Soar Sound
Soar Sound is a community podcast dedicated to promoting social cohesion by highlighting the voices and stories of Leicester's diverse communities. Our mission is to foster an integrated intercultural society that brings people together based on their shared experiences of living, working, and studying in Leicester.
Each episode features interviews with local residents, activists, and professionals discussing a range of topics, including social justice, public health, arts, culture, and community building. By focusing on media practices that promote individual and collective well-being, Soar Sound aims to create a sense of unity and belonging.
Run by volunteers, Soar Sound is committed to enhancing social engagement and fostering a strong sense of community connection. Subscribe to Soar Sound to stay informed about the stories that unite us in our city.
- Update frequency
- every 4 days
- Average duration
- 35 minutes
- Episodes
- 27
- Years Active
- 2025
Spotlight on Leicester – Leicester Communities Together Festival
Spotlight on Leicester explores the Communities Together Festival in Jubilee Square, where services, charities and community groups meet residents. In the podcast, Kate Galoppi outlines council suppo…
Spotlight on Arts – Miffy Ryan Live Art
This Spotlight on Arts episode features live artist and curator Miffy Ryan in conversation with John Coster and Rob Watson. Miffy reflects on her journey from early creative interventions at school t…
Spotlight on Arts with Samantha Peberdy
Spotlight on Arts features Leicester artist Samantha Peppard discussing her journey from early commissions inspired by her family’s dairy farm to establishing a career in the creative sector. She tal…
Capturing Stories, Building Connections – Reflections from DocPhoto 8
Explore the stories behind DocPhoto 8 in this Spotlight on Arts episode. Hear from photographers and curators about creativity, collaboration, and the evolving role of photography in documenting life…
Spotlight on Arts – Celebrating Local Voices at the Soar Sound Roadshow
What does community media offer that mainstream broadcasters cannot? How are local radio stations like Utsav Radio and Satsang Radio preserving language, music, and cultural identity in Leicester? Wh…
Spotlight on Arts – Sean Clark and the Unwritten History of Computer Art
In this episode of Spotlight on Arts, John Coster and Rob Watson are joined by Sean Clark, a Leicester-based digital artist, technologist, and the curator behind the Computer Arts Archive. What unfol…
Preserving Memory Through Photography – A Conversation on Heritage and Identity
In this Spotlight on Heritage episode, Bashir shares family photographs that trace journeys from India and Africa to the UK. We explore photography as a social record, preserving memory, identity, an…
Spotlight on Arts – Celebrating Creative Journeys at DocPhoto 8
This week, Spotlight on Arts went on the road to capture the atmosphere and conversations from the open viewing of DocPhoto 8, held at the Basement Gallery of Leicester Adult Education College. Hoste…
Spotlight on Heritage – Paul Vernon and the Art of Everyday Storytelling
In this episode of Spotlight on Heritage, John Coster and Rob Watson are joined by filmmaker and collector Paul Vernon, whose distinctive perspective on storytelling and memory has shaped his creativ…
Spotlight on Arts – Acting, Access and the Cultural Value of Everyday Stories
This week’s Spotlight on Arts episode continues our exploration of the realities facing creative practitioners working outside the headline circuits of major cultural institutions. John Coster and Ro…
Alma’s Story – A Family Archive of Leicester Life and Legacy
What happens when a lifetime of letters, photographs, sketches, and keepsakes are carefully saved instead of discarded? What story emerges when someone takes on the responsibility of safeguarding the…
Spotlight on Arts – Reiss Loftus and the Brotherhood of Support
In this week’s Spotlight on Arts episode, John Coster and Rob Watson speak with Reiss Loftus, founder of The Brotherhood Legion, a dynamic community interest company dedicated to men’s mental health …
Spotlight on Heritage – Exploring Local Stories with Sean Dudley
This week’s episode of Spotlight on Heritage brings a thoughtful and grounded conversation between John Coster, Rob Watson, and guest Sean Dudley of Goldfinch Heritage. The discussion traces Sean’s j…
Broadcasting with Purpose – Lessons from Radio Nagar and the Power of Community Radio
In this episode of Spotlight on Soar Sound, John Coster and Rob Watson speak with Dr. Priti from Snehalaya, a social development organisation in Ahmednagar, India, about the power and potential of co…
Connecting Communities Across Continents – A Spotlight Special with Snehalaya
In this special episode of Spotlight on Soar Sound, John Coster and Rob Watson are joined by two remarkable guests—Guresh and Anil from Snehalaya, a grassroots social development organisation based i…
A Brave Space for Creativity – Spotlight on Arts with Rebecca Carter
In this episode of Spotlight on Arts, we’re joined by Rebecca Carter, Arts Coordinator at Leicester Adult Education, whose professional journey is as rich and layered as the creative community she no…
Remembering the Overlooked – Family Stories, Forgotten Wars, and the Ties That Bind
In this episode of Spotlight on Heritage, we’re joined once again by local historian and long-standing contributor Sue Lester of the Leicestershire & Rutland Family History Society. As we mark the 75…
Spotlight on Arts – Gaming as Culture – From Grassroots to Global Conversations with Jason Boomer
In this episode of Spotlight on Arts on Soar Sound, John Coster and Rob Watson are joined by Jason Boomer to explore gaming as more than just entertainment – as a form of creative expression, communi…
Spotlight on Heritage – Mapping Memory: Tracing Leicester Lives Through War and Work with Nick Laband
In this episode of Spotlight on Heritage on Soar Sound, John Coster and Rob Watson are joined by digital history enthusiast and mapping specialist Nick Laband, who shares his fascination with Leicest…
Spotlight on Heritage – Remembering the 1905 Unemployed March from Leicester to London
In this episode of Spotlight on Heritage on Soar Sound, host John Coster is joined by Jess Jenkins, Sue Lester, and Robin Jenkins to explore the powerful story of the 1905 Unemployed March. Marking i…