Ladder To Somewhere

Episodes

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0120210531

Following her award-winning 2019 series Ladder to Nowhere, Liza Ward continues the dramatic story of how she escaped from a life of poverty, social chaos and gang crime.

Liza became a mum at 13, spent time in the care system, and was forced to cut ties with her alcoholic mother. She was later drawn into Manchester's gang culture, had a relationship with a gun dealer and almost became a casualty of gang crime herself. Through it all, she fought to get herself the education that she knew would offer her the possibility of a better life.

Liza escaped that world, but many people she knew did not. Their lives were damaged beyond repair. They became lost souls who gave up on society, and eventually on themselves. In this series, Liza revisits that time, to see if she can pinpoint the reasons why she was able to break free while others remained trapped. In five themed episodes, each addressing a major social issue of our time, she recalls the turning points in her life. Liza talks to family and friends whose love and support helped her through, and reconnects with teachers and employers who encouraged and mentored her. Through their honest and often uplifting testimony we get a vivid portrait of a family, a city, and a working-class culture in decline.

In the first episode, Liza recalls her experience in the care system. With her mother unable to care for her, she spent time in children's homes and foster care. When she became a mum herself, the challenges became even greater. Liza reunites with an old care-home friend, shares war stories with poet, care-leaver and campaigner Lemn Sissay, and seeks answers from the man in charge of a new review of our children's care system.

Producer: Hugh Costello
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

One woman's inspiring story of how she survived childhood deprivation and gang culture.

0220210601

Following her award-winning 2019 series Ladder to Nowhere, Liza Ward continues the dramatic story of how she escaped from a life of poverty, social chaos and gang crime.

Liza became a mum at 13, spent time in the care system, and was forced to cut ties with her alcoholic mother. She was later drawn into Manchester's gang culture, had a relationship with a gun dealer and almost became a casualty of gang crime herself. Through it all, she fought to get herself the education that she knew would offer her the possibility of a better life.

Liza escaped that world, but many people she knew did not. Their lives were damaged beyond repair. They became lost souls who gave up on society, and eventually on themselves. In this series, Liza revisits that time, to see if she can pinpoint the reasons why she was able to break free while others remained trapped. In five themed episodes, each addressing a major social issue of our time, she recalls the turning points in her life. Liza talks to family and friends whose love and support helped her through, and reconnects with teachers and employers who encouraged and mentored her. Through their honest and often uplifting testimony we get a vivid portrait of a family, a city, and a working-class culture in decline.

In episode 2, Fighting for an Education, Liza remembers her grandmother's crucial role in helping her to keep up at primary school, despite the many distractions in her home life. And she has a moving reunion with the teacher who made a telling intervention when the teenage Liza seemed likely to go off the rails.

Producer: Hugh Costello
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

One woman's inspiring story of how she survived childhood deprivation and gang culture.

03Looking For a Place20210602

Following her award-winning 2019 series Ladder to Nowhere, Liza Ward continues the dramatic story of how she escaped from a life of poverty, social chaos and gang crime.

Liza became a mum at 13, spent time in the care system, and was forced to cut ties with her alcoholic mother. She was later drawn into Manchester's gang culture, had a relationship with a gun dealer and almost became a casualty of gang crime herself. Through it all, she fought to get herself the education that she knew would offer her the possibility of a better life.

Liza escaped that world, but many people she knew did not. Their lives were damaged beyond repair. They became lost souls who gave up on society, and eventually on themselves. In this series, Liza revisits that time, to see if she can pinpoint the reasons why she was able to break free while others remained trapped. In five themed episodes, each addressing a major social issue of our time, she recalls the turning points in her life. Liza talks to family and friends whose love and support helped her through, and reconnects with teachers and employers who encouraged and mentored her. Through their honest and often uplifting testimony we get a vivid portrait of a family, a city, and a working-class culture in decline.

As Manchester goes through a huge property boom, Liza looks back to the 1990s, when finding a safe place to live meant pounding the streets for days on end. Forced to move when she became caught up in gang violence, Liza ended up on an estate where she witnessed at first hand the negative effects of high-intensity urban housing.

Producer: Hugh Costello
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

One woman's inspiring story of how she survived childhood deprivation and gang culture.

04Give Us A Job20210603

Following her award-winning 2019 series Ladder to Nowhere, Liza Ward continues the dramatic story of how she escaped from a life of poverty, social chaos and gang crime.

Liza became a mum at 13, spent time in the care system, and was forced to cut ties with her alcoholic mother. She was later drawn into Manchester's gang culture, had a relationship with a gun dealer and almost became a casualty of gang crime herself. Through it all, she fought to get herself the education that she knew would offer her the possibility of a better life.

Liza escaped that world, but many people she knew did not. Their lives were damaged beyond repair. They became lost souls who gave up on society, and eventually on themselves. In this series, Liza revisits that time, to see if she can pinpoint the reasons why she was able to break free while others remained trapped. In five themed episodes, each addressing a major social issue of our time, she recalls the turning points in her life. Liza talks to family and friends whose love and support helped her through, and reconnects with teachers and employers who encouraged and mentored her. Through their honest and often uplifting testimony we get a vivid portrait of a family, a city, and a working-class culture in decline.

Liza recalls her early steps into the world of work, where she immediately encountered class bias, racism and sexual violence. Initially a fish out of water in the corporate world, she learned that by harnessing the communication skills she had acquired on difficult estates, she had a natural talent for managing human resources.

Producer: Hugh Costello
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

One woman's inspiring story of how she survived childhood deprivation and gang culture.

05Where Are The Parents?20210604

Following her award-winning 2019 series Ladder to Nowhere, Liza Ward continues the dramatic story of how she escaped from a life of poverty, social chaos and gang crime.

Liza became a mum at 13, spent time in the care system, and was forced to cut ties with her alcoholic mother. She was later drawn into Manchester's gang culture, had a relationship with a gun dealer and almost became a casualty of gang crime herself. Through it all, she fought to get herself the education that she knew would offer her the possibility of a better life.

Liza escaped that world, but many people she knew did not. Their lives were damaged beyond repair. They became lost souls who gave up on society, and eventually on themselves. In this series, Liza revisits that time, to see if she can pinpoint the reasons why she was able to break free while others remained trapped. In five themed episodes, each addressing a major social issue of our time, she recalls the turning points in her life. Liza talks to family and friends whose love and support helped her through, and reconnects with teachers and employers who encouraged and mentored her. Through their honest and often uplifting testimony we get a vivid portrait of a family, a city, and a working-class culture in decline.

In the final episode, Liza gets close to home as she explores how family life suffers, yet sometimes thrives, in the environment she grew up in. She tells the stories of some of the women in her family whose lives were blighted. And she shares parenting thoughts with her daughter Olivia, whose welfare was Liza's number one priority and who is now raising a family of her own.

Producer: Hugh Costello
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

One woman's inspiring story of how she survived childhood deprivation and gang culture.