Welcome to LAB/OR8 - a brand new music and culture venture celebrating Berwick’s creative community

Today sees the launch of a new Create Berwick-funded project that has been months in the making. We’re delighted to announce the official launch of LAB/OR8 – a brand new endeavour showcasing Berwick’s creative community via a podcast, where creatives meet and discuss the local scene.

Produced and hosted by two incredibly talented young people from the town, 22 year-old James Sanderson and 21 year-old Bodhi Turnbull, LAB/OR8 wants to shine a light on the people, stories and ideas shaping the cultural landscape in Berwick-upon-Tweed and the wider region.

You can follow LAB/OR8 on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok @LAB.OR8,
YouTube @LAB/OR8, and find out more at www.labor8.co.uk

First LAB/OR8 podcast series

The first series of the LAB/OR8 podcast launches later this month with six in-depth interviews with some of the key figures in Berwick’s creative and cultural industries.

• Episode One: Coming 14/06/2026 – Welcome to the LAB/OR8 podcast. Join James and Bodhi to discover their plans, and take a sneak peek at what’s to come…
• Episode Two: Coming 28/06/2026 – Join James and Bodhi as they meet with Ben Humphrey and Oli Brooks from The Straw Yard – the beating heart of Berwick’s arts and culture.
• Episode Three: Coming 12/07/2026 – Darren Holleywell, director of Amped C.I.C, joins James and Bodhi to discuss Berwick Fringe Festival, collaboration, and Amped’s plans for the future.
• Episode Four: Coming 26/07/2026 – James and Bodhi meet Clare English and discuss her work with Berwick Literary Festival & Berwick Writers Forum, as well as how Berwick inspires and attracts creatives.
• Episode Five: Coming 06/09/2026 – James and Bodhi sit down with Rob Flynn: writer, composer and performer. They tap into his creative process and relationship with writing, and how Berwick has helped him along the way.
• Episode Six: Coming 20/09/2026 – Alex Renton, frontman of Nomad, joins James and Bodhi to discuss recording their debut album, gigging in Berwick and the Borders, and plans for the future

Available on streaming services and on YouTube, LAB/OR8 Podcast is a fascinating insight into some of Berwick’s cultural institutions, annual events, and the creative talent that’s helped put our town on the map. As well as the future voices of Berwick.

Putting Berwick’s creative community in the spotlight

James Sanderson, co-host and producer of LAB/OR8, said: “We want to put a spotlight on Berwick-upon-Tweed. There’s so much talent in our town, and so many people creating unique experiences, we want to capture that creative output and shine a light on our cultural industries and community scene.

“We want to collaborate with creatives in the town to discover what makes Berwick such an important cultural environment – why here and why now?”

After initially exploring a community radio station format, James and Bodhi developed the idea of a local community platform with Northumberland-based branding, marketing, and web design agency, Hilton Media. Together, they planned and created a podcast format, which allowed James and Bodhi to expand the reach of the project beyond Berwick.

“Wayne from Hilton Media encouraged us to explore how we could best introduce ourselves and connect with the local creative scene and wider community, and together we created LAB/OR8 Podcast. This approach meant more people will have access to our content, and to us it felt like an opportunity for our community to feedback to us. It feeds into our ambitions for LAB/OR8 as a whole, and we hope it can represent Berwick on a larger scale.”

Future series of LAB/OR8 Podcast will delve deeper into Berwick’s cultural life, including the town’s thriving music scene. Expect post-gig interviews with musicians and venue spotlights.

How to watch and listen to LAB/OR8

The first series of LAB/OR8 podcast will go live on 14 June. To find out when you can tune in, follow LAB/OR8 on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok @LAB.OR8.

The podcast will be available to watch/listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube (simply search ‘LAB/OR8’). Clips of interviews and behind the scenes footage will also be shared on the official social media channels.

If you’d like to get in touch with James and Bodhi about LAB/OR8, or would like to get involved in the production and presenting of the podcast, please email hello@labor8.co.uk or visit www.labor8.co.uk.

LAB/OR8 is funded by Create Berwick, Northumberland County Council and the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority. It is supported by Hilton Media.