Woman's Hour - 15/12/2009

With Jane Garvey. Alice Walpole is the possibly the UK's most unlikely diplomat. A single mother of six children - including two sets of twins - she has recently been appointed to the post of British Consul General in Basra. Jane talks to her about how she manages to combine such a challenging and dangerous role with motherhood. Ever since the public display of grief after the death of Princess Diana, there has been speculation that British society is changing in its attitude to grief. Where once death was dealt with with stoicism and a stiff upper lip, it now seems to be considered unhealthy to bottle up your feelings. Jane is joined by Anjula Sharma-Smith of CRUSE Bereavement Care and Professor Tony Walter, who runs a Masters course on Death and Society at the University of Bath. Human trafficking is recognised by Interpol as the third largest international crime after arms and drugs trading and the specialist Metropolitan Police Unit dealing with this crime is regarded as one of the best of its kind. However, it has been announced that the unit is to close. There has been recent controversy about the number of women in the UK who have been trafficked, so what impact will the closure have? Jane is joined by Mary Honeyball MEP and Nikki Adams from the English Collective of Prostitutes to explore the reasons and potential consequences of this decision. It's party time, it's winter and it's cold, so what are the best drinks at this time of year? Jane is joined by wine connoisseur Victoria Moore, who creates a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic winter drinks.