"The Relationship People"": Relate is the subject of a two part documentary on BBC Radio 4
07 March 2008
As part of its 70th Anniversary celebrations, Relate is to be the subject of a BBC Radio documentary called The Relationship People. The first programme will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 11.00am on Friday 14 March and the series concludes at the same time on Friday 21 March.
Charting a journey through the day to day work of Relate Centres around the country, the documentary explodes the myth that Relate is only for married people. Single people, gay couples, prisoners and their families, school children and parents made homeless by their relationship breakdown, are just some of the people depicted using Relate services to get on with their lives.
Through interviews with Relate clients and with the professionals who help them, the series offers an insight into the relationship difficulties people face today, and the processes by which they can be resolved. The documentary also charts the progress of a handful of individuals training to join the Relate workforce at the Relate Institute.
The Relationship People produced by Pier Productions for the BBC comes 11 years after the award winning 1997 BBC TV programme Breaking Point revealed the relationship dilemmas of the 1990s.
Claire Tyler, Chief Executive of Relate said: "I am very grateful to those clients who have taken part in The Relationship People. I am certain that their testimony will give confidence to others listening in at home or at work to pick up the phone, log on to our website or visit their local Relate Centre for help."
She continued, "I also want to pay tribute to our workforce of professionals, and those training for the role, whose dedication allows us to fulfil our purpose of maintaining healthy couple and family relationships for all sections of the community."
Angela Hind, producer of The Relationship People said: "Making this programme has opened my eyes to the task of the Relate counsellor. They are confronted with the deepest heartache, the most complex emotions, and they manage to find a way through it for their clients."
Notes to editors:
- Relate is working to promote health, respect and justice in couple and family relationships
- Relate is a registered charity whose services extend beyond couple counselling to family counselling, counselling for young people, online counselling, sex therapy and relationship skills workshops
- Relate works in schools, primary care settings, prisons, and with local authorities on homelessness prevention services
- Relate supports 150,000 people each year in over 600 locations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
