Share Sounds presented by Sarah Pennells (1) related to Charities/Community Action - Case Studies

Sarah investigates why the financial sector has few women in top positions and looks into the companies that have signed up for the women in Financial Services Charter. To go through this issue, Sarah is joined by Jane Platt from NS&I, Melanie Seymour from Women in Banking and Finance and employment lawyer, Gillian Howard.

A survey by the government found that 45% of people over 45 knew nothing about a lasting power of attorney and, when they were told about what it was, over 60% said they weren't interested in setting one up. An ongoing power of attorney lets you manage someone else's money when they're unable to do so. What can you do if your elderly relative is struggling to manage their own money? What are the rules if you want to open an account for your child or grandchild? Sarah Pennells is joined by David Steele, Policy Manager of Financial Services at Age UK and George McNamara, Head of Policy at the Alzheimer's Society, to discuss these issues.

Now it's something that over 21 million people in the UK do at least once a year and they don't get paid a penny. What is it? Volunteering. This week is Volunteers' Week where you can find out more about what's involved in volunteering. Volunteering can be anything from getting involved in projects and charities in your neighbourhood to travelling abroad. So, how can you get involved? What are the benefits and how do you work out what type of project to get involved in? Sarah Pennells and our Young Money Champion, Rachael Healey, are joined by Alison Harvie who's the head of communications at Volunteering Matters and by Stefan Watham who's the chief executive of Year Out Group.

If you're disabled, or suffer from a long term illness, who do you turn to for financial support and what kind of help is available? Sarah Pennells explores how charities and organisations can help families with their energy bills and additional financial support. She's joined by Emma Cross from Macmillan Cancer Support, Clare Kassa from Family Fund and Adam Lake from Turn2Us, to share tips on how and where to get help.

Sarah Pennells is joined in the studio by our Young Money Champion Kate Palmer, from The Telegraph, to discuss alternative options to university with guests Vicky York from The Princes Trust, Steve Morris from LearnDirect and Sharon Walpole from Notgoingtouni.co.uk.

Sarah Pennells is joined in the studio by Tess Riley from the Guardian and former Streetbank, Jonathan Hampson, head of locations at Zipcar, and Jim Pickell, president of Home Exchange, to answer your questions about the sharing economy.