Woman's Hour - 14/07/2009

With Jane Garvey. The Government is publishing its Green Paper outlining proposals for reform of the social care system: how to provide and pay for the care and support of our rapidly growing population of older people, and younger people with disabilities. One proposal is to stop people having to sell their homes to fund residential care. How would a new system work? Who would benefit and who might lose out? How soon would changes be seen? Jane is joined by Minister of State for Care Services Phil Hope, Professor Martin Napp from the London School of Economics, the Chief Executive of Carers UK Imelda Redmond and Christine Ransome-Wallis, who cared for her elderly mother for twelve years. Although she is only 23-years-old, Russian violinist Alina Ibragimova has championed forgotten masterpieces and directed some of the world's leading chamber orchestras. She joins Jane to perform live and to talk about starting to play the violin aged four, coming to London with little knowledge of English and her love of Bach. AE Housman described them as the 'loveliest of trees' and it has been said that you can trace the old Roman roads by spotting their blossoms. But the British cherry has suffered in recent years as foreign varieties have edged their way on to supermarket shelves. National Cherry Day aims to get everyone taking a bite out of a British cherry this summer. Jane speaks to food writer and campaigner Henrietta Green and cherry grower John Leigh Pemberton about the importance of preserving the Great British cherry.