Eastern Promise - The Podcast

This week:  With the Summer holidays upon us, what better time to explore Watatunga Wildlife Reserve in the company of Reserve Operations Manager, Molly Ruder!  
Join Molly and your host, Mike Rigby, as they head into Watatunga's 170 acres of breathtaking woodland, grassland and lakes  - a stunning recreation of the natural habitat of the endangered deer and antelope from across Africa and Asia that now reside just south of Kings Lynn. 
You'll hear about the Watatunga ethos of animal care, the inspiration behind the park and learn about some of the furred and feathered characters that call the park home, not least Water Buffaloes Rocket and Slice, and Hattie the Eurasian Crane. 
Why not give Watatunga a try for a Summer Safari?  You can find out more at: https://watatunga.co.uk/ 
For more information about Eastern Promise, to listen to our back catalogue or to contact us, visit: https://easternpromise.org.uk.
The Eastern Promise podcast was made in The Podding Shed in partnership with Mills & Reeve: https://mills-reeve.com. 
 
 

This Week: I'm chatting to journalist-turned-visionary Shiv Malik, as Eastern Promise takes a look at Forest City 1.
It's an exciting scheme that's certainly turning heads, as well as both asking big questions about how we want to live our lives in the future, and providing one possible answer. 
The scheme, which has attracted some controversy(!), proposes that a city be built between Newmarket and Haverhill, at a scale that allows it to be infrastructure first and with a vision of municipal life last seen in the Garden City movement.  
Eastern Promise host Mike Rigby met with Shiv at the National Trust's Hatfield Forest in Essex to discuss how the vision for Forest City 1 originated, what the proposal actually entails, and what the scheme might deliver for the region beyond its bounds. 
It's a fascinating insight into a bold proposal.
To find out more about Forest City 1 click here: https://www.forestcity.uk/.
To find out more about Eastern Promise, to contact us and to listen to our back catalogue, visit our website here: https://easternpromise.org.uk.
 
 

This week: Welcome you to the brickmakers' city, which sits across the main arteries of communication for all four points of the compass!  This is the Beginner's Guide to PETERBOROUGH!
Our panel of local and sector specialists are:
ARU Peterborough's Assistant Principal (PFHEA) Professor Tom Williamson;
 
Multi-hat wearing local champion Al Kingsley MBE;
MD of Cap Air Systems, board member and advanced manufacturing advocate Katy Davies; and
Engagement Manager at the Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce and Trustee of Peterborough Cathedral Connor Butler.
Together, the panel identify the heart and soul of Peterborough, the engines of growth and innovation in the city, and their hopes for the coming years as exciting projects are rolled out and the Mayoral Development Corporation gathers pace.
And, speaking of the Mayor of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, Paul Bristow, he and Leader of Peterborough City Council, Cllr Dr. Shabina Quayyum open this episode by underlining the potential of Peterborough, as well as some inspired dining recommendations! 
But there's more love for Peterborough in another Eastern Insight from resident of the city and regional hotelier Gez Chetal!  
It's all in Peterborough so listen in and then get going! 
You can find out more about Eastern Promise, listen to our back catalogue or contact us by visiting: https://easternpromise.org.uk
This episode of Eastern Promise was made in The Podding Shed in partnership with Mills & Reeve: Achieving more, together. 

From the sun-kissed garden of O2H Group's UK HQ, Hauxton House, Eastern Promise brings you our contribution to Cambridge Wide Open Week 2026:
'Everything you ever wanted to know about Cambridge (but were afraid to ask)...'
Your host Mike Rigby has the questions and we've assembled an incredible panel who have the answers!  They are:
Harriet Fear MBE, multi-hat wearer, including beaing the chair of Cambridge Ahead and the Cambridge Science Centre;
Dr Julia Wilson, Director of Innovation and Impact at the Wellcome Sanger Institute;
Recruitment expert and disruptor talent scout, Joe Graziano of Sheffield Haworth; and
Constance Anker of the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority! 
We discuss the ingredients of the city's 'Secret Sauce', making opportunity available for all, whether you have to be good at networking in Cambridge to have a great network here, and more.  O2H's own Francois Meullenet and Sunil Shah also join the fun.
You can find out more about Cambridge Wide Open Week here, and you can sign up for 2027's celebration of the Capital City of Science here.  Well, go on then! 
To find out more about Eastern Promise, listen to our back catalogue and to contact us, visit https://easternpromise.org.uk.  
The Eastern Promise podcast is made in The Podding Shed and is proud to be supported by Mills & Reeve.

In this second part of our mammoth two-part roundtable featuring the UKRI-funded institutes and partners on the Norwich Research Park, we look at how these institutes communicate the impact of research, the commercialisation of discovery and the way science and research influence the policy-making process. 
Your host Mike Rigby chats with the returning stars of episode 174, who are:
Dr Matt Gilmour of the Quadram Institute: https://quadram.ac.uk/
Dr Agnieszka Witek of The Sainsbury Laboratory: https://www.tsl.ac.uk/
Dr Diego Durantini of The John Innes Centre: https://www.jic.ac.uk/
Doctoral candidate Jade van Wijk of the Earlham Institute: https://www.earlham.ac.uk/
Dr Sue Coleman of the University of East Anglia: https://www.uea.ac.uk/ and
Scott Cogman of Connected Innovation: https://connectedinnovation.co.uk/
We also welcome a special guest appearance from back in May - Prashant Shah of O2H Group and Cambridge Wide Open Week, recorded at #UKREiiF 2026 last month.
Join us now for this fascinating exploration of research and how it's used - plus our list of action-packed Action Points!
You can listen to the Eastern Promise back catalogue and contact the show at: https://easternpromise.org.uk or at podcast@easternpromise.org.uk
Eastern Promise is made in The Podding Shed in proud association with Mills & Reeve. 
 
 

This week: You join us for Part One of a mammoth two-part roundtable, taking in the UKRI-funded institutes and partners on the Norwich Research Park.  In this opening episode, your host Mike Rigby finds out more about the all-new Innovation Zone at this year's Royal Norfolk Show.  Joining us are:
Dr Matt Gilmour of the Quadram Institute: https://quadram.ac.uk/
Dr Agnieszka Witek of The Sainsbury Laboratory: https://www.tsl.ac.uk/
Dr Diego Duratini of The John Innes Centre: https://www.jic.ac.uk/
Doctoral candidate Jade van Wijk of the Earlham Institute: https://www.earlham.ac.uk/
Dr Sue Coleman of the University of East Anglia: https://www.uea.ac.uk/ and
Scott Cogman of Connected Innovation: https://connectedinnovation.co.uk/
The Royal Norfolk Show is the UK's largest two-day agricultural festival; very much Norfolk's shop window, pulling in tens of thousands of visitors each year.  That being so, finding out what the city's tight-knit scientific community can offer in the landmark innovation zone is very important.  And frankly, it sounds amazing!
The show is on until Thursday 25 June 2026 and you can buy your tickets here: https://royalnorfolkshow.co.uk/tickets/
You can listen to the Eastern Promise back catalogue and contact the show at: https://easternpromise.org.uk.
Eastern Promise is made in The Podding Shed in proud association with Mills & Reeve. 
 
 

This episode is about one of the biggest barriers to growth in the East of England — skills.
We're at the University of Cambridge’s Bennett School of Public Policy with a region-wide panel of experts from education, business and industry. We’re unpacking this recent report from the Bennett School that asks a vital question:
In a region with high employment, why do so many employers still struggle to find the skills they need — and so many young people still struggle to find clear pathways into good work?
We're also blessed with an amazing panel:
Gwen Bergius, Head of Business Development at Form the Future;
Charlotte Horobin, Chief Executive of the Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce; 
Suzanne Allen, Skills for Energy manager from the East of England Energy Group; and
Burcu Selvi, Researcher at the Bennett School of Public Policy. 
In this conversation, we go beyond the headlines to explore why skills policy can’t be separated from transport, housing and access; how SMEs can engage with the system; and what it really takes to build pathways into work, not just qualifications.  
Because this episode isn’t just about training.  It’s about opportunity — and what needs to happen so that young people across the East of England can actually reach it, and employers have the skills staff they need.
PLUS!  East of England hotelier and hospitality industry stalwart Gez Chetal shares his Eastern Insight, principally his work through Prismstart creating employment pathways for ex-offenders and vulnerable people.   
For more information on Eastern Promise, to listen to our back catalogue, and to contact us, visit https://easternpromise.org.uk.  
Eastern Promise is made in The Podding Shed and is proud to be supported by Mills & Reeve.
 

This Week: We join the East of England Energy Group (EEEGR) at the Norfolk Showground and Events Centre for the 2026 Southern North Sea conference.  It's the second day of this two-day event, and you get to come along as we visit stands in the exhibition hall, chatting to EEEGR members and luminaries.  These include Opergy CEO and member of the Suffolk Business Board, Johnathan Reynolds; Lowestoft Port Manager Tom Duit of Associated British Ports; Lillian Morter of Jarrold Training; ECITB scholar Luna Wilson; Dr Amy Kingston of Tide Medical; Richard Sheppard of SEEL;  Mark Walker of Norfolk County Council and an opening thought from Bill Cattenach OBE of the North Sea Transition Authority. 
Then, we get the closing thoughts of the Chair of EEEGR, Kevin Keable on a fantastic two-day event where the Energy Minister Michael Shanks MP addressed the conference on the opening day.  If you were ever in any doubt that the East of England has a uniquely diverse energy ecosystem, this should put the issue beyond doubt. 
Plus, we bring you our always-electrifying ACTION POINTS!  No offence to Michael Shanks, but we want Energy Secretary Ed Miliband next year for SNS2027!       
For more on the East of England Energy Group, visit: https://eeegr.com/.
To learn more about Eastern Promise, to contact us and to listen to our podcast back catalogue, visit: https://easternpromise.org.uk.
This episode was made in The Podding Shed in partnership with Mills & Reeve.   

This week: We're at the Norwich University of the Arts to discuss their recent report -'Beyond Entertainment' - on powering up the East of England's cutting-edge gaming industry.  
Your host Mike Rigby is joined by Professor Mark Wickham, lead gaming lecturer and an advisor to TIGA, the Independent Games Association.  Also on the panel for this wide-ranging discussion is Rebecca Cockerill, employment lawyer and Women In Tech specialist from our friends and partners at Mills & Reeve; and Robin Milton - founder of Fairer Games, lecturer and member of the Norfolk Business Board.    
Join us as we dig into the conclusions and recommendations and enjoy a wide-ranging discussion.  The read the report yourself, click here: https://norwichuni.ac.uk/app/uploads/2025/11/Beyond-Entertainment-Report-Norwich-University-of-the-Arts.pdf
For more information on Eastern Promise, to listen to our back catalogue, or to contact us, visit https://easternpromise.org.uk.
The Eastern Promise podcast episode #171 was made in The Podding Shed in proud association with Mills & Reeve.
 

The second day of the UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum 2026 (aka #UKREiiF) was, contrary to expectations, packed with awesome, timely, and thought provoking panels and the opportunity to chat to key figures from the East of England and beyond. That's why our Day Two round-up is a MONSTER!
What's that?  You want examples?  Very well, try this on for size...
Lowestoft MP Jess Asato chairing the 'Coastal Communities Rising' panel;
Dr Andy Williams, Chair of the Oxford Cambridge Supercluster Board;
Leader of Peterborough City Council, Dr Shabina Qayyum;
Sandra Dineen, Chair of Bullen Group;
Matt Francis, Head of Science and Technology at Oxford Innovation Space;
Prashant Shah, Co-Founder of O2H Group & Cambridge Wide Open Week;
AI avatar 'Penny' and Dominik Vagner, both of 1956 Individuals;
Shiv Malik, CEO of ACDC;
Phil Harker, Technical Director at The Cambridge Growth Company;
Peter Cushing, Light Rail Commissioner for the Cambs & Peterborough Combined Authority;
Jane Hutchins, Director of the Cambridge Science Park; and 
Mike Rigby, CEO & Executive Producer at Eastern Promise!
Plus!  One very extra-special guest: Science Minister Lord Patrick Valance!  
It's an incredible feast for the senses - primarily, the hearing - where the East of England is showing the world of what it's made!  
Thank you to everyone at the Cambridge Growth Company, the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, the Oxford & Cambridge Growth Corridor and Norfolk & Suffolk Unlimited for their warm welcome and technical cooperation. 
For more information, to listen to our back catalogue and to contact us, visit: https://easternpromise.org.uk
This episode of Eastern Promise was made in The Podding Shed in proud association with Mills & Reeve, and in partnership with The Cambridge Growth Company.