In this week’s episode, Lydia and Andy dive into a listener question that hits right at the heart of their work: “How did you become a support worker?”
Between the nostalgia of gold-star sticker charts, mac andcheese triumphs, swans derailing Scottish trains, and a French groom turning his wedding tux into a billboard (yes, really), the two former support workers peel back the curtain on their journeys into frontline youth work — the highs, the heartbreaks, the unexpected detours, and the long-term impact that still keeps them going.
Grab a cuppa (unlike our hosts who, predictably, forgottheirs) and settle in for a thoughtful, funny, and surprisingly moving conversation.
☕ Episode Summary
Lydia and Andy catch up on their week — Youth MattersAwards, chronic tiredness, garlic honey experiments, and a nostalgic love letter to sticker reward charts — before diving into a listener question from Jack:
“Why did you become a support worker in the first place?”
Andy shares how a computing degree, a tech-support job, and a well-timed email from a mate changed the direction of his life.
Lydia talks about losing her long-term dream of joining thepolice, her placement at Walk Ministries, discovering her faith, and realising the work she’d always been drawn to: helping young people change the trajectory of their lives.
They reflect on the long-term wins — former residentsinviting them to weddings, introducing their children, graduating uni — and why these moments made the hard days worth it.
Plus: YMCA Exeter updates (including the huge news about new homes opening in Paignton), the rise of the Untitled Gaming Podcast, and another round of Weird News.
🔗 Links
More information about the PaigntonProject: https://www.ymcaexeter.org.uk/urgently-needed-housing-for-young-people-in-torbay/
Walk Ministries (mentioned byLydia): https://walkministries.org.uk/
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April showers by Kjartan Abel.
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CC BY-SA 4.0 Attributi on-ShareAlike 4.0 International.
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