Episode 11 Britain's Heritage Heroes


Episode 11

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We're travelling across the UK on a mission.

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All over the country, our heritage is at risk.

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Ancient buildings and monuments are under threat of demolition.

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Valuable arts and crafts are on the brink of extinction.

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And our rich industrial heritage is disappearing fast.

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We're scouring town and country in search of the nation's unsung heroes,

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determined not to let our heritage become a thing of the past.

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Today, we see how "money for old rope" is being well spent.

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And meet the people working to keep carnival madness alive.

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On this journey, we're uncovering the hidden treasures of our country,

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treasures that are certainly worth fighting for.

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And meeting heritage heroes saving Britain at risk.

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It's the start of our journey through the south-west of England,

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starting here, at the pier at Swanage,

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and ending up at the pier in Newlyn in Cornwall.

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On this journey, we explore the glorious south-west of England.

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From Swanage, we make our way westward through Dorset, Somerset and Devon.

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Our final destination is the western tip of England, Cornwall.

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Today, we'll be taking in some of Dorset's stunning beauty spots

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and winding up in sunny Somerset to experience the fruits of our heritage.

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But first, the seaside.

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A lot of our seaside towns have been having problems, haven't they?

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Because over the years,

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people have gone to Spain and places like that. Greece.

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But when the weather's like this, John, they THRIVE.

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And where would a seaside town be without its pier?

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They do take looking after,

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and there's been some real disasters in the last few years of piers burning down, haven't there?

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And falling into decay. Not being loved any more.

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But this one has a feature.

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-Yeah, so we hear. Shall we go and have a look at it?

-Mmm.

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Swanage Pier opened to the public in 1896.

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Built to replace an earlier pier,

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it became hugely popular with day-trippers

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visiting the town on the great passenger steamers.

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By 1966, the steamer service had stopped,

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and over the next 30 years,

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the pier fell in to a terrible state of disrepair.

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Fortunately, in 1993, the Swanage Pier Trust took it over.

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They began raising the £1 million needed

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for long overdue restoration work.

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This is obviously in far better state of repair, John,

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than the old pier that's out there.

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Oh, yeah. I wonder if they'll ever restore that one?

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-It's more of a relic, isn't it?

-They've got a big job.

-Yeah.

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Despite appearances, a massive £180,000 is needed each year

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to continue essential restoration works.

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One group putting a huge amount of pennies in the pot

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is the local dive school, the oldest in the UK.

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Owner Pete has been diving here for 28 years,

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and is still as passionate as ever about the pier.

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-Ahoy there! How are you?

-Good. You?

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-Cheers.

-Climb aboard.

-Thank you.

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Let's go and have another closer look at this pier.

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Who wouldn't want to be on the water on a day like this, Pete?

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It's fantastic. It's a bonus at this time of year.

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When John and I were walking up to the pier,

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I was amazed at just how many divers are flocking here.

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It's a real Mecca on the South coast, isn't it?

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If you know about diving, scuba diving,

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Swanage is your first destination in sea water.

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What do you find under here?

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To anyone looking at it, you'd think, "Oh, it's just an old pier."

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-Just a wooden structure.

-But for you, it's another world.

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Early season, we'll see the spider crabs come in their thousands,

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and they will come under the pier to breed.

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We get cuttlefish,

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down to different plants and species that are unique to these structures.

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-Now, obviously, it's been under threat.

-Yeah.

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A lot's being done to actually try and reverse that trend.

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How far are we along the process?

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What they've done is stabilised what we've got, which is fantastic.

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We've had new piles driven in. It's like an ongoing thing.

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For every ten piles they replace, there's another 20 to do.

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But when you dive in and see how much is wearing away,

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they've got a problem with the gribble worm,

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and it's actually eating the pier alive.

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Did you say "gribble worm"?

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Yeah, it's a wood-boring worm

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that is attacking that pier as we look at it now.

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How important is the diving business to the economy of this pier,

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to its viability, to keeping it going?

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Without the divers, the dive shop bringing the people in,

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the pier wouldn't survive.

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It'd certainly take away the divers,

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and I think you could kiss goodbye to the structure.

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Another way the pier is raising funds

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is through their personalised sponsored brass plaque scheme.

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So far, it's raised an impressive £40,000 towards restoration work.

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Pier master Russ has been encouraged

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by the incredible support people have shown.

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How many have you got already?

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-8,200.

-8,200?!

-Let's look at some.

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I didn't think it was that many!

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"A little mischievous."

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-How about that?

-That's right, yeah.

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Tom and Vic got engaged here on 9th May 2003.

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-There you go.

-The funny thing was, we did...

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The Essex boys and girls, what do they love on this pier?

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THEY LAUGH

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-"Happy times, happy holiday".

-They are funny things.

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One of the most poignant ones is this one here.

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Oh, actually on the bench itself?

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It's on one of the benches that the Infantry division from America

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purchased this bench in memory

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of the men who lost their lives on Omaha Beach.

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It says, "To men of the 26th Infantry,

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"US First Division here prior to landing

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"on Omaha Beach D-Day 1944."

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And can anybody have a plaque on the pier?

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Anyone can purchase a plaque on the pier, yes.

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It's just via donation,

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which we can get a grant aid for, that sort of thing.

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I think we could stretch to a plaque.

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We like this pier, don't we?

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-Right. Well, it's a lovely gesture, John.

-Isn't it?

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And just think, Jules.

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We're now on Swanage Pier for posterity.

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-Part of its ongoing heritage.

-Yeah.

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I mean, it's good to know, isn't it,

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that this pier is not going to follow so many others

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and just disappear because of neglect?

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-But it does beg a question...

-Mm-hmm.

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Who's going to come back and polish it?

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There we are.

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Brilliant. Come on.

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HIGH-PITCHED: What do you think of Swanage, John?

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-It's better than Marbella.

-You take me to all the best places.

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Back on the road, we're heading north,

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from Dorset's delightful coast to its charming countryside.

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You know, over the years, Jules, we've both made films, haven't we?

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All sorts of different films about rural skills.

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Have you ever fancied having a go at one properly?

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Greenwood, that's what I want to do.

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You know, hurdle-making, fence-making, that sort of thing.

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Coppicing. It's such an ancient art,

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-and I love that you can produce things that you can use at home, effectively for nothing.

-Yeah.

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Deep in the Dorset countryside near Farrington,

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a centre for rural skills opened in 2003.

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Its aim is to tackle the skill shortage in traditional building

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and other rural craft.

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Founder Rob Buckley got a grant to set up the centre

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so he could pass on the skills that he's mastered

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over the last 30 years.

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We run courses in hurdle-making, blacksmithing, hedge-laying,

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lime plastering.

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All the rural skills that we could see

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were dying out, because now we have generations of people

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who are skilled with these crafts,

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but they're not being passed on to younger people.

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Do the twist.

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Peter Moors has been a forester for 15 years.

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He's skilled in the ancient craft of hurdle-making

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and is keen to pass on his expertise.

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Make sure it's right down and level.

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Twisting motion.

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That's brilliant.

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Great stuff.

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Hurdle-making, I know from history

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that it's actually a 5,000 year old skill.

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That's it.

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I firmly believe that these skills should be passed on,

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because as such an ancient craft,

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and an ancient skill and form of management of our local woodlands,

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to lose that would be an absolute tragedy.

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The skills need to be passed on

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so that younger people can manage the woods

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and enjoy the woods as much as I do.

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Getting there.

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'It's been really enjoyable, you know, doing something completely different.

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'I've been doing other courses,'

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lime, cob building, straw bale building.

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It's all really great, totally hands-on all the way.

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I love learning in this kind of way.

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That end is now locked in by those two.

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And then as this one is woven along,

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-it locks in the previous one.

-Yeah.

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-Understand?

-Cool, yeah.

-It's neat, isn't it?

-Yeah.

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'There's a lot of benefits

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'to increasing the usage of the countryside.'

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It's a place where people need to be able to work and earn a living

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so that they can stay in the countryside

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and keep the countryside alive.

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It's really great to see the centre teaming up with young people,

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keen to re-connect with crafts so essential to country life.

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Next, we're headed an hour west through Dorset towards West Coker,

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in stunning Somerset.

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Well, here we are in Somerset on a fantastic day.

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And what a view, John!

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And if you look carefully down there, that, to me, looks like

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-a ploughing competition. How about that?

-You're absolutely right!

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It's not often that we get to wear our shades on the show, is it?

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True enough.

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# Bring me sunshine all the while

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# Bring me laughter

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# In your smile... #

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Bring me Somerset!

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Come on. Who's driving?

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-You.

-Right.

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Have you ever wondered where the phrase,

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"money for old rope", comes from?

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-Go on.

-I read about it the other day.

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It comes from the days of the hangmen,

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-when they used a new rope for each hanging...

-Ah!

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..and then afterwards, they got rid of it.

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In fact, they became kind of souvenirs, these ropes,

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so they used to chop bits off and sell it.

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-Curious people!

-Bit macabre, isn't it?

-Yes.

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So that was "money for old rope".

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Here in Somerset, West Coker was once famed for its twine and sail works.

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The twine produced here stitched local sailcloth known as Coker canvas.

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It played a key role in Britain's great naval success,

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providing strong sails

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to carry Britain's growing fleets around the world.

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By 1890, the cottage industry

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grew to be the biggest employer in the village,

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with five twine works giving jobs to hundreds of people.

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On the edge of West Coker lies Dawes Twine Works,

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the last of its kind.

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Production stopped here in 1968.

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Abandoned and exposed, it soon began to crumble.

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Keen not to see their proud heritage lost,

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locals formed a trust to preserve the works

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and create an interactive social history centre.

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We've come to meet Ross, who's heading up the project.

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Ah!

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This must be the place.

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A-ha! Oh, yeah!

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-It does look, how do you say it? A little run-down.

-It does, doesn't it?

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Ross! Welcome. How very nice to see you, sir.

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-Nice to see you.

-Oh, Ross. Yes.

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So, this is Dawes Twine Works.

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-But it's obviously seen better days, Ross?

-Yeah, that's exactly right.

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And there's a fantastic national organisation

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called The Carpenter's Fellowship.

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And they came here, and they straightened this building for us.

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So, you may think it looks bad now, but...

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you should have seen it then.

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Well, obviously sailing ships and rope go together,

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but why a rope works here, so far from the sea?

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That's a really good question. The reason is the geology.

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The middle Jurassic rocks that we have here

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are fantastic for growing flax and hemp.

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And that was the basic materials, of course,

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for your sail cloth, and for your rope and twine.

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And that's why the whole business came and built up here.

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-Can we have a look around?

-Of course you can.

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It would be an absolute pleasure.

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Why is this building so long, Ross?

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Because it's really important, when you're making twine,

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that you don't want to have joins, cos joins are a point of weakness.

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And so that's why this building is a hundred yards long,

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because you don't want joins in the rope.

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So if we come here,

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back in the day when it was in full swing,

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we'd have seen swathes of twine running up and down the length of this building,

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a bit like a sort of cat's cradle, presumably.

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Absolutely.

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Your pillars don't look very safe, actually.

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No, no, but I promise you the scaffolding is good.

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You walk around an awful lot. There's a lot of gap between them and the floor.

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What's this? Is this part of the process?

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Absolutely. This is a vital part. This is the cable that's attached to drums down there,

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but actually keeps the tension, because we had,

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running through here, the twine was revolving on the drums.

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-That was original, then?

-Yes, that's original.

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And the twine was kept up on what... on these rakes.

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And there's some of the original twine still here.

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So you can actually see what was being made.

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-It still doesn't break.

-And that's been made in the Sixties?

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-Yes, that's made in the Sixties.

-Wow.

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It was thirsty work.

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They did quite a lot of drinking.

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The average man would start about half past seven,

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and come here and drink two pints of cider.

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So they drank that before breakfast?!

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Breakfast would be bread and cheese and two pints of cider.

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They drank wine grade cider.

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And they'd be drinking seven or eight pints of that a day.

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A steady supply of cider back in those days

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was undoubtedly the answer to,

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and cause of, many of its employees' problems.

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So much so that workers were paid 20% of their wages in tokens,

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which could only be redeemed for food in local shops.

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Neil Evans is a fifth generation twine worker.

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His family took over the works before the demise of the industry.

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With one of his family heirlooms,

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Neil can show us how to ball a yard of twine.

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What a wonderful-looking machine, Neil!

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Good morning. Indeed, yes.

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-What you doing?

-I'm balling a ball of twine.

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It's come in from the factory,

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and the final stage of manufacture is to prepare it for sale.

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And this machine, is it original?

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Yes. Probably 1860, 1870.

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Been in our factory ever since then,

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apart from the spells it's had in the cottages where the ladies would do this at home.

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-Oh, this was a cottage industry, was it?

-Very much so.

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-Making the twine balls?

-Yes.

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And it looks to be in pretty good working order, still.

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Yep. So far, so good.

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And how important do you think it is

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that an example of this kind of industry should be preserved?

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I think there are so few factories left in England,

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that to have the opportunity of a complete,

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unrestored Victorian factory, to bring it back to, you know,

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to its working unit, would be tremendous.

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And to show people a vanished, or vanishing, skill?

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Absolutely, yes. Would you like to have a go?

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-Can I?

-Yeah, by all means.

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Ha! What, doing a ball of twine?

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-Yes.

-Right, well.

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How do I start?

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-Right, now. Put a bit of tension on there.

-Yeah.

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Let it run through your fingers without burning.

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-Put this foot...

-On the treadle.

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-Yeah, on the worn bit there.

-Oh, the worn bit. Right.

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And just turn that with your right hand.

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-That way?

-Yep.

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Operate the treadle.

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-That's it.

-Oh, I see.

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That has changed direction.

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And back up again.

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You're moving your foot gently all the time, up and down. OK?

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To finish off the ball, keep the treadle pressed right down,

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and spin it till you get a complete covering.

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-Come back up. Lovely. Oh, what a star!

-Oh, no, no!

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Looking a reasonable shape.

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It is indeed, yes.

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Right, that's fine.

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-Right, wow!

-Well done.

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-A ball of twine!

-Yes, indeed.

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Done with my own foot and hand!

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HE LAUGHS

0:16:440:16:45

Well, this is what it's all about, Jules.

0:16:450:16:48

The twine that held the nation together.

0:16:480:16:50

But just think about it, John. Rewind back to the late eighteenth century.

0:16:500:16:54

It's the time of Wellington and of Nelson,

0:16:540:16:56

when the foundations of Empire are being put down all over the world.

0:16:560:17:00

But, of course, we couldn't have done that without ships and canvas and twine.

0:17:000:17:04

And now they've got the funding to keep this place going,

0:17:040:17:07

and to restore it.

0:17:070:17:08

But how long do you think it's going to take?

0:17:080:17:10

-How long's a piece of string?

-About a hundred yards.

0:17:100:17:12

Now, what is Somerset famous for, amongst other things?

0:17:210:17:24

-SOMERSET ACCENT: The Worzels.

-The Worzels.

0:17:240:17:26

-Cider!

-Yes!

-SOMERSET ACCENT:

-Somerset cider.

0:17:260:17:29

And now, cider brandy.

0:17:290:17:30

There's Somerset cider brandy now.

0:17:300:17:33

There's been a bit of a fuss about it.

0:17:330:17:35

-Some EU members objected to the name, would you believe?

-No!

0:17:350:17:39

-Especially Spain!

-Really?

-Yeah.

0:17:390:17:41

Anyway, the EU have now ruled in favour

0:17:410:17:44

of Somerset cider brandy. It can be called cider brandy.

0:17:440:17:48

So, it's up there with Cornish pasties...

0:17:480:17:50

Yeah.

0:17:500:17:52

..Stilton cheese.

0:17:520:17:53

Maybe we'll have a little tipple.

0:17:530:17:56

As you're driving,

0:17:560:17:58

I'll try and bring you back a sample for later consumption.

0:17:580:18:01

-For later on.

-An analysis. All right?

0:18:010:18:03

For the past 20 years,

0:18:070:18:09

at his farm in Burrow Hill,

0:18:090:18:10

Julian Temperley has been working hard

0:18:100:18:13

to revive the ancient Somerset treasure of cider brandy.

0:18:130:18:17

He's got one of the biggest ancient orchards in the country,

0:18:170:18:21

with no less than 40 different varieties of vintage cider apple.

0:18:210:18:25

Each year, they harvest and press around 1,000 tonnes of apples.

0:18:250:18:30

Half is made into cider,

0:18:300:18:32

but the other half is matured in small barrels for up to 20 years

0:18:320:18:35

to become cider brandy.

0:18:350:18:38

After a four-year battle with the EU,

0:18:380:18:41

Julian can legally call his product Somerset Cider Brandy.

0:18:410:18:44

-Congratulations on your victory, Julian.

-Thank you.

0:18:440:18:47

Somerset Cider Brandy no longer at risk?

0:18:470:18:49

Yes. We are now, at long last, totally legal.

0:18:490:18:52

And how long have you been making it for?

0:18:520:18:54

We've been making cider for somewhere in excess of 40 years,

0:18:540:18:57

and distilling for the last 23 years.

0:18:570:18:59

But how long in the county has it been made for?

0:18:590:19:02

Cider distilling has always been part of the cider-making tradition.

0:19:030:19:09

And I have here a book from 1678,

0:19:090:19:13

and it has "The Making Of Brandy".

0:19:130:19:17

"And you may, after due fermentation, extract Spirits..."

0:19:170:19:20

-"Very vulgarly called Brandy"!

-"Very vulgarly called Brandy".

0:19:200:19:23

"..Be usual for cider, when old, to burn over the fire as Claret".

0:19:230:19:27

So that is your proof.

0:19:270:19:29

That's our proof that Somerset cider brandy has been made for centuries.

0:19:290:19:32

And it's very important for us that this isn't some new-fangled scheme that I got up to.

0:19:320:19:37

It is part of the tradition of orchards,

0:19:370:19:39

and the story of orchards,

0:19:390:19:40

and that is what we are essentially selling.

0:19:400:19:42

I'll buy a taster.

0:19:460:19:47

Well, we have two here.

0:19:470:19:49

We have 20 years old,

0:19:490:19:50

and we have a ten years old.

0:19:500:19:53

I suppose, a ten, don't you?

0:19:530:19:55

-Bet it costs an arm and a leg, does it?

-Well, it is expensive.

0:19:550:20:00

But it is something to savour after a nice meal.

0:20:000:20:03

What a wonderful smell, isn't it?

0:20:030:20:06

-Apples?

-The orchard hits you, doesn't it?

0:20:060:20:08

-Yes.

-Right up your nose. If I can say that.

0:20:080:20:10

That doesn't sound a very epicurean way of describing it, but it does.

0:20:100:20:14

Well, congratulations that for many, many years to come,

0:20:200:20:23

-we'll be able to drink Somerset cider brandy.

-Thank you.

0:20:230:20:27

-Hi, Jules.

-Well, this is the closest I've got to cider brandy, John.

0:20:290:20:32

I've been tasting the real thing, and I've brought you a little treat.

0:20:320:20:37

That is a little treat. We've come to cider brandy central,

0:20:370:20:40

-and all you've got is a bottle that big!

-Only joking! I've got this one.

0:20:400:20:45

-I knew you wouldn't let me down.

-We can share it.

-Well done.

0:20:450:20:48

Step on it, Jules, because I've got some fun lined up for you,

0:20:520:20:56

15 minutes south of here at Ilminster.

0:20:560:20:59

What's lovely about this part of the world is that

0:21:020:21:05

a lot of the heritage is rooted in its people.

0:21:050:21:08

In the south-west, one tradition they're clinging onto is carnival.

0:21:080:21:13

Have you ever been in a carnival, John?

0:21:130:21:16

-Yeah.

-Have you?

-Yeah.

0:21:160:21:18

-Were you the carnival queen?

-Leeds Children's Day Carnival.

0:21:180:21:22

-Were you...

-Every year, we used to...

0:21:220:21:24

-..in a tutu?

-..a float, yeah, yeah.

0:21:240:21:27

Every town and village used to have its own pageants.

0:21:270:21:30

But they seem to be on the decline now.

0:21:300:21:34

The one here at Ilminster, it could be the very last year it's held.

0:21:340:21:37

-Yeah, that's extraordinary, isn't it?

-Which would be tragic, wouldn't it?

0:21:370:21:42

Carnival season runs from September to November

0:21:430:21:47

across 30 towns in this part of the country.

0:21:470:21:50

The tradition first came about

0:21:500:21:52

to commemorate Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot.

0:21:520:21:55

Others were to welcome home war veterans,

0:21:550:21:57

and some were simply a way of raising funds for the community.

0:21:570:22:01

This was the case with the Ilminster Carnival,

0:22:010:22:04

which was first held in the early 1970s.

0:22:040:22:08

Since then, carnivals have become a focal point,

0:22:080:22:10

bringing people together. For those involved,

0:22:100:22:14

it means 12 months of fundraising and hard work,

0:22:140:22:17

creating elaborate floats for their chance to shine.

0:22:170:22:21

With increasing costs and regulations,

0:22:210:22:23

the future of Ilminster Carnival and others are certainly at risk.'

0:22:230:22:28

-Well, this is quite a float!

-Isn't it, John?

0:22:280:22:31

-Enormous!

-Amazing! Look at all the lights.

-The theme of a circus!

0:22:310:22:34

-Try that, mate.

-D'you think it works? It works!

0:22:340:22:37

And look, all these spare bulbs, just in case.

0:22:370:22:40

Let's go and find out who owns it.

0:22:400:22:42

So, this is the Madness Float. Sue and Gordon.

0:22:420:22:45

-Hello, Sue.

-Hello.

-Gordon.

-How are you?

-It's nice to see you.

0:22:450:22:48

Nice to see you. Hello, Gordon.

0:22:480:22:50

Just putting in the finishing touches?

0:22:500:22:53

Yes, we are. It's nine months building this.

0:22:530:22:56

-Gordon, how much does this cost?

-This float is around about 15,000,

0:22:560:23:01

but any float really is minimum 20,000 to about £30,000.

0:23:010:23:07

All that money is raised by club members throughout the year.

0:23:070:23:10

Where else would you find club members giving up

0:23:100:23:14

their annual holiday to actually fundraise?

0:23:140:23:17

They are at threat, a lot of these carnivals.

0:23:170:23:20

-Yes.

-Because they're so expensive to mount.

-This one in particular.

0:23:200:23:24

They had an SOS about two months ago,

0:23:240:23:26

because this carnival was in fear that it could be the last one.

0:23:260:23:31

The problem is the cost now of actually putting on a carnival,

0:23:310:23:34

because you have to have so many marshals,

0:23:340:23:38

so many barriers, licenses, health and safety regulations...

0:23:380:23:45

-No flaming torches.

-What's this going to be today? What's the theme?

0:23:450:23:49

It's called the House Of Fun, based on a piece of music by Madness.

0:23:490:23:52

So this is our idea of what different houses of fun might be.

0:23:520:23:56

You don't happen to have one person short in the float, do you?

0:23:560:24:00

-I knew something was coming!

-Jules, you're taking my place tonight.

0:24:000:24:04

-You are indeed!

-Taking your place?

-Yes.

0:24:040:24:06

-I'm not really dressed in the...

-Not necessary. I will give you this.

0:24:060:24:11

Do I get to wear make-up?

0:24:110:24:12

Oh, yes! Fishnets? We can supply fishnets.

0:24:120:24:15

Let's leave the fishnets out of it, OK...

0:24:150:24:18

'Getting new blood into the carnival is vital for its survival.

0:24:190:24:23

'A project has been set up to do just that.

0:24:230:24:26

'At its helm is lifelong carnival lover, Andrew Tallon.'

0:24:260:24:29

-Is this van in the carnival, Andy?

-Yes, John.

0:24:290:24:31

This is the Mobile Exhibition Unit

0:24:310:24:33

of the Carnivals in Somerset Promotion Project.

0:24:330:24:36

This image you see is the most iconic cart of all time.

0:24:360:24:39

We've used that as the image, the magical image...

0:24:390:24:43

-And what's inside?

-Inside, John, is the Mobile Exhibition Unit

0:24:430:24:46

which depicts the history and heritage

0:24:460:24:48

of the Somerset Luminated Carnivals,

0:24:480:24:50

their economic importance, historic significance

0:24:500:24:53

and also their importance for the future of this rural community.

0:24:530:24:58

So, who d'you take the van around to show?

0:24:580:25:01

We take it to various rural shows, Somerset and beyond,

0:25:010:25:03

in the carnivals themselves, but more importantly to schools

0:25:030:25:07

and youth clubs through the area, to try and attract more kids

0:25:070:25:11

to get involved in carnival, so that they're the new generation

0:25:110:25:14

of carnivalites taking the tradition into the future.

0:25:140:25:17

There's a real sense of excitement building amongst the performers,

0:25:170:25:21

and I'm feeling a little nervous.

0:25:210:25:23

Right, let's have a pout, then.

0:25:230:25:25

You've done that before, haven't you?

0:25:250:25:29

That'll do, I reckon.

0:25:310:25:33

-There we are.

-I think you're good.

-I'm ready to party.

0:25:330:25:36

Sundown, lights up!

0:25:360:25:39

It's carnival time!

0:25:390:25:41

It's what everyone involved has been working for all year,

0:25:440:25:49

hoping their floats and performances will catch the judges' eye.

0:25:490:25:53

What a tremendous atmosphere.

0:25:530:25:55

It seems that just about everybody in Ilminster is lining the route

0:25:550:25:59

in the high street.

0:25:590:26:00

That is, if they're not taking part in the procession,

0:26:000:26:03

carnivals are always very noisy things, but somehow,

0:26:030:26:06

the darkness and all the lights add a whole new perspective.

0:26:060:26:11

MUSIC BLARES

0:26:120:26:15

Fred, how on earth do you judge a carnival like this?

0:26:190:26:22

Very difficult indeed, very difficult. But you get used to it.

0:26:220:26:26

What are you looking for?

0:26:260:26:27

Looking for the dance, the choreography,

0:26:270:26:30

and also how they perform. I look for excitement.

0:26:300:26:34

I want to see them laughing, really enjoying it, especially the make-up.

0:26:340:26:39

I think Jules is in here somewhere, see if we can find him.

0:26:390:26:43

-How do you judge that performance?

-That's not bad at all.

0:26:480:26:51

If he can keep it up for an hour and a half, that'd be fabulous.

0:26:510:26:54

-Has he got the right spirit, d'you think?

-Absolutely.

0:26:540:26:57

# Welcome to the lion's den

0:26:570:27:00

# Welcome to the House of Fun

0:27:010:27:05

# Welcome to the lions' den

0:27:050:27:08

# Welcome to the House of Fun. #

0:27:090:27:12

MUSIC BLARES

0:27:140:27:17

-John!

-Do I know you?

0:27:220:27:24

I'm not sure I know myself any more!

0:27:240:27:26

You must be exhausted.

0:27:260:27:28

Absolutely worn out, but what fun! I did not expect that!

0:27:280:27:33

I didn't think that they'd be so imaginative, the floats.

0:27:330:27:38

It's a really interesting experience. What a shame it would be

0:27:380:27:42

-if this ended or changed.

-Wouldn't it.

0:27:420:27:44

Everybody is having a great time, not just the people on the floats,

0:27:440:27:49

-but the whole town.

-Yeah. Come on, let's get a pint.

0:27:490:27:52

What a fantastic start to our journey across the south-west.

0:27:550:27:59

I was really struck with Somerset, and the people whose commitment

0:27:590:28:03

to rather unusual areas of our heritage is inspiring.

0:28:030:28:06

And I was really taken with Swanage Pier, and the passion

0:28:060:28:09

of the people determined to keep it standing for another 100 years.

0:28:090:28:13

Next time, we get leathered in one of the last tanneries in England.

0:28:130:28:20

Push!

0:28:200:28:21

And meet the people who've launched themselves

0:28:210:28:24

into traditional boat-building.

0:28:240:28:26

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0:28:400:28:43

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