🎙 Episode 67: Dulcie Matthews and Dorothy Hall – Hope, Resilience, and the Spirit of Coventry

This very special VE Day episode of Wild Card – Whose Shoes? is a real treat. 🕊️

Join me, Gill Phillips, as I welcome two extraordinary women: Dorothy Hall, familiar to listeners from Episode 64, and her equally inspirational friend Dulcie Matthews, aged 88.

Dulcie grew up in wartime Coventry, and shares her moving memories of a city scarred by bombs but brimming with resilience. Her evocative memoir From Paradise to Eden brings the 1940s vividly to life — and today, she brings that world to us through her words, wit, and warmth. 🌸

In a beautifully candid conversation, Dulcie and Dorothy reflect on ageing, creativity, and retaining a sense of identity and purpose when society would often rather render older people invisible.

✨ From Dulcie’s lockdown poems and fairy tales for her great-granddaughter to their joyful adventures searching for "fairy doors," this episode is packed with wisdom, hope, and humour.

We talk about social prescribing, the healing power of music and nature, grief and resilience — and dreaming up a bold new vision for compassionate care in later life.

🍋💡🍋 Lemon lightbulbs

🍋 You are still you
Despite how society treats older people, identity, creativity, and inner fire do not fade with age

🍋 Stay curious and always say yes
Dulcie has stayed open to life’s opportunities, even through deep grief and loss

🍋 Creativity is an escape — and a lifeline
Nature, writing, fairy stories, and music offer not just escape, but deep healing.

🍋 Invisible no more
Calling out the way healthcare systems often marginalize older people — and fighting to be seen and heard.

🍋 Rediscover your roots
Dulcie rekindling her love for Coventry reminds us that reconnecting with our past can offer hope for the future

🍋 The world changes — and we adapt
From wartime Coventry to lockdown Britain, Dulcie’s reflections show resilience as a constant thread through life

🍋 Music unlocks memory, joy, and connection
The powerful role of music in both healthcare and daily life — lifting spirits and bridging generations

🍋 Imagination is ageless
Whether it's fairy tales or reimagining community care, creativity thrives at every age, so support people to use their skills and feel they can contribute

🍋 Challenge stereotypes by living fully
Wearing jeans, playing piano, creating stories — refusing to be boxed in by other people’s ideas of ‘old age.’

🍋 Reimagine care: people first, not conditions
A visionary idea: flexible, creative care communities inspired by the hospice model but open to all

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Dorothy's key message? "Be more imaginative about how care is offered "

Dulcie’s key message? "Stay curious. Always say yes!"

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This is a celebration of courage, creativity, and connection — the spirit that saw Coventry rise again after WWII, and the same spirit that Dulcie and Dorothy embody today ❤️

🌟 A heartfelt thank you to Dulcie and Dorothy for sharing their stories so openly. A perfect listen to inspire you this VE Day.

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I tweet as @WhoseShoes and @WildCardWS and am on Instagram as @WildCardWS.

Please recommend 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' to others who enjoy hearing passionate people talk about their experiences of improving health care.

In this electric, soul-stirring conversation, Dr Guddi Singh joins me to explore what it truly means to radically reimagine health. From the frontline realities of paediatrics to the bold edges of creative health and social justice, Guddi brings her full, vibrant self — and invites us all to do the same.

We talk about what’s broken in our health system, why simply fixing sickness isn’t enough, and how real health is built in homes and communities, not hospitals.

We shine a light on creative co-production, interdisciplinary approaches, and the untapped power of arts, storytelling and relationships to transform healthcare.

Guddi describes herself as a closet creative and lifelong learner, and you’ll hear exactly why — from training citizen scientists to founding WHAM (Wellbeing and Health Action Movement) and leading the Powering Up project.

This episode is bursting with energy, honesty, hope¦ and a few well-placed mic drops.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

🍋 Health is not built in hospitals – it’s built in our homes and communities

🍋 A child cannot be healthy if the context they live in is sick - we have to treat the context – hunger, poverty, poor housing – not just the symptoms

🍋 “I’m a closet creative trapped in the body of a doctor” : Guddi’s mission blends creativity, academia, activism, and medicine to drive meaningful change

🍋 The system doesn’t work for patients — and it doesn’t really work for staff

🍋 There’s no KPI for what actually matters — to patients or professionals

🍋 Maybe the most powerful KPI is: Will you remember this? Did it change you?

🍋 Human connection doesn’t fit in a spreadsheet – but it’s what makes the work meaningful.

🍋 Fixing health inequalities starts with ordinary clinicians and patients, and creative approaches

🍋 Powering Up isn’t a project – it’s a movement

🍋 It’s hard to lie to kids - Powering up unearthed the real issues

🍋 The system may be blind, but our stories can open its eyes

🍋 Dance saved my life. Why isn’t creative health part of the NHS mainstream?

🍋 We’re lighting up little patches of the world. What if we joined the dots?

🍋 We’re not alone — it’s time to bring our lemon lightbulbs together

Links:

Wellbeing and Health Action Movement (WHAM)

Powering Up Project

National Centre for Creative Health

Episode 54: Dr Mary Salama - connecting across boundaries

Episode 57 : Dr Tom Holliday - children get less

Join the Movement

This is more than a conversation It’s a call to action. Whether you’re a clinician, creative, policymaker or passionate citizen, this episode will leave you asking:

What’s my role in radically reimagining health?

#coproduction

We LOVE it when you leave a review!
If you enjoy my podcast and find these conversations useful
please share your thoughts by leaving a review (Spotify or Apple are easiest to leave a review - navigate via 3 dots) and comment on your favourite episodes.

I tweet as @WhoseShoes and @WildCardWS and am on Instagram as @WildCardWS.

Please recommend 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' to others who enjoy hearing passionate people talk about their experiences of improving health care.

This special episode of Wild Card – Whose Shoes? is part of The World Podcastathon, a global celebration of podcasts that spark conversation, challenge perspectives, and inspire change.

I’m thrilled to welcome the incredible Nicola Enoch, founder and CEO of Down Syndrome UK, a powerhouse advocate who is transforming perceptions, challenging outdated maternity care practices, and empowering families. Nicola’s journey is extraordinary—one that began with fear and stigma when she learned her son, Tom, might have Down syndrome, and evolved into a mission to support parents, shift mindsets, and tackle inequalities head-on.

We explore the power of language in maternity care, the importance of early development, and how health inequalities continue to impact people with learning disabilities. Nicola also shares how her organization is training healthcare professionals and educators to see the person first and break down barriers that still exist today.

This conversation is raw, real, and packed with lemon lightbulb moments—insights that challenge us all to think differently.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

🍋 Words shape experiences – Describing Down syndrome as a “risk” or “abnormality” impacts how parents feel about their child. Language matters.

🍋 Breaking bad news? Or sharing unexpected news? – How healthcare professionals frame a diagnosis makes all the difference.

🍋 Assume competence – Expecting less from a child with Down syndrome limits their potential. High expectations open doors.

🍋 Health inequalities are real – Diagnostic overshadowing leads to preventable health issues. Parents must advocate fiercely.

🍋 Community is everything – Peer support groups are lifelines. No parent should feel alone.

This is a must-listen for anyone passionate about maternity care, inclusion, and human stories that challenge stereotypes.

🎧 Listen now and join the conversation!

Links:

We hope you will donate to this important charity - here is how you can find out more!

#WildCardWhoseShoes #WorldPodcastathon #DownSyndromeAwareness #ChangingTheNarrative #CoProduction

We LOVE it when you leave a review!
If you enjoy my podcast and find these conversations useful
please share your thoughts by leaving a review (Spotify or Apple are easiest to leave a review - navigate via 3 dots) and comment on your favourite episodes.

I tweet as @WhoseShoes and @WildCardWS and am on Instagram as @WildCardWS.

Please recommend 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' to others who enjoy hearing passionate people talk about their experiences of improving health care.