The Happy Pod: From a small town, to the moon

Summary

The Happy Pod: From a Small Town, to the Moon

Global News Podcast – BBC World Service
Date: April 11, 2026
Host: Holly Gibbs

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Episode Overview

This special edition of the Happy Pod explores uplifting and inspiring stories from around the world. The show’s central narrative is the historic Artemis 2 mission, with a unique focus on astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who grew up in the small Canadian town of Ingersoll. The episode also highlights how local communities, creative projects, acts of resilience, and emerging sports are making a difference in people’s lives.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Artemis 2: Going Further Than Ever Before

• Timestamps: 01:17 – 09:39
• Focuses on the Artemis 2 mission, with astronauts traveling further from Earth than ever before.
• Special attention on Jeremy Hansen’s roots in Ingersoll, Canada, and how his journey inspires both his hometown and people everywhere.

Notable Moments:

• Interview with Brian Petrie, Mayor of Ingersoll
  • Reflects on the pride of having an Ingersoll native on the Artemis 2 crew.
    • “When you look up there, you can see that there’s a piece of Ingersoll up there.” (03:02, 04:17)
  • The Artemis 2 club at the local high school is engaging students and celebrating their alum’s achievement.
    • “Stories like this show that it doesn’t matter where you grow up, if you have big dreams, you can go all the way to the moon.” (04:42)
• NASA Astronauts Nicole Stott and Steve Swanson
  • Discuss the spirit of exploration, inspiration, and inclusive representation on the Artemis 2 crew.
  • Nicole Stott: “I’m hoping we get to the point where we’re not even talking about it anymore, right? Where it just is... But I think it’s worth mentioning, just like it’s worth mentioning that we have the first international partner traveling to the moon on this mission and the first person of color.” (07:47)
  • Steve Swanson: “We need to take care of it (Earth), and two, we need to treat each other as sisters and brothers…” (09:15)
• Both astronauts reflect on the awe of seeing Earth from space and how these shared experiences ripple outwards to inspire people on the ground.

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2. A Garden for Parkinson’s: Healing Spaces through Design

• Timestamps: 09:39 – 16:40
• Highlights a garden project for people living with Parkinson’s disease, designed by Aret Anderson and shaped by input from Parkinson’s patients and their loved ones.
  • “I really want the garden to convey the power of how a garden can help people with, you know, longstanding conditions. And I want it to convey it in a way that is still full of joy…” – Aret Anderson (10:46)
  • Incorporates wide paths, sensory features, and emotional triggers to aid specific symptoms like freezing and anosmia.
  • Emotional inspiration drawn from Aret’s sister and a community of gardeners living with Parkinson’s.
    • “It’s going to be sort of emotional, but I’m incredibly proud of my sister.” (13:39)

Anna Edwards, Participating Gardener:

• Shares her journey with Parkinson’s and the importance of healing gardens in physical and mental well-being.
  • “As I got better again and was able to garden again... I’m sure that is part of the picture of staying well is being outside.” (15:20)
• The garden will find a permanent home serving patients and carers after its display at the Chelsea Flower Show.

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3. The Rescue of Molly the Dog: Triumph Against the Odds

• Timestamps: 16:40 – 20:12
• Dramatic story from New Zealand about Jessica Johnson, who survives a 50m fall, and the subsequent rescue of her missing dog, Molly, after a volunteer-led, crowdfunded helicopter search.

Lillian Newton, Precision Helicopters:

• Led the rescue mission, inspired by a community that raised over four times the needed budget overnight.
  • “I looked at the account at nine o’clock at night and there was eleven and a half thousand dollars… I removed the bank account and told everyone to please stop donating.” (18:28)
  • Describes the nation’s and world’s interest in the rescue and the emotional payoff for Jessica and her beloved dog.
    • “For Jessica, Molly was her life… You could see.” (19:22)

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4. Memorial Bench for a Survivor: Faith Harrison’s Second Chance

• Timestamps: 21:35 – 24:49
• Focus on Faith Harrison, who survived a seven-hour heart attack at age 22. A memorial bench is dedicated not to a life lost, but to a life reclaimed.
  • “My outlook was, don’t care what anyone’s got to say, do whatever feels good for you, try your best, and you’ll never know if it’s going to work unless you give it a go… There is always a light at the end of the tunnel.” (23:53)
• Faith now uses her experience to promote awareness around heart health and the preciousness of every day.

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5. A Wedding for Sustainability

• Timestamps: 24:49 – 26:55
• A Dutch couple celebrates their wedding at Utrecht Central Station, focusing on sustainable practices:
  • All attire is secondhand, the meal is vegetarian, and all guests arrive by bike or public transport.
  • Matthias (Groom): “Weddings are the ideal moment to raise awareness of overconsumption… This is a good sign to also spread the word that it is possible to do it with all clothes. No new clothes to do a whole wedding.” (26:03)
  • Inspires others to choose greener options in their own milestone events.

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6. Power Chair Football: Fast-Growing Inclusive Sport

• Timestamps: 26:55 – 29:14
• Features players and coaches from the world of power chair football, including insights from athletes and a firsthand experience by Nikki Fox, BBC Disability Correspondent.
  • Greg Baxter: “My disability has taken me to places that I couldn’t have imagined.” (27:29)
  • Faith Harrison (player): “There’s no other feeling in any other part of my life that you get from scoring a match changing goal. You know, that euphoria. I don’t think there’s anywhere else where I’d feel that.” (27:43)
  • England is preparing to compete as one of the best teams in the world at the upcoming World Cup.

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Small Town Dreams and the Moon:

  • “When you look up there, you can see that there’s a piece of Ingersoll up there.” – Brian Petrie (03:02)
  • “Stories like this show that it doesn’t matter where you grow up, if you have big dreams, you can go all the way to the moon.” – Brian Petrie (04:42)

• Inclusion and Representation in Space:

  • “I’m hoping we get to the point where we’re not even talking about it anymore, right? Where it just is...” – Nicole Stott (07:47)
  • “We need to take care of it, and… treat each other as sisters and brothers.” – Steve Swanson (09:15)

• On Perseverance and Community in New Zealand:

  • “I looked at the account at nine o’clock at night and there was eleven and a half thousand dollars.” – Lillian Newton (18:28)
  • “For Jessica, Molly was her life… and I could understand how she felt.” – Lillian Newton (19:13)

• On Second Chances and Mindful Living:

  • “There is always a light at the end of the tunnel. I want people to realize that living is a luxury.” – Faith Harrison (23:53)

• On Adaptation and Euphoria in Sport:

  • “I get to compete in a sport that I actually want to be in… I can’t imagine my life without it.” – David D, Power Chair Footballer (28:14)
  • “There’s no other feeling… like a match changing goal.” – Faith Harrison (27:43)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Time (MM:SS) |
|-----------------------------------------|:---------------:|
| Artemis 2 & Ingersoll’s Pride | 01:17 – 09:39 |
| Parkinson’s Healing Garden | 09:39 – 16:40 |
| Molly the Dog’s Rescue | 16:40 – 20:12 |
| Survivor’s Memorial Bench (Faith H.) | 21:35 – 24:49 |
| Dutch Sustainable Wedding | 24:49 – 26:55 |
| Power Chair Football | 26:55 – 29:14 |

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Tone & Style

Throughout the episode, the conversations are warm, reflective, and gently inspirational, capturing the sense of wonder and possibility inherent in each story—whether it’s going to the moon, healing through gardening, surviving a health crisis, or coming together as a community for a good cause. The speakers share personal experiences and hopes, inviting listeners to see their own potential for joy, impact, and resilience.

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This summary distills all major narrative threads and highlights the most resonant moments and voices from the episode, providing a seamless and insightful overview for those unable to listen firsthand.

Transcript

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[Julian Waraker]

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[Holly Gibbs]

This is the Happy Pod from the BBC World Service. I'm Holly Gibbs, and in this edition, the joy of Artemis 2.

[Brian Petrie]

When I woke up this morning, I looked out my back window. The moon looks a little bit different now. And I think that's. I think everybody in town will feel that. You know, when you look up there, you can see that there's a piece of Ingersoll up there.

[Holly Gibbs]

We hear from the mayor of a small Canadian town, home to one of the astronauts. Also on this podcast, a garden supporting people with Parkinson's disease.

[Aret Anderson]

We want to just make sure that this garden represents every person in the Parkinson's community, whether they have the condition, whether they're a loved one or a friend. That we're there for you and that we see you and we hear you.

[Holly Gibbs]

The woman who's had a memorial bench dedicated to her survival after she had a heart attack at the age of 22.

[Julian Waraker]

And my phone, it just wouldn't stop ringing. I had so many people wanting to volunteer, I decided to just stop it.

[Holly Gibbs]

Teen the rescue operation which reunited Molly the dog with her owner one week after they were separated. Astronauts have made history by going further from Earth than anyone before on the Artemis 2 mission. And that wasn't the only record broken by the NASA crew. Christina Cook became the first woman to travel to deep space. While Victor Glover became the first person of color to do back here on Earth. People have been gripped by watching it, including the small Canadian town of Ingersoll, home to Jeremy Hansen, one of the astronauts. I spoke to the mayor of Ingersoll, Brian Petrie.

[Brian Petrie]

Ingersoll is located in southwestern Ontario, right between Canada's version of London and the city of Toronto. We're a population of 15, 000 people now, and we're an industry town. We build things that go out all over the world. We've been building things for generations and it's given us a good lifestyle here.

[Holly Gibbs]

Wow, you've got a population of 15,001 of them has gone around the moon and back.

[Brian Petrie]

It's unbelievable. You know, Jeremy went all through high school here. And everybody who knows Jeremy, he's a little bit older than myself, but they all knew he was going to do big things. There was no doubt about that. And it's just a great story of small town dreams becoming the reality on the biggest stage there is.

[Holly Gibbs]

How excited are people of Ingersoll that one of their own has achieved going on this mission.

[Brian Petrie]

Everybody's just super positive and you know, Jeremy's a fantastic individual and he's, he's such a nice human being and so everybody is just pumped for him and they're all behind him and his family, his mom and dad still live here. And so it's just, it's, it's unbelievable to a lot of us that, you know, this is happening. He's been working on it for a long time, but it's just, it's just happiness all the way around that someone from our town is, is really achieving their dreams not only for, for this town, but for Canada. And you know, when I woke up this morning, I looked out my back. The moon looks a little bit different now. And I think that's, I think everybody in town will feel that. You know, when you look up there, you can see that there's a piece of Ingersoll up there.

[Holly Gibbs]

And how are the locals celebrating?

[Brian Petrie]

There's been a lot of individual celebrations. Everybody's been getting together to watch the, the news as it happens, the launch specifically, and then around the moon. But our high school, our local high school where Jeremy went to school there, you know, they've been fantastic at having a, what they call the Artemis 2 club. When I was in high school, people couldn't wait to get out of town. They didn't see the, the benefits of small town. But stories like this show that doesn't matter where you grow up, if you have big dreams, you can. You can go all the way to the moon and around it and be successful in small towns, really. I don't want anybody out of our youth or past or present to think that just because they don't live in a big metropolis that they can't do things that they really want to put their mind to. And certainly not everybody can be an astronaut. But really it is. There's no limit to where you come from. You put in the hard work and you follow your dreams. And having that little piece of Ingersoll, being able to say we can take part in that is. It means a lot.

[Holly Gibbs]

So why are people so excited by the Artemis 2 mission? I spoke to two former NASA astronauts, Nicole Stott and Steve Swanson, and asked them exactly that.

[Nicole Stott]

There is just this awe and wonder that's presented through the way these missions are flown through the vantage point of the place that we're in. And you think about these four human beings that are traveling further than any human have ever traveled off of our planet. That's a pretty exciting thing to think about. And then the fact that they're able to share that experience with us live inside of, you know, of their Orion spacecraft and, you know, the opportunity to experience who and where we all are in space together this way, I think it's. I think it's attractive to everyone and it should be.

[Holly Gibbs]

Steve, what about you?

[Steve Swanson]

I think as humans, we like to explore and go new places. And so this is definitely watching somebody else go to this really new place. Yes, we've been there before, but this is something that they have never seen in person. And to see them and get to feel the same things because they do such a good job of explaining their emotions, what they're seeing out the window, everything like that, that I think they're taking everybody along and they're doing such a good job of being welcoming to everybody out there that we all feel like we're with them on that trip.

[Holly Gibbs]

And Steve, how encouraging have you found this reaction for the future of people wanting to become astronauts and wanting to go to space?

[Steve Swanson]

Well, I'd say yes. Not just people wanting to go to space, but people who like the space exploration as a field or an industry. I have students that I work with on that, and everybody's watching. All the students have that live stream going all the time right now. It's just fantastic to see. Every time, you know, going to class, everybody's watching that. And so I think that's just fantastic. That has not happened before on any of our ISS flights, which, as Nicole pointed out, are still fantastic things, but it just doesn't seem to get the attention as much. But this one sure is, and it's just great to see the excitement these students have for this adventure.

[Holly Gibbs]

And Nicole, I wonder if I could ask you a bit of a personal question here. How does it feel to you to see the first woman to orbit the moon?

[Nicole Stott]

I'm certainly excited about it. I, I think what we have in the crew that's on board Artemis II right now is just, you know, this wonderful representation of the astronaut corps in general. You know, we've got all flavor human beings that are trained and capable and selectable as crew members to, you know, to represent us on these missions. And it makes me really happy to that we put that in place with this crew. I'm hoping we get to the point where we're not even talking about it anymore, right? Where it just is here. We've got this cadre of people. We're picking them. We're not even thinking about it. But I think it's worth mentioning, just like it's worth mentioning that we have the first international partner traveling to the moon on this mission and the first person of color. I mean, it's about connecting with humanity. And I think this crew is the best we've had at representing that.

[Holly Gibbs]

What is your favorite thing about space?

[Nicole Stott]

There's not just one memory. It like all wraps up into one big beautiful memory to me and it, it's affected by, you know, the people I got to share it with. The mission that we're on, that's off the Earth for the Earth, the floating, you know, you can't, it's just something you can't describe this ability to move and, but all of that kind of, you know, kind of is focused on this outside of the work, this experience that we have viewing Earth from space.

[Holly Gibbs]

And Steve, what about you?

[Steve Swanson]

Yeah, very similar. I mean, we had so much fun in that environment. But looking back at our planet, it is one very, very beautiful. I enjoyed. I could just be sit for an hour just watching the planet go by and seeing all different things about it, watching the seasons change on the planet. And then the viewpoint though, is just fantastic for realizing that we are just one species on this planet and that we are all just a group of people on a spaceship in this vast universe. And one, we need to take care of it, and two, we need to treat each other as, you know, sisters and brothers and stuff like that.

[Holly Gibbs]

Nicole Stott and Steve Swanson. Next month, a garden inspired by people living with Parkinson's disease will be installed at a major hospital here in the uk. A garden for every Parkinson's journey was designed by Aret Anderson, who invited other gardeners who have the disease and their loved ones to help bring it to life. Are it told me the reasons why she wanted to create it.

[Aret Anderson]

My sister has Parkinson's, so in my ideal world, I wouldn't be designing this garden. However, she has a condition and an opportunity arose for us to get funding from Product Giving Back. And it was just too good an opportunity to be able to talk about Parkinson's on a world stage under the fabulous guise of being on a garden. And gardening is something that can help people with Parkinson's. The planting style that we or that I've gone for on the garden is one that has familiarity. This is not about bringing in plants that are on the brink of extinction or any of that type of thing. This is about having familiar plants and plants that actually at the workshop, when I was with all of those gardeners who have the condition, they gave me some of their favorite plants. So I'm hoping that we're going to be representing as many of those throughout the gardens. I really want the garden to convey the power of how a garden can help people with, you know, long standing conditions. And I want it to convey it in a way that is still full of joy, a place where people can gather and that people can know that a garden has a place as part of their well being, basically.

[Holly Gibbs]

And is there anything that you've incorporated that's specific to your sister's experience of Parkinson's?

[Aret Anderson]

Well, I had the opportunity to work with a community of gardeners who happen to have Parkinson's. And what we did was have a look at some of the symptoms that they experienced. So things like walking, walking can be difficult if you have Parkinson's or you need to have space to walk alongside somebody or be in a wheelchair. So having a wider path than normal was something that we really thought about also as well. One of the precursor symptoms of Parkinson's is called anosmia, which is loss of smell. And we wanted to just sort of acknowledge the fact that this loss of smell is something that is a, is a real symptom. And so we have a plant, a rose, sorry, that has been specially commissioned for Parkinson's and that actually will go on to raise money for Parkinson's uk.

[Holly Gibbs]

What do you want people to think and feel when they see this garden?

[Aret Anderson]

Just welcoming to make it really Feel like it's a place of sanctuary and that actually that whether you have the condition or you don't have the condition, that you can sit side by side, a loved one and enjoy the experience of being surrounded by plants.

[Holly Gibbs]

What is your favourite part of the garden?

[Aret Anderson]

Well, favourite part of the garden, that's like having a favourite child. One of the elements of the garden that I hope will really work is the. We're calling it the hand drill. It's sort of a play on words of a handrail and is not only structurally beautiful, it's. Imagine that you have a handrail, handrail height, but it's going to have water running through it. So it's given the functional element of support. Should somebody be walking and then just need to stop for a moment, they can put their hand and rest upon it. But there's also another symptom of Parkinson's called freezing, where literally the brain can't computate what it's doing at that time and it stops and you physically freeze. And what you need to have sometimes is a sound or something that kind of triggers the brain to move on again. So this hand drill will not only sort of have this, like I say, a very functional opportunity, but it'll also be there to maybe enable people to kind of come out of potentially a freezing episode.

[Holly Gibbs]

How does it feel to use your sister as inspiration?

[Aret Anderson]

I mean, obviously, it's a difficult and emotional. Very emotional experience for both of us, I guess. Yeah, it's going to be sort of emotional, but I'm incredibly proud of my sister. We want to just make sure that this garden represents every person in the Parkinson's community, whether they have the condition, whether they're a loved one or. Or a friend that we're for you and that we see you and we hear you.

[Holly Gibbs]

One of the gardeners who worked on it is Anna Edwards. I spoke to her and started by asking her about the specific features of the garden.

[Anna Edwards]

It's got sort of several areas that are really important and. And it partly reflects that. It's. Yeah, it's a disease that is sort of manifold. There's about 40 symptoms people can have and it's. Everyone's got their individual journey with this. For me, I think one of the most important areas is the handville. Another part of the garden is a shelter, beautifully designed. And the idea really behind that is very much that a lot of people with Parkinson's, their sleep is very much impacted. They sleep really badly. And the shelter is somewhere where people can use that garden at night. I would love people to understand why some of the features are as they are and to get a chance to explain that and show that to them. But it's beauty, as well as the message of more understanding about Parkinson's as a. As a disorder, how complicated it is. I had a big mental health crisis sort of about a year into my diagnosis, which came out of nowhere, really, and hit me like a ton of bricks. And that was a time where I was very depressed, very anxious. Yeah, that was a really scary period of my life. And at that point, I have to say, even my garden couldn't really entice me because I was just so low and so unmotivated. As I got better again and was able to garden again and was able to enjoy these things again, I'm sure that is part of the picture of staying well is being outside.

[Holly Gibbs]

Why is it important that we show health conditions like Parkinson's in creative ways, like a garden?

[Anna Edwards]

I mean, I think it's certainly one way to communicate what that condition looks like and what is helpful to people with that condition. And I think, you know, it's partly. It's important that that's done in a beautiful way.

[Holly Gibbs]

So what will happen to the garden? So it's going on display in May.

[Anna Edwards]

So when the clouds and flower show is over, this garden will be moved to Oxford to a hospital, is a center of excellence for neurology, and will then be used on a daily basis by people with Parkinson's, by their families, by carers. I just love the idea that over time, this will, yeah, be a haven for people.

[Holly Gibbs]

How proud are you to be part of it?

[Anna Edwards]

Oh, my God. It means the world to me. I mean, the thought of little me standing on a garden in the Chelsea Flower show and explaining to people why the garden is designed as it was and answer their questions and answer questions they may have about Parkinson's. It's huge, and I'm so proud of it. It's just wonderful. And I mean, I'm so excited. It's ridiculous. I'm sort of like a kid waiting for Christmas at the moment.

[Holly Gibbs]

Anna Edwards to New Zealand and a double rescue mission. Jessica Johnson and her dog Molly were hiking in a remote part of the country's south island when Jessica slipped and fell down a drop of more than 50 meters. Jessica was airlifted to safety, but Molly, the dog, was missing, and the chances of finding her were tiny. After a nationwide crowdfunding campaign and the help of volunteers who refused to give up, Molly was rescued a week later. Here's the Moment that Molly and an injured Jessica were reunited, BBC's Julian Waraker spoke to Lillian Newton from Precision Helicopters, the company that led this rescue mission.

[Julian Waraker]

It started off a week before, on 24 March, before Molly was found, where I got a text message from a friend of mine that another friend of theirs had fallen down a waterfall and that she'd lost her dog, Molly. We are the closest helicopter business and the spot where she lost Molly is so remote it would take multiple days to walk in there and you'd have to be extremely experienced at walking in the our point to rain. So we took it upon us to look for Molly off our own backs and our own budget. We took our helicopter out and looked for her, but we were unsuccessful. We had three attempts and we had had no luck. So that's when we decided, I had a gut feeling she was still alive, that I would approach the public and see if anyone would be interested in helping us fund a mission.

[BBC Announcer]

And they were. I mean, the crowdfunding campaign worked, didn't it? Yes.

[Julian Waraker]

I was overwhelmed. I. I had a goal of $2,400 to fly the helicopter there and back. And I looked at the account at nine o' clock at night and there was eleven and a half thousand dollars. Wow. There. So I, I removed the bank account and told everyone to please stop donating.

[BBC Announcer]

So you got the helicopter.

[Julian Waraker]

Embarrassing.

[BBC Announcer]

And volunteers came forward as well to help. Once you'd flown to the right spot,

[Julian Waraker]

my phone, it just wouldn't stop ringing. I had so many people wanting. I decided to just stop at 10 because I didn't want too many people. I had to be very careful that nobody else got injured in the process of trying to look for Molly. Yeah, it was pretty amazing.

[BBC Announcer]

How is Jessica now? Because obviously she was injured when she fell.

[Julian Waraker]

When I seen her, she was bruised from head to toe and covered in scratches. It's quite remarkable that she didn't get more injured or die. She landed luckily in the water, which broke her fall. But she was also very heartbroken until we pulled off this event. For Jessica, Molly was her life. She was her family. You could see. And she does lots of backcountry adventures, tramping everywhere with Molly. And I could understand how she felt

[BBC Announcer]

and how much of New Zealand has been following this story as it's unfolded.

[Julian Waraker]

I think the whole country, plus then the rest of the world. I could not believe how far it took off. It's incredible. Like our little, little business. We've only got three employees and that's myself, my dad and my Mum. It's just crazy.

[Holly Gibbs]

Lillian Newton. Coming up on the Happy Pot.

[Faith Harrison]

There's no other feeling in any other part of my life that you get from scoring a match changing goal. You know that euphoria. I don't think there's anywhere else where I'd feel that.

[Holly Gibbs]

The rise of power Chair football

[Faith Harrison]

Foreign.

[Holly Gibbs]

You're listening to the Happy Pod.

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Yes, please.

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[Holly Gibbs]

memorial benches with engraved plaques can be found in public parks and gardens around the world. And usually they're to commemorate someone who is no longer with us. But a young woman in the UK has just had a bench put up and named after her in honor of her surviving. Faith Harrison was 22 years old when she had a seven hour heart attack. She was told by doctors she was lucky to be alive. Now she's on a mission to inspire others to simply live life. The BBC's Chloe Hughes went along to meet Faith at her new bench.

[Faith Harrison]

Before my heart attack, I was a weightlifter, bodybuilder, strength training, but really just lived a carefree lifestyle, I guess. I think at that age of 22, you think you're invincible. Straight after, I was pretty much told the heart function was really, really poor, which just meant my body organs weren't getting enough blood to support everything that I needed to do. I was told if I didn't respond to medication, I'd need an icd, so a defib fitted in case of a dangerous arrhythmia to shock me. And the potential again if my medication really didn't work, that I would need a heart transplant, which I don't think I would ever have heard those words. But I didn't realize at the time how much damage my heart attack had actually done to me and what the consequence of a heart attack actually is.

[Holly Gibbs]

How has that changed your life?

[Faith Harrison]

It changed it completely. I think it did a 180, but I think it did a 180 for the best reasons. I looked at, like, completely different. I started to take care of myself more physically, mentally and emotionally, especially mindfulness. I stepped away from, obviously, strength training and went into Pilates, which then led to opening my own studio, which is going really, really well. And I'm really happy about it. I think everyone, everything in life went on a flip side, but the best side it could have done.

[Holly Gibbs]

I'm just onto the bench now. Then why here?

[Faith Harrison]

I mean, it's a lovely, lovely view anyway, so you can sit here and just talk and talk about life and what we're grateful for, but also to reminisce people who maybe didn't survive cardiovascular disease and being able to raise awareness and educate and also, you know, for the people who did survive, looking at them and saying, go, live your life, have a good time.

[Holly Gibbs]

How do you feel when you sit here?

[Faith Harrison]

Do you come here often? Yeah, we come every time that we actually walk around Shoes. But it's come our little but to have a drink and sit and talk. For me, it's not about me. The bench really isn't it. It does go for everyone that's got cardiovascular disease. In order to educate and raise awareness. My outlook was, don't care what anyone's got to say, do whatever feels good for you, try your best, and you'll never know if it's going to work unless you give it a go. And as much as life gets uncomfortable and, you know, horrible at times, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. I want people to realize that living is a luxury, you know, in terms of being able to walk and talk and see their loved ones. A lot of those things people don't have and we do take for granted. So as simple as being able to walk is a luxury. So take more opportunities in life and just do more, essentially.

[Holly Gibbs]

Faith Harrison speaking to Chloe Hughes. A couple in the Netherlands have held their wedding at one of the busiest railway stations in the country. And it's not for their love of transport, but to start a conversation about sustainability. The BBC's Branke Lesser Dixaar has the details.

[Branka Lesser Dixaar]

Utrecht CENTRAL Station, Netherlands Busiest rail Station, not the usual setting for a wedding, but it's where this Dutch couple, 42 year old Lara Peters and Mattis Dordregde, who was 44, decided to tie the knot, surrounded by their guests, but also hundreds of passing commuters. It wasn't a love of trains that drove the couple to choose this unique venue for the ceremony. They wanted to make a statement. The theme of their wedding was sustainability and the idea was to make it as green as possible. All those attending wore secondhand clothes, including the bride who found her pre loved dress two days before the big day.

[Faith Harrison]

We did a little work on it to make it really fit and now it's fantastic. Yeah, I love it. I'm very confident and I will be walking down the aisle with great confidence.

[Branka Lesser Dixaar]

Matthias says weddings are the ideal moment to raise awareness of overconsumption.

[BBC Announcer]

Well, it's important because at the moment there are too many clothes in the world and a lot of clothes are not wear that many times. And especially with wedding clothes, it's just wear one times mostly. So I think this is a good sign to also spread the word that it is possible to do it with all clothes. No new clothes to do a whole wedding.

[Branka Lesser Dixaar]

And the sustainability theme didn't stop at the clothes. The wedding meal was vegetarian and all guests travel to the venue on bikes or by public transportation. Lara says she hopes the event inspires other couples to make greener choices too.

[Faith Harrison]

I hope with our wedding that other couples choose sustainable as well and choose secondhand clothes and sustainable transport and you can arrange everything. That's what we show.

[Holly Gibbs]

That report was from Branca Lesa di Sa. Finally, power chair football is one of the fastest growing disability sports around the world. It's a version of the game designed for people who use electric wheelchairs. And the Sports World cup is taking place in Argentina later this year. The BBC's disability correspondent Nikki Fox went along to try it out.

[Nikki Fox]

Fast, competitive and technical, this is a sport that enables people who use powered wheelchairs to play football at a very high level. Greg Baxter plays for Teesside.

[BBC Announcer]

My disability has taken me to places that I couldn't have imagined.

[Nikki Fox]

Power chair players control high tech chairs that spin and manoeuvre the ball at dizzying speed. Kath Goldsborough has been playing since the early days.

[Faith Harrison]

There's no other feeling in any other part of my life that you get from scoring a match changing goal. You know, that euphoria. I don't think there's anywhere else where I'd feel that.

[Nikki Fox]

Many of these players have a disability that impacts their muscle strength and there just aren't the opportunities.

[Faith Harrison]

I've always loved sports like a young age, but I never could quite really get involved with it.

[Nikki Fox]

David D is 15. He was told he'd never play football. Now he's a rising star at Manchester United Power Chair fc.

[Faith Harrison]

I get to compete in a sport that I actually want to be in without any other carer or assistant helping me. I can't imagine my life without it.

[BBC Announcer]

It's when it turns. I tell you what, I've got a bit of vertigo.

[Nikki Fox]

I've got a similar disability to a lot of these players and find it hard to play any kind of of sport. So I was not expecting to be training with an England head coach.

[Faith Harrison]

This is so, like, sensitive.

[Nikki Fox]

Oh, my goodness.

[Brian Petrie]

Absolutely. Try and get as nice and close to the cones as you can, but not hit the cones. Good. Go, Nikki, go.

[Nikki Fox]

This is Adam McAvoy putting me through my paces. I'm probably not going to be scouted anytime soon, but when it comes to internationals, England are on top.

[Brian Petrie]

One of the best power chair teams in the world. We have the. That high level of expectation, quality of players. We're trying to win Europeans and obviously World Cups later on this year. So I'm going to roll it to you and I want you to turn towards it, okay? To score.

[Nikki Fox]

Smack it.

[Brian Petrie]

Go there. Perfect.

[Nikki Fox]

I whipped through the back of the neck, baby.

[Holly Gibbs]

Nikki Fox reporting. And that's. That's all from the happy pod for now. We'd love to hear from you. As ever, the address is globalpodcastbc.co.uk. the editor of this edition is Karen Martin. I'm Holly Gibbs. Until next time. Goodbye.

[BBC Announcer]

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