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Tributes & Reviews

Throughout my lifetime I strived to make meaning from the circumstances I had to fight to overcome. Ladder to Nowhere was the first shot of making my journey meaningful as I strive for a better society.

Needless to say, I have encountered so many who are on the same journey. I am fortunate enough to have been able to work with astounding individuals who share a passion to end poverty and the social injustices that stem from it. These humans found the resilience to open up aching wounds to share their stories alongside my own. Together we have successfully shone a light on the trauma that avoidable UK hardship causes, whether directly or indirectly.

To be clear, the shattering of peace that poverty and class systems create, in addition to the mis-representation and under-representation of the layers within it, brought to us all through airwaves, screens and print, to correct the inaccuracies.

I hope that we all get the chance to bear witness to social and personal justice finally being administered to so many, as they desperately deserve.

Thank you. From the bottom of my heart … THANK YOU!

Reviews

Ladder to Somewhere

Mum – Valerie Ward NO WEBSITE – you’d have to go round for a cuppa!
Producer & Drama Writer – Hugh Costello

Media Production & Sound – Whistledown, David Prest

More mentions to follow – you’ve all been fabulous, thank you!

Ladder to Nowhere:

Mum – Valerie Ward NO WEBSITE – you’d have to go round for a cuppa!
Producer & Drama Writer – Hugh Costello
Media Production & Sound – Whistledown, David Prest

Trafford Youth Worker – David Esdaille & Laquan Esdaille
The Movez Movement – Anton Penrose
HBHM (Healthy Body Healthy Mind) – Devon Dixon & Michelle Jervis
All FM Co-Show Host & Presenter – Kim Barnwell
Mothers Against Violence – Patsy McKie 
Gang Wars author & Milo Books Publisher – Peter Walsh
Ex-CID – Pete Johnson
Manchester University Senior Lecturer in Human Geography – Dr Martin Dodge

Together, we took a relatively misunderstood matter and created a ‘factual’ account to support fairer’ understanding … true representation!

Yentl Reunion

Senior Producer – Stephen Hughes
Presenters – Antonia Quirk

Finding the Treasure – Good News from the Estates

Producer – Simon Jarvis
Estates Evangelism Task Group – Reverend Al Barrett, parish priest in Hodge Hill and Convenor of the Estates Theology project.

William Temple Church, Manchester – Wythenshaw

St. Chads Church, Birmingham – Rubery

Holy Trinity Church, Kent – Twydall

Founder

PODIUM.MEPodium.me is a team of young journalists using their smartphones to record the stories and opinions of the under 25s from around the world. You can pitch your podcast ideas, whether it’s news, sport, music or simply a friend with something to say and we make short, honest podcasts, and blogs you can’t afford to miss. Camilla Byk.

Tributes

ARIAS 2020:

Best Factual Series – Ladder To Nowhere

Radio TodayLiza Ward, Hugh Costello and David Prest after picking up the award for Best Factual Series at the ARIAS 2020.

Their programme told Liza’s story of how she became caught up in a web of gang culture in 1990s Manchester

Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed Ladder To Nowhere last week. An excellent production.
Liza was superb – honest, engaging, but fearless in delving into the tough emotional consequences of her story. Please pass on my congratulations.
It was genuinely compelling.

Peter Walsh - Author of Gang Wars - Journalist & Publisher

Congratulations, this is really impressive and interesting. I will share on my twitter now.

Richard Harrington
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Harrington_(politician)

Hello, I’ve been listening to your radio programme and think it’s brilliant. Are you making a TV series of it? If not, shall we make one 🙂

Susi Paz

Hi Liza, Congrats on the new role. Keen to firm up plans for you to be our keynote at our first Girls Conference in the summer term. Are you still open to this? We still talk about ladder to nowhere and the what it said to us… Regards Marc

Marc Cooper

Apologies but are you the Liza Ward from the radio series? If you are I just wanted to say how much I got from that series as I had many similarities in my background.

Kieran Kelly

‘Changing Lives’ podcast series launched January 2020. See ‘Sam’s Story’ on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, IHeart Radio @vermont_sarah.
I’ve just listened to the whole series. Incredible. You’ve got such a great voice, attitude to life and heart! Good luck tonight…

Sarah Vermont - BBC journalist turned garden designer

Liza,
I’m so pleased that we finally did it .. after our moonlit conversation on the roof of Penguin Random House! Both you and Hugh utterly nailed it in tone, style, narrative and all that stuff that makes gripping radio – the things we talk about endlessly in our wanky media way, and in interminable commissioning meetings!
But we have to remember that your story was at the heart of it. And told with honesty, directness, humour, and complete clarity. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone presenting a Radio 4 programme break down half way through a link, and then calmly recover themselves and resume duties. In all honesty, that was one of the most powerful things I’ve ever heard.
The way you dealt with what were clearly painful memories, the delicacy and humanity with which you recalled the relationships that you had, and in some cases still have, the empathy with those in the same position now, the calm explanation of the rationality of the irrational of it all…. It was just so stunning.

David Prest - Managing Director - Whistledown

@churchofengland
Listen to the third episode of our podcast, hosted by @lizajward1. Meet St Chad’s Church in Rubery, a parish that spans the Worcestershire/Birmingham border, and discover how boundaries, both real and perceived, impact estate parishes. http://cofe.io/EstatesPodcast3

I especially loved Tom’s comment as he received Best Presenter – Speech on Cathy Fitzgeralds behalf; ‘audio for real people’ is clearly happening!

The Church of England

@MaggieSimpson49
@lizajward1

Now I just sneaked a look at your timeline, and ended up listening to all 5 episodes of your radio programme. Wow! Clever you. And a big thing to do to share your story with the world. Proud of you.

Maggie Simpson

@CurranFarrell
If you’re looking for an honest and refreshing take on complex social issues, presented with a great deal of warmth, then look no further. It really is excellent
@lizajward1
@BBCRadio4

Farrell

OorWa
@oor_wa
Terrific podcast, thanks for sharing your story. I lived in MCR in ‘96, great town, great people but some of those areas were genuinely scary. Sure this will inspire others who listen

OorWa

I’m immersing myself in #podcasts and just caught up with @BBCRadio4’s A Ladder to Nowhere, hosted by Liza Ward. https://bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0002ltt…. incredibly moving and beautiful presented. Are you working on any others @lizajward1?

Deborah Doane

@lizajward1‘s personal account of a past gang life. Compelling listening! #gangs #mossside #hulme #1990’s #socialhistory #phoenix

bcky@RebekahWhatever

@missbingley2
@lizajward1
Just finished listening to Ladder to Nowhere. Thankyou for sharing your story. You have my total admiration.

fiona livesey

@williams_jamesw
Very moving series. Difficult issues dealt with but still left me with hope. Lots of ways for organisations to make a difference and offer a ladder to something better. Well worth a listen to all 5 episodes.

James Williams

@ouestlachat
Just finished listening to #Laddertonowhere @lizajward1. Found it really hard as it had so much resonance with my own experience of growing up in Moss Side, living with an alcoholic, violent parent. I’m weirdly grateful for my old life and the person it made me. #writer

Maria Gibbons
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