Woman's Hour - 21/10/2008

Presented by Jane Garvey. Jane talks to Dame Karlene Davis, who is retiring this month after 11 years as General Secretary of the Royal College of Midwives. As a new exhibition of her recent work opens at The Fine Art Society in London, British artist Emma Sergeant joins Jane to talk about her work. The number of women being held in foreign jails is on the increase. Jane is joined by Pauline Crowe, the Chief Executive of Prisoners Abroad and a woman who spent four years in a Brazilian jail. Throughout this year, the programme Thomas Hardy has been marking the 80th anniversary of his death. Fiona Clampin visits Dorchester, the geographical basis for The Mayor of Casterbridge, and meets guide Sue Clarke and Dr Jane Thomas from the University of Hull at an ancient site on the outskirts of Dorchester. The feature on 'compulsive hoarding' received a large response from listeners, including Caroline, whose mother had a serious problem with hoarding. She talks to Jane about feeling unable to help her in the way she would have liked. Including drama: How Shall I Tell the Dog? (2/5).