern and Anita Rani. Producer: Louise Corley

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, it's Nicola Cocklin.
0:02.8	Young people have been making history for years, but we don't often hear about them.
0:06.6	My brand new series on BBC Sounds sets out to put this right.
0:10.6	In history's youngest heroes, I'll be revealing the fascinating stories of 12 young people
0:16.0	who've played a major role in history and who've helped shape our world.
0:19.8	Like Audrey Hepburn, Nelson Mandela,
0:22.5	Louis Braille and Lady Jane Grey, history's youngest heroes with me, Nicola Cochlin. Listen on BBC Sounds.
0:31.7	BBC Sounds, music, radio podcasts. Hello, I'm Anita Rani and welcome to Woman's Hour from BBC Radio 4.
0:40.5	Just to say that for rights reasons, the music in the original radio broadcast has been removed
0:45.5	for this podcast.
0:47.2	Good morning and a very Merry Christmas from us all here at Women's Hour.
0:52.0	Welcome to our Christmas Day edition of the programme with me,
0:56.5	Nula McGovern. And me, Anita Rani. Isn't this exciting? This is very exciting. Both of us together.
1:02.4	And as this is the season of comfort and joy, today's program is devoted to the theme of comfort. At this time of year,
1:09.6	especially when many women are frazzled and craving
1:12.8	a bit of comfort over the next hour, along with our guests, we'll explore why it's so important
1:17.4	socially, physically and mentally. And as well as that, we have incredible music from the
1:23.6	unthanks. And we'll discuss how comfort can be found through music as it bolsters us and lifts
1:28.8	your mood. We're also going to take a look at how nursing care can relieve discomfort and have a
1:34.9	positive effect on our well-being. Molly Case, it will be here. Also, the Reverend Brian Lee Taylor
1:41.3	to explain how faith can provide comfort for some.
1:45.8	At the food writer Grace Dent and chef and restaurateur Dipna Anand
	...

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