FARM RADIO IS AT THE CROSSROADS!
If you enjoy
your visits to this site or if your enterprise has been
featured here with positive effects, please could you
take a moment to tell us. We need to be able to
demonstrate your support in order to attract the
resources to take Farm Radio on to the next stages of
development. Statistics are one thing but nothing
is as good as personal testimonials.
Do you think
that you may have something to contribute to the future
of the site? We are planning to start up a
steering group that will have a rôle in the development
of this site and would welcome expressions of interest
in this from our visitors.
e-mail
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 ANNOUNCEMENTS
from the Royal Bath and West of
England Society
The show is held at
The Bath and West Showground, near Shepton Mallet, and
gates open on the 7th October at 8.30am.
Tickets can be bought in advance for £10.00 which is £2
cheaper than the pay on the day price. Details can be
found on
www.bathandwest.com
or contact 01749 822200.
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Securing the
Rural Future:
Land Use
Priorities
The Society is excited to be running a joint seminar with the Royal Geographical Society with IBG with the aim of examining some of the problems and solutions relating to planning for future sustainable land use in rural areas. Using the West Country as a model, eminent speakers will cover such topics as climate change, population increase, pollution concerns, security of food, energy and economy, biodiversity and scientific developments.
Chairman - John Palmer, 4th Earl of Selborne
The speakers’ topics will be as follows:
Conservation in a Hungry World Professor Ian Mercer
Implications of Climate Change Sir Brian Hoskins
Security of Food and Energy Dr Richard Cresswell
Economic Consequences of Limited Resources Lord Ewen Cameron
Click here to book or for more details
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 ART SCHOLARSHIP
Are you a practising young artist between the ages of 22 and 30 years old who prefers painting Landscapes or Rural Life in the UK? You can win a Scholarship worth £3,000 to help further your career and to have your own exhibition in our gallery at the Royal Bath & West Show with the opportunity to sell your paintings. A second award of £250 is also available.
Application forms and further information available from Alison Ward, The Royal Bath & West of England Society, The Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset BA4 6QN. 01749 822243 or e-mail Alison Ward
Click here for more details
ENTRIES CLOSE 15th JANUARY 2010
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ANNOUNCEMENT
WEDMORE
YOUNG FARMERS
Welly Week Disco
Saturday 17th
October 2009
Fundraiser
for R.A.B.I
(Supporting Farming Families)
DRESS
CODE = WELLIES
8pm –
Late
Lower
Splott Farm, Mark, TA9 4NR (Opposite Somerlap)
£5
Entry if you’re wearing wellies, £7 If you don’t wear
wellies
ID
required
James
Hector (Chairman) - 07772566169
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"Cows Can
Talk" - a new book by Julie Andrews
Farm Radio received a message about a
new book written by farmer Julie Andrews, putting into
words the thoughts and reflections of the cows on her
farm. Intrigued, John Holman of Farm Radio went to
Burtle, near Bridgwater, to find out more . . .
"Granny Cow" - Esme Sandiford
(Julie's mother)
"Josephine" -
Claire Willcox (Julie's niece)
To buy a copy of "Cows Can Talk"
visit the website,
www.cowscantalk.co.uk
There are two interviews with Claire
Willcox on this site.
August 2009 and on
"Future Farming Voices" (the "junior"
department of Farm Radio)
Click on the bale to
listen
(11/09/09)
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ANNOUNCEMENT
The Organic Food Festival Website for more info.
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David Aplin of the Kingcombe Centre
David Aplin has returned to his
Dorset roots to take over the directorship of the
countryside and environmental studies charity the
Kingcombe Centre. Margery Hookings talked to
him about the interesting route his career has taken
and which has led him back to Dorset.
For more about the background of the Kingcombe
Centre, click
here for Margery Hookings' interview from
last year with Martin Biss, one of the Centre's
trustees.
David will be giving a charity talk about his
botanical expeditions around the world in aid of
the Kingcombe Centre called: ‘In search of
the ugliest plant in the world, encounters with
Guatemalan bandits, and other adventures’,
at the Litton Cheney Community Hall (LATCH) at
7.30pm on Wednesday 16th September, admission £5
including a glass of wine.
Click on the bale to
listen
(07/09/09)
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Would you
like to see the name of your
enterprise/business/organisation here . . . ?
Contact us to find out what we
can offer.
|
ANNOUNCEMENT
Are you passionate about making a
positive change in society? Do
you deserve recognition for your work?
Do you know someone else who does? If
yes, then you could be nominated for a
Social Change Award!
The Social Change Awards are for all
those working to achieve a positive
change in society - individuals,
charities, community groups, companies,
public bodies.
You don't have to be a charity to
apply... whether you're applying as an
individual, an informal group, a
company, a public body OR a charity, if
you're passionate about social change
then there's a category for you.
The nomination process is simple, visit
Social Change Awards Online,
download and complete the nomination
form and submit it. You can nominate
yourself (or your own organisation) or
recommend others for nomination.
For more information about the
awards and the nomination process,
click here.
 This year's awards are proudly sponsored
by Charity Bank. Charity Bank is a bank
and a charity. It uses its depositors'
funds solely to provide loan finance and
support to charities, voluntary
organisations and social
enterprises. For further information
visit
www.charitybank.org or email
enquiries@charitybank.org
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The Wessex Ridgeway Trail, Part
5, Beaminster to Lyme Regis
The Wessex Ridgeway Trail stretches 62
miles from Ashmore on the Dorset/Wiltshire Border in the
east to Lyme Regis in the west. To mark the opening of
this route for walkers, riders and cyclists which is the
culmination of much hard work by Demelza Hyde and her
colleagues from
Dorset Countryside
(the countryside service of Dorset County Council),
Farm Radio team members created an audio journey along its
length, meeting the people who live and work there and
celebrating the scenery, flora and fauna, history,
archaeology and culture of the area.
This is the fifth and final part
starting in deep Dorset countryside near Beaminster
and finishing up at the sea with an insight into
collecting fossils, via Lyme's impressively
researched and restored Town Mill.
Click for
Part 1, Ashmore to Shillingstone,
Part 2, Shillingstone
to Dorset Gap,
Part 3, Dorset Gap to Maiden Newton,
Part 4, Maiden Newton to Beaminster
To find out more about this trail,
click here
Click on the bale to
listen
(02/09/09)
|
 Would you
like to work with Farm Radio?
Are you
considering an oral history or media based project for
your community? The Farm Radio team has many years
experience of all aspects of community media work, audio
and video production and
has a long record of involvement in such projects so, if
we can help in any way,
contact us.
Also, we are always keen to find
new volunteers to train and support as correspondents
for Farm Radio.
|
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Heart of the Vale, Soul
of the Town, Part 12, Denis Wareham the Rep.
 It is now more than ten years since the livestock market at Sturminster Newton closed down, bringing to an end 700 years of tradition.
We were involved in a project gathering views and ideas on video from the users
of the market as part of the effort to keep it open. The realisation of
what the closure meant to the people who used it was part of the inspiration
behind the concept of "Farm Radio". So, therefore, it seems fitting to
post some of the footage that we shot here.
I was thinking of calling this section "Where Are They
Now?" but, given the age of some of the contributors and the passing of time,
the answer to that would be all too obvious in so many cases. However, it
would be great to
hear from
our listeners with any stories of the subsequent adventures of the folk
featured here so we could follow up their stories. Perhaps we should call
it "What Happened Next?" Video shot and edited by John Holman.
Click on the bale to
view (03/09/09) Click for
Part 1, Pat and Ted,
Part 2, Ian and Paul,
Part 3, The Auctioneers,
Part 4, Ernie,
Part 5, Clar,
Part 6, Jenny and the Pigs,
Part 7, The Drovers,
Part 8, Stan Harris,
Part 9, Len and Cecil,
Part 10, The Trader and Butch,
Part 11, Norman Tite the Haulier
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A Tribute
to George Withers
Over recent
months, Farm Radio has been featuring the poems of
William Percy Withers read by his son, George
Withers. George Withers, farmer, poet and
well-known performer of traditional songs, sadly
died last month but we are pleased to be able to
present this tribute to him, recorded by his niece,
Farm Radio correspondent, Margery Hookings.
The recordings of George singing and talking about
his life were generously supplied by folk song
collectors, Bob and Jacqueline Patten, to whom many
thanks.
Click for
George reading
"Grandpapa's Days" a poem written by his father,
William Percy Withers. There are links to
other poems by William on the page.
Click
here for a previous Farm Radio item about
George.
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 Copies of George's recent CD "The Land Remains", are available by post from:
Frequency Sales
Aspen Cottage
Huish Episcopi
Langport
Somerset. TA10 9QY.
Please send a cheque for £10.75 (to include post and packing) payable to Bob Axford. Please allow five days for delivery. Telephone 01458 252325. |
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Click on the bale to
listen
(26/08/09)
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Claire
Willcox
On a
beautiful summer day, John Holman encountered Claire
Willcox, soon to head off to Cannington College when
the new academic year starts, and spoke to her about
her plans for a future in farming.
A couple of
years ago, Claire was featured on
Future Farming Voices, the junior department of
Farm Radio. To hear her earlier piece visit
Future Farming Voices or
click here.
Click on the bale to
listen
(26/08/09)
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Alan
Lyons, Show Manager at the Bath and West Showground
His earliest memories are of
visiting the Bath and West Show as a child and,
since then, he has experienced it from almost every
viewpoint. There could be no one with more
relevant experience and better suited for the job of
show manager at one of the country's major
agricultural organisations, as John Holman found out
. . .
Click on the bale to
listen (18/08/09)
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ANNOUNCEMENT
The Melplash
Show
8.30am to 6.30pm,
Thursday 27th. August
This year
visitors will be entertained by a spectacular air
display by The Yakovlevs, who will
be thrilling the audience with their tight
formations, graceful aerobatic manoeuvres and death
defying head to head passes, and a ‘Wild
West Show’ which takes inspiration from
accounts of the Buffalo Bill Congress of Rough
Riders during the 1880s.
www.melplashshow.co.uk
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ANNOUNCEMENT
Gillingham
and Shaftesbury Show
Attractions
include: The Kangaroo Kid Scurry Driving
Championship Heavy Horses – Hot Air Balloons Private
Driving – Light & Heavy Trade Classes Ferret &
Terrier Racing Over 450 stands – Trade, Craft, Food
Hall, Farmers Market Over 1500 animals in
competitive classes: Horses, Ponies, Cattle, Sheep,
Goats, Dogs, Rabbits & Poultry Grain, Fodder,
Machinery Innovation Handicraft, Homecraft Vegetable
& Fruit, Photography, Art Including many classes
especially for children.
www.gillshaftshow.co.uk
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Witches
Chase - Tamborine Mountain
On her
recent visit to Tamborine Mountain in South East
Queensland, Farm Radio’s Colleen Jackson went to
talk to a very enterprising couple, Meredith and
Andre Morris, about their successful ventures – The
Witches Chase Cheese Company, Mt Tamborine Brewery
and the Liquid Amber Bistro and Grill. They moved to
their new, purpose-built premises in late 2008 and
it is proving very popular with both locals and
visitors. They produce a variety of both unusual and
traditional award-winning cheeses.
There is a
Somerset connection as local cheesemaker from Castle
Cary, John Longman, visited them on Tamborine
Mountain and showed them how some of the traditional
English cheeses were made. They have named one of
these cheeses after him: Longman’s Leicester, which
won a Gold Medal in 2008.
If there are
any expert cheesemakers out there who would be
interested in passing on their expertise, Andre and
Meredith would like to hear from them. As they are
also able to make cider in their brewery, they would
be interested to make contact with traditional West
Country cider makers.
www.witcheschasecheese.com.au
Click on the bale to
listen
(13/08/09)
Also listen to Slow Food Tamborine Mountain
Convivium
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ANNOUNCEMENT
The Mid-Somerset Show
Field, Cannards Grave Road, Shepton Mallet.
Somerset.Sunday 16th August
Mullenscote Gundogs, Mere
Down Falconry, The Mangled Wurzles and many other
attractions.
www.midsomersetshow.org.uk
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Chalk and
Cheese - Local Action for Rural Communities
What is
"Chalk and Cheese" and what is "Local Action for
Rural Communities"? Farm Radio's John Holman
went to a Local Action Group meeting in Broadmayne
Village Hall to find out. Firstly he spoke to
Sarah Watson of "Dorset Squared" . . .
Click on the bale to
listen
(13/08/09)
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Slow Food
- Tamborine Mountain Convivium
On a recent
visit to Australia, Colleen Jackson went to talk to
some local residents connected with the Tamborine
Mountain Slow Food Movement.
Tamborine
Mountain in South East Queensland is a lush mountain
plateau, a short drive from Queensland’s famous Gold
Coast and its fabulous beaches. Only five miles by
three and a half miles, and some 1700 ft above sea
level, it has some spectacular National Parks
covering nearly 3,000 acres. One of which, The
Witches Falls National Park, was the first to be
established in Queensland in 1908.
Breathtaking
views of the Pacific Ocean coast to the east, and
over inland valleys and mountains to the west make
it a popular tourist destination with restaurants,
cafes, art galleries, shops, boutique breweries, and
wineries as well as the many natural attractions.
There are sub tropical rainforest areas, waterfalls,
numerous scenic walks, lookouts, picnic areas,
orchards, vineyards, farms and small villages and
varied and abundant wild life. The rich
volcanic soil, temperate climate and regular
rainfall mean a wide diversity of vegetables and
fruit can be grown here and the many small farms
produce a wide range of crops and food products.
www.slowfoodtamborinemt.org.au
Click on the bale to
listen
(07/08/09)
Also listen to Witches Chase - Tamborine Mountain
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|
Would you
like to see the name of your
enterprise/business/organisation here . . . ?
Contact us to find out what we
can offer.
|
The Wessex Ridgeway Trail, Part
4, Maiden Newton to Beaminster
The Wessex Ridgeway Trail stretches 62
miles from Ashmore on the Dorset/Wiltshire Border in the
east to Lyme Regis in the west. To mark the opening of
this route for walkers, riders and cyclists which is the
culmination of much hard work by Demelza Hyde and her
colleagues from
Dorset Countryside
(the countryside service of Dorset County Council),
Farm Radio team members created an audio journey along its
length, meeting the people who live and work there and
celebrating the scenery, flora and fauna, history,
archaeology and culture of the area.
This is the fourth part and starts
at the aerials at Rampisham, ending up with a noisy
welcome from Beaminster, via Kingcombe, and
Mapperton and accompanied for part of the way by
Tess of the d'Urbervilles as she makes her ill-fated
journey to Beaminster or, as Hardy had it, Emminster . . .
Click for
Part 1, Ashmore to Shillingstone,
Part 2, Shillingstone
to Dorset Gap,
Part 3, Dorset Gap to Maiden Newton
To find out more about this trail,
click here
Click on the bale to
listen
(05/08/09)
|
Would you
like to work with Farm Radio?
Are you
considering an oral history or media based project for
your community? The Farm Radio team has many years
experience of all aspects of community media work, audio
and video production and
has a long record of involvement in such projects so, if
we can help in any way,
contact us.
Also, we are always keen to find
new volunteers to train and support as correspondents
for Farm Radio.
|
Heart of the Vale, Soul
of the Town, Part 11, Norman Tite the Haulier
 It is now more than ten years since the livestock market at Sturminster Newton closed down, bringing to an end 700 years of tradition.
We were involved in a project gathering views and ideas on video from the users
of the market as part of the effort to keep it open. The realisation of
what the closure meant to the people who used it was part of the inspiration
behind the concept of "Farm Radio". So, therefore, it seems fitting to
post some of the footage that we shot here.
I was thinking of calling this section "Where Are They
Now?" but, given the age of some of the contributors and the passing of time,
the answer to that would be all too obvious in so many cases. However, it
would be great to
hear from
our listeners with any stories of the subsequent adventures of the folk
featured here so we could follow up their stories. Perhaps we should call
it "What Happened Next?" Video shot and edited by John Holman.
Click on the bale to
view (05/08/09)
Click for
Part 1, Pat and Ted,
Part 2, Ian and Paul,
Part 3, The Auctioneers,
Part 4, Ernie,
Part 5, Clar,
Part 6, Jenny and the Pigs,
Part 7, The Drovers,
Part 8, Stan Harris,
Part 9, Len and Cecil,
Part 10, The Trader and Butch
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