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 Thanks to some help from WEA Tutors Jean Jeffcoate and Fionnuala McGregor Eadie and their students, a new BBC radio drama series is now underway. The radio ‘soap’ focuses on the lives of a fictional group of people living in the Oxford Road area of Reading in Berkshire, and will be broadcast three times a week until the end of August.
The story lines and characters in the drama have been inspired by the life and times of local people and Jean and her student colleagues have participated in a series of workshops to help the writers reflect the real character and cultural mix of Oxford Road. The road is often thought of as a centre for drugs and prostitution but co-writer for the series Mike Walker, has taken material from the workshops to show the more positive side of life on the street.
Jean herself is a part of the Oxford Road history having worked as a WEA Tutor Organiser there for over ten years. Her hard work has helped to ensure that each year members of the local community have an opportunity to join courses and classes of interest to them – and thanks to Jean’s fundraising activities a brand new WEA Learning Centre is about to open in the area.
 In addition to their involvement in the drama workshops, some of Jean’s students will also feature in a series of outside broadcasts by Radio Berkshire as they come to the Oxford Road to introduce listeners to the real people behind the soap – and a visit to the WEA’s new learning centre is even on the cards.
The show’s producer Duncan McLarty has expressed his thanks to Jean and the group for their help and described them as a ‘delight’ to work with.
Understandably Jean and colleagues are well chuffed at their spot in the limelight but there are no plans for any changes of career just yet!
The Oxford Road Story will be broadcast at 12.30pm on BBC Radio Berkshire every Monday, Wednesday and Friday until 29th August. You can listen to all episodes online at BBC Radio Berkshire as well as read interviews and features about the production.
Images reproduced by kind permission of BBC Radio Berkshire.©BBC Radio Berkshire.
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September News