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Paula Radcliffe; Women's Equality Party; Saxophonist Barbara Thompson

Paula Radcliffe's lifetime achievement award; Catherine Mayer on Women's Equality Party; saxophonist Barbara Thompson; election women on campaign trail; women's finances after 50.

Paul Radcliffe on running the London Marathon for the last time. She hasn't raced it for ten years but previously won it three times, setting the unbeaten world record women's time of 2:15:25 in 2003. She will be awarded the first ever marathon "Lifetime Achievement Award."

Catherine Mayer, author on setting up the Women's Equality Party. She joins Jenni to explain why she thinks this is necessary and how much interest her idea is attracting.

Saxophonist Barbara Thompson on being diagnosed with Parkinson's, retiring from music and then returning after a new treatment.

Election catch-up: Allegra Stratton, Political Editor of Newsnight on campaign strategy, policy pushes and where women feature on the campaign trail.

Financial Fitness after Fifty: How women aged 50 plus can improve their finances and why UK businesses need to do more to attract an older, female workforce.

Available now

45 minutes

The Women's Equality Party

In early March author, Catherine Mayer, attended a talk on women’s political  representation along with a large group of other concerned people at the Women of the World Festival at the Southbank. Picking up on a mood of frustration at the slow progress being made Catherine suggested to the crowd that what was needed was a Woman’s Equality Party. And so the idea was born. She joins Jenni to explain why she thinks this is necessary and how much interest her fledgling idea is attracting. 

Paula Radcliffe

Paul Radcliffe is racing in the London Marathon for the last time this weekend. She hasn't run it for ten years and previously won it three times, setting the still unbeaten world record women’s time of 2:17:42 in 2003. She’ll be awarded the inaugural ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by John Disley, founder of the London marathon on Sunday.  Due to an Achilles injury she’s not racing with the elite women this year, and so will not be running competitively, but it marks the official end of her remarkable running career.

Financial Fitness for Women over Fifty

Women in the UK live longer than men on average, but earn less.  Women have fewer savings and less in their pension pots.  So, how can women aged 50 plus improve their finances?  What can businesses and bosses do to help?  Jenni is joined by Sarah Pennells, founder of Savvy Woman, a finance website for women and Rachel Saunders, Age at Work Director for the charity .

Barbara Thompson

Saxophonist Barbara Thompson has been one of Britain's best-known female jazz musicians and composers for over 40 years. But in 1997 - the same year that she received an M.B.E. for her services to music – Barbara was diagnosed with . She was 53. She has appeared as a featured musician on more than 100 albums, and thanks to a new kind of treatment has been able to return to music after retiring in 2011. She talks to Jenni about the effect of ±Ê²¹°ù°ì¾±²Ô²õ´Ç²Ô’s on her music, and how she lives with the disease. 

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Jenni Murray
Producer Rebecca Myatt
Interviewed Guest Catherine Mayer
Interviewed Guest Paula Radcliffe
Interviewed Guest Allegra Stratton
Interviewed Guest Barbara Thompson
Interviewed Guest Sarah Pennells
Interviewed Guest Rachael Saunders

Broadcast

  • Fri 24 Apr 2015 10:00

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