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Tackling the rise in homelessness

A team of religious experts reflect on the events of 2023 and discuss their hopes and fears for 2024.
A senior Anglican bishop reacts to news of a sharp rise in homelessness.

Emily Buchanan presents the final edition of Radio 4's Sunday programme of 2023, and brings together a panel of guests from different faiths to discuss the stand out events of the last year and also look forward to the issues and stories they expect everyone will be talking about in 2024.

New figures from the charity Shelter indicate a sharp rise in homelessness. More than 300,000 people are thought to have spent this festive season without a proper home. We speak to the Anglican Bishop of Manchester, Dr David Walker, who regards this as a moral scandal.

In recent days Russia has intensified its attacks across Ukraine, in a significant escalation of the war. We return to Zhanna Bezpiatchuk, a reporter with the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Ukraine Service, who was one of the first people we spoke to after Russia's full scale invasion in February 2022. She reflects on nearly two years of conflict, how it's affected her life and the importance, during wartime, of her personal faith.

A spontaneous memorial garden has sprung up close to the Angel of the North sculpture in Gateshead. People have been leaving notes and trinkets in memory of friends and family who have died. We hear from Professor Anne Whitehead who’s been documenting the development of this new "shrine". She reflects on how the sculpture has taken on a new and spiritual dimension.

Producers: Jonathan Hallewell and Rajeev Gupta
Editor: Tim Pemberton

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44 minutes

Broadcast

  • Sun 31 Dec 2023 07:10

All the colours of the rainbow

All the colours of the rainbow

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