We're starting this edition with a recipe for those of you that have not yet made a Christmas Pudding. You may remember in our Autumn edition Val Swarbrick told us something of the history of darts and she left us with instructions on how to prepare the Darters Christmas Pudding which is read for us by Christopher Doman.
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Interview by Geoffrey Archer with Gillian Keegan MP
Gillian Keegan talks to Geoffrey Archer about her early life, her career, how she became involved with politics and some of her views on loacal issues.
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I Keep My Snowman in the Freezer
Arctic winds blowing across Sussex have not yet brought us any snow this Winter, but here's a little foretaste in case they do. Madeline Doman reads I Keep My Snowman in the Freezer by Iain McMillan
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Cycle Race. Interview by Dick Bunker with Nigel Brooks
Nigel has been putting time into getting fit enought to take part in one of the great events of the cycling calendar. Here he talks with Dick Bunker.
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King John's Christmas
History has not dealt kindly with King John, despite him signing the Magna Carta, but A A Milne made him in a sympathetic character in King John's Christmas read for us by Christopher Doman
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Brewing in Sussex
Christmas and New Year are usually celebrated with a drink of alcohol. University of Chichester lecturer Doctor David Muggleton is so fascinated by beer and brewing he has written a whole book about the industry in Susses. Our producer Alicia Denny persuaded him to talk about it.
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Christmas Dinner at Mount Vernon
Still on the subject of food and drink, we cross the Atlantic to hear from Christopher Doman about the menu for a Christmas dinner prepared for George and Martha Washington and their guests in 1790.
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Old Sussex Superstitions
We're returning to Sussex to hear about the superstitions and curious beliefs of old Sussex, as collected and written down by W H Johnson. Chris Aldred reads an Observer article published about his book in 2009.
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Solent Male Voice Choir and the History of Singing
Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without the carols and festive songs we know and love and in recent years there has been a resurgence in the popularity of community choirs. For our final item, three people have linked up for this piece; Geoff Porter is an experienced musical director, while his wife Marion, who regularly presents for Talking News, tells us about the history of singing. They're joined on this recording by the Chairman of Talking News, David McVittie, who is a member of the Solent Male Voice Choir.
The Choir was recorded at St Faith's Church Hall, Havant.