A top 10 podcast which has featured the likes of Ed Sheeran and Sean Paul will head to a historic Coventry venue in April – with a pair of inspiring hometown heroes set to appear as special guests.
Taylor James, creator of The Waffle Shop Podcast which invites celebrity guests to discuss the music, moments and challenges that have defined their lives, will host a live show in his home city on Saturday, April 22.
St Mary’s Guildhall, the 14th century venue in the heart of the Coventry’s world-famous cathedral quarter, will play host to the special one-off live show, which will be accompanied by a live band and take place in the venue’s Great Hall.
The Waffle Shop will welcome some fantastic guests to the St Mary’s stage. Saffiyya Vorajee, the co-founder of the Azaylia Foundation will join Taylor to talk about the foundation of her charity and her campaign to support children suffering from cancer, following the tragic death of her eight-month old daughter, Azaylia.
Safiyya Vorajee, who after her eight-month-old daughter died from acute myeloid leukaemia in April 2021 set up the Azaylia Foundation, will join Taylor to talk about her daughter’s death to the launch of the charity and her campaign to support children suffering from cancer.
Since launching the charity with Azaylia’s father, former Coventry City footballer Ashley Cain, the pair have raised millions to support the likes of Great Ormond Street Hospital and create the Azaylia Childhood Cancer PhD Fund to support clinical research and care for young cancer patients.
Coventry-born musician Harry Holles will also join Taylor for a chat about his career as a member of Since September – which won BBC talent show Little Mix: The Search.
The band embarked on a hugely popular UK tour last year, and Harry is set to talk about the hard work and challenges behind his success since the show aired in 2020.
Taylor launched the podcast, which aims to get people talking about challenges in their life and how they deal with them to promote good mental health and encourage people to get out of their comfort zone, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020.
The show’s success has seen Taylor fulfil a long-held ambition to create a platform to help others access some of the thinking and perspectives he has learned through his ongoing battle with anxiety.
Over the last three years, it has been a top 10 podcast in the UK Apple Podcast Charts and ranked among the top three in multiple countries including Brazil and South Korea.
He said: “I can’t wait to bring The Waffle Shop Podcast to such an iconic location in my hometown. The atmosphere is going to be very special.
“We have a pair of incredible guests with very different stories to tell that I hope will inspire the audience not only to discuss their mental health but also to realise how important it is for your wellbeing to push yourself, whatever your goal or dream.
“Tickets are very limited so we are encouraging listeners and anyone interested in a night of inspiring real-life stories with entertaining and at times emotional conversation to book their place now to avoid disappointment.”
Safiya said: “I'm so excited for The Waffle Shop Live and to be able to share my story in such a unique way! I'm a huge advocate for using our voice to help others so to be able to join Taylor and a room full of like-minded people is an honour!”
Harry said: “I'm really excited to be joining Taylor for a night of inspiring and honest conversation, I love everything The Waffle Shop Podcast stands for so to be a part of the journey is really exciting!”
Niamh Carlton Community Engagement Manager at St Mary’s Guildhall, said: "We are thrilled to have Taylor and the Waffle Shop at St Mary's Guildhall. Not only is it going to be a great night of music and fun with amazing guests, but hopefully an inspiring one as well.
“Taylor's welcoming approach to talking about mental health and wellbeing is so important in the work to break the stigma around these topics, and one we welcome here at the Guildhall.”
St Mary’s Guildhall’s community engagement programme is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund thanks to National Lottery players. A portion of ticket sales from The Waffle Shop Live will be donated to the Azaylia Foundation. The venue is operated by No Ordinary Hospitality Management (NOHM).
The recent major package of restoration and refurbishment at St Mary’s Guildhall has been made possible through the Cultural Capital Investment Fund resourced by Coventry City Council, Arts Council England, and the Government’s Getting Britain Building Fund through Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership and with the support of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players.
To book, visit www.stmarysguildhall.co.uk