Café Hope is our virtual Radio 4 coffee shop with Rachel Burden, where guests pop in for a brew and a chat to tell us what they're doing to make the world a better place in big and small ways. We're all about trying to make change. It might be a transformational project that helps an entire community, or it might be about trying to make one life a little bit easier. Trying is the key, because this is real life, and not everything goes smoothly. In Café Hope we hear about the struggles and the triumphs in equal measure.
The director of Reclaim The Sea, Rebecca Wetten, tells Rachel Burden how the nonprofit organisation teaches refugees and asylum seekers swimming, surfing and paddleboarding to help them move past trauma and not fear the sea.
Café Hope is our virtual Radio 4 coffee shop, where guests pop in for a brew and a chat to tell us what they're doing to make things better in big and small ways. Think of us as sitting in your local café, cooking up plans, hearing the gossip, and celebrating the people making the world a better place.
We're all about trying to make change. It might be a transformational project that helps an entire community, or it might be about trying to make one life a little bit easier. And the key here is in the trying. This is real life. Not everything works, and there are struggles along the way. But it's always worth a go.
You can contact us on cafehope@bbc.co.uk (mailto:cafehope@bbc.co.uk)
Presenter: Rachel Burden
Series Producer: Uma Doraiswamy
Sound Design: Cameron Ward
Editor: Tom Bigwood
28 Sept 2026
Fatherhood forum
Founder of the Good Dads Club, Matt Krishnan-Bird, tells Rachel Burden how the support group for fathers helps men in Essex share the highs and lows of parenting. There's now over 400 members and they can take part in organised strolls and events giving the fathers a chance to meet one another. He says they share tips on weaning, sleep deprivation, and how to become a better partner.
Café Hope is our virtual Radio 4 coffee shop, where guests pop in for a brew and a chat to tell us what they're doing to make things better in big and small ways. Think of us as sitting in your local café, cooking up plans, hearing the gossip, and celebrating the people making the world a better place.
We're all about trying to make change. It might be a transformational project that helps an entire community, or it might be about trying to make one life a little bit easier. And the key here is in the trying. This is real life. Not everything works, and there are struggles along the way. But it's always worth a go.
You can contact us on cafehope@bbc.co.uk (mailto:cafehope@bbc.co.uk)
Presenter: Rachel Burden
Series Producer: Uma Doraiswamy
Sound Design: Cameron Ward
Editor: Tom Bigwood
21 Sept 2026
Ginnel gardens
Yasmine El-Gabry tells Rachel Burden how she and her neighbours met when they decided to clean up and transform their shared alleyway. What was once a rubbish filled space, littered with everything from mattresses to old fridges, was transformed into a shared garden with lights and chairs where the neighbours could hang out whilst planting flowers and vegetables.
Café Hope is our virtual Radio 4 coffee shop, where guests pop in for a brew and a chat to tell us what they're doing to make things better in big and small ways. Think of us as sitting in your local café, cooking up plans, hearing the gossip, and celebrating the people making the world a better place.
We're all about trying to make change. It might be a transformational project that helps an entire community, or it might be about trying to make one life a little bit easier. And the key here is in the trying. This is real life. Not everything works, and there are struggles along the way. But it's always worth a go.
You can contact us on cafehope@bbc.co.uk (mailto:cafehope@bbc.co.uk)
Presenter: Rachel Burden
Series Producer: Uma Doraiswamy
Sound Design: Cameron Ward
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Who has been a guest on Café Hope
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Nikki Dravers
Lemn Sissay
Nicola Marshall
Shashi Patel
Deepan Patel
Podcast Authority Score: 42 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
72
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
27
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Books guests
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