Woman's Hour - 06/08/2010

Presented by Jenni Murray. The number of women going bankrupt has rocketed. On Friday the latest insolvency figures come out. There are many theories as to why more women are getting into financial trouble; more are setting up their own businesses, and like so many of their male counterparts, they're struggling; financially, women come out worse in divorce and, controversially, some suggest women are simply shopping too much. Professor Sheila Crispin's new job is a tough one - to make sure we really are a nation of dog lovers. She's the new Head of the Advisory Council on dog welfare. Her job was created in the wake of a programme on pedigree dog breeding - it caused such uproar that the BBC pulled out of Crufts and new standards were introduced for breeding. The other things in her intray include puppy farming and what to do about dangerous dogs. Andrea Boyd is one of the world's great bagpipe players. She hails, not from a Scottish glen, but from the sea battered coasts of northeast Canada. She can trace her roots back to the Highland clearances of the 18th century, when her ancestors left Europe for Nova Scotia. She's been playing the pipes since the age of nine and she'll be performing for us live. Back in February this year Sue Kilshaw found herself in the spotlight, when she appeared on Woman's Hour to discuss the weight she'd put on in middle age. She'd tried diets, exercise and even a hypnotherapy programme, but nothing had enabled her to lose the weight she'd put on in her forties. But appearing on Woman's Hour has motivated Sue to make a change. She'll join Jenni Murray, along with dietician Addic Brillon, as we check on her progress and discuss the key to getting rid of your middle-aged middle.