These two ladies (above) could be sisters couldn’t they? As it happens they’re not, but they are very good friends – just as well seeing they’re spending the next 7 months together travelling the world!

Hannah Lainton (left) and Claire Richardson stopped off at the studios of Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station, last Sunday night to guest on The Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient, featuring George ‘Kaufela’ da Soulchild, our weekly Sunday night radio show airing live between 20.30 and 21.30 hrs, also streaming live on the internet. Lively and entertaining guests they were too!

Staying at Chanters Lodge, Claire and Hannah told listeners they both hail from UK and that they’d taken a sabbatical from their jobs back home to see the world. Claire is with Deloitte UK and Hannah with C,B & I. They’d met through mutual friends when they were at University – different ones – and had been friends ever since. Asked why they were in Livingstone, the girls explained that they were volunteers with The Butterfly Tree an NGO providing support for rural communities in Zambia through safe water, feeding programmes and improved health education facilities. The girls were working with ladies in Mukuni Village for a month teaching business innovation and entrepreneurship. They were very much enjoying the challenge and although they had not yet met Chief Mukuni they had met the village Prime Minister!

The music on the show was great as usual! We opened with Wretch 32 featuring Ed Sheeran – not Wretch’s UK number 1 smash ‘Don’t Go’ but a sweet track called ‘Hush Little Baby’. We coupled this with David Guetta featuring Jennifer Hudson and ‘Night Of Your Life’ – racing up the UK charts as I write! George featured tracks by Oga Family ‘Ngili Ngili’ and B1 featuring T-Boy. Milimo dropped ‘Hello’ by Game featuring Lloyd, back to back with ‘All Over’ by Gyptian. Our ‘Oldie Of The Week’ was ‘Coat of Many Colours’ by Dolly Parton and there was a great response from listeners telling us the name of the artist singing, in order to try and win the coveted prize of a dinner for two at Chanters Lodge! We closed with Mohombi’s ‘In Your Bed’.

“So”, I said to the girls “you’ve sold your houses, divorced your husbands and ditched your employers to travel the world!” Hoots of laughter! They confessed that they weren’t married but went on to greet ‘friends’ Andy and Nick listening live to the show on the internet back in UK (we love that streaming!) as well as other family members and friends.

The girls were much looking forward to an overnight safari in Chobe National Park Botswana the next day – sincerely wishing not to be visited in their tent by lions during the night. They hoped to zip line and go white water rafting during the time they would be in Livingstone. Hannah and Claire greeted their families and friends in UK and new friends in Zambia and said ‘hello’ to listeners in Tonga! Great stuff – until Hannah confessed to supporting Stoke City!