Global News Podcast - The Happy Pod: The thrill of swimming the Arctic Circle

Episode Date: July 19, 2025

We meet some of the swimmers participating in this year's swim across the Arctic Circle. Also, the groundbreaking science behind three parent babies, and the grandchildren available for hire in Bulgaria.

You're listening to the BBC World Service. Welcome to the HappyPod. We just swam across the Arctic Circle. Woo! Hello, I'm Oliver Conway and in this edition we go swimming across the Arctic Circle under the midnight sun. Just do it. This doesn't have to be a midlife crisis. Just do it. And it won't be as cold as you think. The groundbreaking IVF technique that stops babies inheriting certain diseases.

When we heard about that first positive pregnancy test, it was such an amazing feeling. The scheme where you can hire a grandchild for the day and... The more you learn to look after an animal, the more you're learning about yourself and learning how to look after yourself. It's a lifesaver. The dog given a new lease of life in New Zealand. Now, if you listened to our Happy! pod from the 21st of June, you may have heard our editor Karen Martin responding to a listener question about whether she ever gets a day off. She said that she did, but she was keen to highlight the hard work done by the whole

team of Happy! journalists. Well now for our first story, she has been showing us all how it's done, casting aside her editor's hat and diving right in. OK everyone, this just in. We have the BBC World Service here. Please cheer. I'm in the north of Sweden for this year's swim across the Arctic Circle. It's an open water swimming competition that around 600 people from around the world come to take part in. My name is Målin Bästeveidöngfist and I'm working here at the race office at the Swim

Arctic Circle. It's very, very beautiful here and to swim under the midnight sun is also a really good experience and like we have this weekend with the fantastic weather it's going to be a super beautiful swim. My name is Marjorie Layton, I'm originally from New Zealand but I live in Scotland. Beautiful conditions, warm water and really good organisation and good camaraderie amongst all the people swimming. When you told people what you were doing, what were the sorts of reactions you got? Well, they think I'm mad anyway, so they just think, well, there she goes again.

There are two swims, a two and then a three kilometre race. The longer one starts in Finland, crossing the Arctic Circle into Sweden, going back in time if you will, because of the different time zones. To start the swim, we were all counted in. Wet suits are obligatory if the water temperature drops to below 16 degrees Celsius. We were lucky that for us the water was one degree warmer. So I was in skins, which is a normal swimming suit for you non-swimmers. I spoke to some of my fellow competitors after the first race. It's hard but it's funny.

I am a bit crazy about doing this. The atmosphere is just amazing. It's my first race. It doesn't have to be a midlife crisis. Just do it. Absolutely fantastic. I'm so glad I'm going to get the chance to do it again tonight and do the 3K swim. I got talked into the 2000 by this lovely lady over here. And I'll be back to the three Ks with him tonight. It's now several hours later and we've been transported to Finland by bus. The

midnight sun is giving an orangey glow to the sky as we wait nervously to go again. This time it's three kilometres. Will we make it in time? Three, two, one! And I made it in a time of 47 minutes, so I did manage to arrive before I left. Here's how some others got on. Oh, it was beautiful. It was really gorgeous. I mean, I immediately got left behind because everyone just ran in the walk and I was like, oh, they're gone.

But I just went at my own pace. I had my own private boat entourage. But yeah, no, it was really, really lovely lovely and I'm just really pleased to have made it. The experience is amazing. I did the 2000 first and then did this one and almost didn't make it, I thought, at one point, but the crowd was great, the energy is awesome, midnight sun, you can't beat it, it's awesome. Yes, I made it!

It makes me happy and you see all the other people and can talk to people. It's funny. It's a day that I'm looking forward to. So I will be next year too, I think. An Arctic Circle swimmer ending that report by Karen Martin. And if you have a hobby that makes you happy, we'd love to hear about it. As ever, the address is globalpodcast.bbc.co.uk We look at them now, full of life and possibility. And we're overwhelmed with gratitude. The words of one woman after her baby was born using an experimental IVF technique combining

the DNA of three people. The method, aimed at preventing mitochondrial disease, combines the egg and sperm from a mother and father with a tiny amount of DNA from a second donor egg. Scientists in the UK confirmed this week that eight babies had been born using the technique. Louise Hislop from the Newcastle Fertility Centre worked on the project. I asked what it was like to be involved. It's such an amazing feeling. It's quite nerve wracking.

You're hoping that the embryos are gonna develop and develop to a stage that they'd be able to implant and result in a pregnancy. And to be able to translate that into the clinical lab where it's such a relief to see these embryos developing and then to know ultimately that it's resulted in a pregnancy is just, it's such a good feeling. Yeah, because it's not just a scientific breakthrough, it's also someone's life. Exactly and these women, when you think about them, they've specifically been approved for

this technique because they're at high risk of passing on severe disease to their offspring and without the technique they won't be able to have genetically related children. And just take us through the journey that you've been on to eventually reach this breakthrough. It's been such a long journey. You go all the way back to get approval to do the research from our regulators because obviously it involves human embryos demonstrating that it looks like the technique is safe, that we are generating good quality embryos that could result in a pregnancy and then obviously at that point all the work that was done by various individuals to get the law changed so that ultimately this technique could be translated from what was the research lab actually into the clinical

laboratory where it could be used to treat patients. And was there a moment when you thought this is going to work? As an embryologist, whenever you see those good quality embryos, you've always got your fingers crossed. You think it could be this time. And one of the things about being an embryologist, it is a bit of a roller coaster because those good quality embryos unfortunately don't guarantee a pregnancy. But when we heard about that first positive pregnancy test, it was such an amazing feeling. So you have the joy of knowing that the the embryo is going to become a baby. When do you find out if they are going to be disease free as you intended?

We have an indication from the technique, but it's not until the baby's born and they have a blood test and the urine samples and it's at that point that we know whether they're going to be free from the disease or not. And there are now eight of these babies? That's correct. So seven ladies, one of them had a set of identical twins, so eight babies in total. And that's proved that your concept works? It's still early days, obviously we're following up to make sure that they're healthy at birth, that they're developing normally and we'll be monitoring them on for many years to come. Now as you say, it's taken a long time to get here. What will you say to other

scientists who try to get their research, try to get it to become successful and it just keeps failing? It's part of being a scientist. You've just got to persevere and you've just not got to be afraid of trying something new, thinking outside the box, because it is possible to get there. And then you know it's worked. We're very cautiously optimistic at this stage, you know, that we've followed up as much as we can with the baby so far. But you know what, there's actually more work to do,

because at this point it is a risk reduction, and we'd love to do some more research to actually, in the future, to be able to say that it's a risk reduction and we'd love to do some more research to actually in the future to be able to say that it's a prevention for these quite debilitating progressive degenerative disease. But when you get to this stage you must all be delighted. We're absolutely delighted for these women. Like I said these these women were selected and approved to have the treatment because they were at high risk of passing on severe disease so for them to have these babies born healthy is just it's it's it's amazing for them. Louise Hislop. We go now to the mountains of rural Bulgaria where for the past five years elderly people living alone have been able to well borrow

a grandchild. The student volunteers chop wood, collect hay and keep people company. Will Chalk takes up the story. In a dry sunny field with Bulgarian mountains stretching away in the distance 11 teenagers are sweeping hay. On the slopes below them are small rural villages, white and orange houses clinging to the wooded hillsides. And the people in those villages are why the teenagers are here. These young volunteers have given up two months of their time to help elderly people living alone in the Madden region.

We see the smiles on the elderly people's faces, how happy they are, how thankful they are. Evelina Pashava is one of the volunteers. One woman even started crying because we helped her move her firewood. It's a really good thing we're doing. So far they've helped 15 people in three nearby villages. The area's deputy mayor, Mediha Kalilova, says the project makes a big difference to them. At first it was difficult because it's hard for them to accept the idea of interacting

with strangers, so-called grandchildren. But with patience and the love these young people bring and their willingness to help, they quickly won over their hearts. Our goal is very simple and deeply human, to help people." Back in the field, the students are breaking for lunch, having some food and even taking a quick nap in a hammock. It's tiring work, but the project coordinator, Amelia Georgieva, says that's kind of the point. The work happens in two directions. While the young people think they're helping the elderly, they're actually growing and learning new things about rural life, things they never had to do before. So the project has a two-way benefit. And from the sound of volunteer Emre Yuku, it's working.

I chopped wood for the first time here. It's very interesting for me. I really like the fact that we're helping people. This is, for now, a small-scale local project. But after winning a prestigious award, charity bosses are hoping to take it to the national level and that teenagers giving up their time to help some of the most vulnerable in society will soon be seen all across Bulgaria. And that was Wilt Schalk. Still to come on the happy news. To reach this level it's an

indescribable feeling and I'm proud of every single one of them, I'm proud of how we managed together and it's going to be the best day of my life. A World Cup final for a sport with magical origins. Next to a story from a listener that combines many of the things we love here on the HappyPod. Friendship, new beginnings, of course animals. As a young dog, George, a staffy hunt away cross, spent his days chained up in a trucking yard in Wellington, New Zealand, along with his

mother Gemma. That is until Alex Henderson persuaded the owner to let him take them for regular walks. Then as the dogs grew older and more expensive to care for, they were given to him full time. Now King George, to give him his proper title, has become a local celebrity working with children and even helping to win support for a law against keeping dogs chained up for long periods. Alex told Peter Goffin more about his canine friend. He's just a big lovable teddy bear but he's got big muscles, big mouth, lots of clean, healthy teeth. But he's just a big, lovable ball of love and energy,

really. Eventually, the public just got to know him. And from the word go, he's been a sociable, outward-facing character. What type of community work do you do with George? About two years ago, he had a year and a half, he had the first signs of a ligament injury. And so I've been fundraising with him. So he's been out in public a lot in his George Mobile.

But before that, I was walking them around and they were cared for by the Change Dog Awareness charity, which is a Facebook charity. Amazing. Along with other charities, they've helped to get the law changed. But he was involved in that, on the word go, along with his mother. And I went on sort of in a calls out to less advantaged dogs, in other words, dogs that were even worse off. And he became friends with a few of the dogs that I walked.

And I used to go to a cafe and the kids would just love coming up and patting him. And it's just really, really nice. So it's just like walking along and people were drawn to him. And there was that chained dog law that you mentioned. Have you been able to change that? I feel that, you know, George has personally changed it himself. No, that's just joking, but he actually was part of the chain dog awareness protest. So now I think it's September this year, having dogs on a chain for a

long, long periods will be illegal. Hopefully, it will be a thing of the past before too long. Did you mind if I ask you about the veterinary care that George needs now? He's still waiting to have his next operation. It's a bit out of my reach. I did start a fundraiser. It's called a cruciate ligament surgery, very common with dogs, especially bigger dogs. Without it, he's not able to especially bigger dogs, but without it he's

not able to walk. S1 C1 Earlier you mentioned the George Mobile. I was wondering if you could tell us about George's appearance when you've taken him out, because he wears a bit of a costume, doesn't he, and has this George Mobile that he rides around. S2 G1 Yes. Not the embarrassing glitter and plastic crown that I had a few years ago, but he has a jacket

or a couple of jackets because it gets a bit cold on the wagon there. And I sometimes put a scarf around him and he loves his glasses. I mean, he just looks at character being carted around, a big dog being carted around by a human on a bicycle. People often, they have the stereotype like pit bull dogs or

staffies. They say, oh, they turn or they can get dangerous. But this is really a direct contrast to the stereotype that he looks like this big humorous character that could be in a cartoon. It just instantly draws people to him, especially kids, people learning around about him and they ask questions and he's becoming a well-known character around Mission Bay and Mount Wellington. I think they're really beginning to adopt him as a local character and hopefully as an ambassador for dogs welfare and you know around the area because there are a lot of changed dogs and dogs that need proper looking after. So is your hope that people will see George and realize that dogs like this shouldn't

be kept on a chain, should be able to live their lives and can be friendly companions and friends? Totally true. I mean, with my journey, I've actually come a long way myself, and that's due to the dogs I've looked after. And if only people could realize from school age that the more you learn to look after an animal, the more you're learning about yourself. And this even includes things like boundaries

and learning how to look after yourself. It's a lifesaver. I mean, it gives you a new life in the sense that you learn that the simple joys of just walking down the street and then crossing the road and seeing what was on the other side. It's actually you're always on the go and always learning and discovering. So I think it's just amazing.

Alex Henderson talking to Peter Dauphin. Now to an invention that's thought to have saved the lives of around 5,000 premature babies. It's an incubator designed for use in African hospitals that can run with just a car battery and a bottle of water. It's also relatively cheap at $400 compared to $40,000 for a standard incubator. And while it doesn't have all the same functions, it still meets international standards. The machines, made by engineering students in Spain, have now been sent to 30 countries. Esperanza Escribano has been investigating.

Mbiyiwa Vertil sings a song to her three-month-old twins, Elliot and Eliana. Elliot and Eliana came into the world very early. I gave birth in 7 months and 2 weeks. The boys weighed 1.7 kilos, the others weighed 1.6. Mbiyewo was told to take the babies to a hospital in Krivi in western Cameroon. So they told me that they need an incubator in order to gain their weight so that they can be the human newborn children. After 2 weeks, the twins were allowed to share a single incubator. When they joined them together, they were very happy. Like they decided to sleep all night, live and play together during the day time.

So I was quite hard times to sleep and rest also. The incubators that saved Eliana and Elliot were actually made by university students 6,000 miles away in Pamplona, northern Spain. And it was there in Pamplona that I saw the incubator for myself, a large plastic box with transparent blue sides and a couple of strong handles for carrying. Its inventor, Pablo Bergasa, was on hand to show it to me.

So this incubator is like an artificial womb. There's just a front window where the baby is introduced inside. And here we have a small temperature probe that is attached to the baby. The incubator is intelligent enough to self-regulate so the baby is in the comfort zone. Pablo began designing this incubator eight years ago. He was shocked to learn that many hospitals don't try to save babies that are less than a kilogram in weight because they know they don't have the tools

they need to do the job. After three years of design improvements and safety tests, Pablo's incubator was ready to send to a hospital in Cameroon. Pablo was able to monitor the use of his first device remotely using a SIM card, just like the one you'll find on a mobile phone. And it's an experience he will never forget. When they were assembling the incubator, a baby that was only 500 grams was born and once they assembled

the incubator they say, well we don't have anything to lose we can try to put the baby in the incubator. They told me Pablo don't be excited because this baby is going to die because he is very, very, very small. So minutes and hours passed and the incubator was still turned on. Days passed also and one and a half months later, they sent me a picture of the baby that survived. In the hospital, this baby was called the Little Miracle. I was so excited that one year later, I was able to meet Little Miracle and his mother and she said being a parent is the best thing in my life.

This project is a small-scale, homemade approach to international aid. But that doesn't mean it's not making a difference. Pablo and I called Dr. Gemgi Melany, a pediatrician in Cribi, Cameroon. She is the same doctor who helped look after babies Elio and Eliana. Her hospital has four incubators and she guesses that 50 babies have used them in the last six months. But she tells us it's not enough. last six months. But she tells us it's not enough. If it's possible for them to send me more, I'd be delighted because the demand is high. Very often I have babies arriving and I don't have room for them in an incubator.

So do you think your babies would have survived without an incubator? I don't think so because when they were in the incubators, they would take good care of them like they would. So out of the womb, they wouldn't have even survived without the incubators. That report by Esperanza Escribano for People Fixing the World, which you can hear wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Sports News now as they say and Belgium has become the first European country to win the World Cup in a sport inspired by Quidditch, the fictional game from the Harry Potter universe. Quadball merges rugby, dodgeball and tag with brooms. Harry Bly has been finding out more. This might sound like a football match, but this is quad ball, and while it's heavily inspired by Quidditch, players don't fly around on broomsticks.

Instead, they run around with plastic sticks in between their legs as they throw a ball around attempting to get it through hoops. Quadball started in 2005, invented by two students in the US state of Vermont. It grew rapidly from a niche game at college to an international sport, with its first World Cup taking place in 2012. Here's how it works. Teams have 21 players with 7 players on the pitch at any one time. Three chasers and one keeper defend their team's three hoops and attempt to score against the other team. Beaters, of which there are two, attempt to disrupt the other team by throwing one of three dodgeballs at players. Anyone struck by a dodgeball must drop the ball, dismount their broom and run back to

their own hoops and tag back in. And then there's the seeker. They must catch the flag, which is attached to the flag runner, an impartial official who must try to prevent either seeker from grabbing the flag. Goals are worth 10 points, the flag is worth 30. Belgium were this year's hosts and this year's winners. The first time a European country has won the Quad Ball World Cup. They beat Germany in the final 170-90 in front of a crowd of 2000 spectators.

We just became world champion of quad ball and it's really unbelievable. Sepper De Witt is from the winning team. I started this sport 12 years ago together with a bunch of these people, 12 years of my life spending together with these people and to achieve this on the biggest stage like the opponents are the crazy goods to reach this level, It's an indescribable feeling and I'm proud of every single one of them. I'm proud of how we managed together and it's going to be the best day of my life. As well as its magical mythical roots, quad ball is known for being an inclusive sport. Teams are mixed gender and the sport celebrates the inclusion of LGBTQ plus players. Christian Krieger is a Filipino quad ball player.

Quad ball really brings people together. I play in the US and we have people from a lot of different backgrounds, very gender diverse. Really it's been great to see teams, see different countries come together and all just have a love for the sport and really welcome each other to just like play ball. and all just have a love for the sport and really welcome each other to just like play ball."

Quad wall player Christian Krieger ending that report by Harry Bly. And that's all from the HappyPod for now. If you want to get in touch, our email is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk and a reminder that you can watch some of our interviews on YouTube by searching for the happy pod. This edition was mixed by James Piper and produced by Holly Gibbs and Rachel Bulkley. Our editor and Arctic swimmer is Karen Martin. I'm Oliver Conway. Until next time, goodbye.