Fi Glover presents four conversations between strangers.

This week: two Mums, Sarah and Jessica, reflect on the realities of trying to make ends meet amid the cost of living crisis; Matthew and Jennifer share their stories of being caught up in travel chaos at some of the UK’s airports; Pete and Amy, bushcraft and outdoor skill enthusiasts talk about the value of their passion; and Gerry and Quincey discuss the future of Northern Ireland from different sides of the political divide.

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