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Episode details

Radio 4,08 Dec 2016,45 mins

Fashion-forward velvet, Asbestos-free schools, What a year for powerlisters and politicians, The NCT's anniversary

Woman's Hour

Available for over a year

If you want to be fashion forward wear velvet. What's the best way to wear it and why's it so popular. Following figures released under a Freedom of Information request by BBC Yorkshire we look at asbestos in schools in England, we talk to Lucie Stephens. Her mum, a teacher for 30 years, recently died from a form of cancer associated with asbestos exposure and she'll be telling us why she wants to get it removed from all schools. Plus as we gear up to reveal our 2016 Powerlist next week in a Special Programme from Buckingham Palace, we look at what kind of year some of the women featured on our previous three lists have had. And sixty years after it was founded the NCT - the National Childbirth Trust - is now the largest charity for parents in the UK . Yesterday we heard about how it began, today - changing its name and changing its image. And Helen shares her memories of listening to the programme as a child as part of our Birthday celebrations.

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