0:00:03 > 0:00:07I'm in the Peak District, at the beautiful Chatsworth Estate,
0:00:07 > 0:00:10where they're holding their first-ever annual flower show.
0:00:10 > 0:00:11Welcome to Songs Of Praise.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38On today's show, I'm joining a flower-arranging class
0:00:38 > 0:00:40with a Church of England expert.
0:00:40 > 0:00:41Facing this way a little bit.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44- Remember the congregation are that way.- Oh, yes, of course they are.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Pam Rhodes and historian Kate Williams
0:00:46 > 0:00:49discover a 500-year-old message
0:00:49 > 0:00:52from a secret royal visitor to Derbyshire.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55And former JLS pop star JB Gill
0:00:55 > 0:00:58tells me about his Christian faith,
0:00:58 > 0:01:01and sings one of his favourite songs of praise.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15Chatsworth is one of Britain's best-loved stately homes.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18This is the very first time they've hosted a flower show.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24And the displays are breathtaking.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31Much of this week's music comes from the village of Tideswell,
0:01:31 > 0:01:34near the Chatsworth Estate, here in Derbyshire.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37St John's Church is known as the Cathedral of the Peak.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40And what better way to start than with this hymn,
0:01:40 > 0:01:42which truly celebrates God's creation?
0:04:28 > 0:04:32There are thousands of arrangements here at the Chatsworth Flower Show.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36Every week, churches across the UK are decorated with flowers
0:04:36 > 0:04:38by an army of volunteers.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42Ada Fawthrop is chair of the Church of England Flower Arrangers' Association.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48I thought I'd done everything in the 17 years I've been presenting Songs Of Praise,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51but this is a first. Flower-arranging!
0:04:51 > 0:04:53Ada here is putting us all through our paces.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55We've got Faith and Libby here, as well.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59I've never done this before, so be gentle with me. Where do we start?
0:04:59 > 0:05:01- Here, obviously! - Yes, we're going to start...
0:05:01 > 0:05:03We're trying to make a pedestal,
0:05:03 > 0:05:05- which is like a head and arms, like that.- OK.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07- Like Christ, holding out his arms to you.- OK.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11- So start with something tall at the back, like this.- Right.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13- And then, two arms.- Two arms.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16- Tilting down.- Tilting down. OK.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28Do you think your flower-arranging talent comes from God?
0:05:28 > 0:05:29Well, I think everything comes from God.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31It's a good answer.
0:05:31 > 0:05:32ADA LAUGHS
0:05:32 > 0:05:36So, when Ada goes on her holiday for a couple of weeks, do you think Aled
0:05:36 > 0:05:38could take over flower-arranging in your local church?
0:05:38 > 0:05:42- We'd be pleased to have you. - Oh, yay! That was the right answer!
0:05:42 > 0:05:46- Now, then. One, two, three. - OK. I'll do this over here.
0:05:46 > 0:05:47Facing this way a little bit.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51- Remember the congregation are that way.- Oh, yes, of course they are.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57So how are we all doing, Ada? How are the girls doing?
0:05:57 > 0:06:00- You're doing well. Looking lovely! - Yes, they're coming lovely.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03Just flick it out with your fingers and they open up a little bit.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Are these just flowers to you, or do they mean something more?
0:06:06 > 0:06:10I think when flowers open, that's a really beautiful thing, isn't it?
0:06:10 > 0:06:14- It is.- And you just think, "Wow! Isn't God wonderful!"
0:06:14 > 0:06:18- Yeah. - I just love playing with flowers.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20You know, I love growing them and, er...
0:06:20 > 0:06:23and I like the result afterwards.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26Yeah. We're getting there. I think it's looking lovely.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28How much more are we putting in?
0:06:28 > 0:06:30- These are called alstromeria, and this...- Alstromeria? OK.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33- This is what you'd call a filler flower.- OK.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37- Would you like to carry on doing this, do you reckon?- I think so.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40- I'm quite enjoying it.- It's quite therapeutic, isn't it?- It really is.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44- Anyway, you carry on because yours isn't as good as ours yet.- Ah!- Oh!
0:06:44 > 0:06:46I can't believe I've been with you all this time
0:06:46 > 0:06:49and I haven't asked you, what's your favourite flower?
0:06:49 > 0:06:52- Um...I think I would say a daisy. - Why?
0:06:52 > 0:06:56It's just like a happy, smiling face, isn't it? Look at that.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59- It is, isn't it?- Just like a... - It lifts the soul.- Yes, yes.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08Well, Ada, it's not a bad effort for first time, is it?
0:07:08 > 0:07:09It's not a bad effort at all.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11I've got to say, the girls have outshone me, though.
0:07:11 > 0:07:12They've done really, really well.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15I suppose the million-dollar question is, guys,
0:07:15 > 0:07:17what do you think of our creations? Any good?
0:07:17 > 0:07:19APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:07:23 > 0:07:25- Thank you.- Thank you.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34Chatsworth has long been a magnet for visitors,
0:10:34 > 0:10:37but go back 500 years and there was a royal guest here
0:10:37 > 0:10:39who wasn't quite visiting,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42and who left a secret message for the people of Derbyshire.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Pam's been finding out more with historian, Kate Williams.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55So, Kate, who was this mysterious royal resident?
0:10:55 > 0:10:59We're talking about Mary Queen of Scots, who came here in the 1500s.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01And go back and picture the scene.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03Elizabeth's on the throne, it's a Protestant country,
0:11:03 > 0:11:07and here's her cousin, the beautiful Catholic queen,
0:11:07 > 0:11:10and she keeps being part of these plots to depose Elizabeth,
0:11:10 > 0:11:11to throw her off the throne.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14And what Elizabeth does is she sends Mary up to Derbyshire
0:11:14 > 0:11:16to get her out of the way of the plotters
0:11:16 > 0:11:18and pretty much out of her hair.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22So why did Elizabeth feel so threatened?
0:11:22 > 0:11:24Was it by the woman or by the faith?
0:11:24 > 0:11:25It was really the faith.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29Because Mary, she believed that England should have a Catholic queen,
0:11:29 > 0:11:31a Catholic monarch, and should be a Catholic country.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34And that means deposing Elizabeth.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36So Mary is this huge threat to Elizabeth.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40She's a threat to her country, she's a threat to her throne,
0:11:40 > 0:11:42and, really, she's a threat to her life.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46The First Earl of Shrewsbury, George Talbot,
0:11:46 > 0:11:47who lived at Chatsworth,
0:11:47 > 0:11:52was the man charged with detaining Mary in Derbyshire for 16 years.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55But during that time, she was allowed to visit the nearby
0:11:55 > 0:11:58spa town of Buxton and enjoy its comforts.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Well, this is the actual room where she stayed.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06It's not bad, if you're a captive, is it, really?
0:12:06 > 0:12:08Pretty good for a prison. So Mary is under house arrest,
0:12:08 > 0:12:12but her surroundings are quite luxurious at this point.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19When Mary was here, Buxton was so fashionable,
0:12:19 > 0:12:21there were banquets, there were glamorous dinners.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23All the local nobles came to meet the queen.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27But did she have a premonition even then that it would come to an end?
0:12:27 > 0:12:29Mary did know it was going to change,
0:12:29 > 0:12:32and when one of the plots was uncovered against Elizabeth,
0:12:32 > 0:12:34that's when she knew this couldn't continue.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38And what she did was she wrote, with a diamond ring, on the glass,
0:12:38 > 0:12:39this is a replica here, a goodbye.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42And what she writes in Latin is, "Buxton, whose warm waters
0:12:42 > 0:12:44"have made your name famous,
0:12:44 > 0:12:47"perchance I will never see you again.
0:12:47 > 0:12:48"Vale - goodbye."
0:12:48 > 0:12:51And that is pretty clear, she knows that the fun times are over.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55And her faith, I guess, would have become even more important to her.
0:12:55 > 0:12:56Absolutely. And this, we can see here,
0:12:56 > 0:12:59she also scratched with her diamond ring, this time in French,
0:12:59 > 0:13:01the language of her childhood,
0:13:01 > 0:13:04"Even though people have said evil things about me,
0:13:04 > 0:13:06"even though they've maligned my faith,
0:13:06 > 0:13:08"God alone know what's in my heart,
0:13:08 > 0:13:10"and one day, he will show my innocence.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12"His virtue attracts me."
0:13:15 > 0:13:17But at the age of 44,
0:13:17 > 0:13:21Mary would be condemned to death by Queen Elizabeth.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25Elizabeth realised that even though she put her in the middle of nowhere,
0:13:25 > 0:13:26there were still plots,
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Mary was still retaining her Catholic faith.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32And so Elizabeth had to go for some more determined action,
0:13:32 > 0:13:35and that, ultimately, led to execution.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39It's this amazing story of conviction and courage
0:13:39 > 0:13:43and an unshakeable faith in God.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57A flower show, like this one in Chatsworth,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00is a super way of appreciating the great outdoors.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02And our next guest has spent the last two years
0:16:02 > 0:16:04starting a new life as a farmer,
0:16:04 > 0:16:08having enjoyed considerable success with the boyband, JLS.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12# J-J-J-J-JLS
0:16:12 > 0:16:15# Everybody in love Go on put your hands up...#
0:16:15 > 0:16:18As part of JLS, JB Gill found himself
0:16:18 > 0:16:21in one of the UK's biggest-ever bands,
0:16:21 > 0:16:24selling over 10-million records worldwide.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27But when they called it a day back in 2013,
0:16:27 > 0:16:31JB took a complete change of direction, becoming a farmer
0:16:31 > 0:16:35and settling into family life on 10 acres of land in Kent.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40I can't think of any other pop star, OK, who travels the world,
0:16:40 > 0:16:43has adoring fans and gives it all up to be a farmer.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45JB LAUGHS
0:16:45 > 0:16:48- What were you thinking?! - Well, I'm definitely unusual. Um...
0:16:48 > 0:16:50I mean, it was something that just happened
0:16:50 > 0:16:52quite naturally, to be honest.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55A few people mentioned to me that I should do something
0:16:55 > 0:16:57with the 10 acres of land that we do have.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00And as I sort of researched different types of farming,
0:17:00 > 0:17:02what I could do and how I could do it.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05I love food anyway, so for me, kind of joining up all the dots
0:17:05 > 0:17:09of how it's actually grown and cultivated or reared,
0:17:09 > 0:17:11is just an incredible thing for me,
0:17:11 > 0:17:13and something that I'm very passionate about.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15Would you say it's easier to find God on the farm
0:17:15 > 0:17:19- than it is in a packed crowd at Wembley?- Absolutely.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21I find when I'm outside, especially when I'm working
0:17:21 > 0:17:24with the animals and it's just myself, it's just incredible.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26I can definitely sense the presence of God.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28You know, and you're literally just observing,
0:17:28 > 0:17:30whether it's the beauty of your surroundings,
0:17:30 > 0:17:32or looking at how the animals interact with each other
0:17:32 > 0:17:34or interact with you.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37You were brought up through faith, it was a Pentecostal church, wasn't it?
0:17:37 > 0:17:40- Yes. Yeah.- And what was that like? - It was incredible.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44I really enjoyed it. I, obviously, love singing, I love the music,
0:17:44 > 0:17:49and I was always encouraged to play a full part in attending church
0:17:49 > 0:17:53and that being part of the family, especially on my mum's side.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55But your work with JLS, it's fair to say,
0:17:55 > 0:17:57took you away from the church a little bit.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00Was that just because of time constraints and stuff like that?
0:18:00 > 0:18:02Yeah, I mean, I think a little bit of both.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06For me, my beliefs in general were still very, very strong, but,
0:18:06 > 0:18:08you know, it was definitely something that,
0:18:08 > 0:18:13as I grew older, actually, you want something more.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17You know, there's a presence that you miss which you then search for.
0:18:17 > 0:18:18What about getting married,
0:18:18 > 0:18:22- becoming a father - did that bring you closer to God?- Absolutely.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24For me, I got to a point where I was, like,
0:18:24 > 0:18:26what do I want to do with my life? What do I want to stand for?
0:18:26 > 0:18:28What are the things that I'm passionate about?
0:18:28 > 0:18:30How do I want to live my life?
0:18:30 > 0:18:33What are the sort of things that I'm going to bring my children up believing in?
0:18:33 > 0:18:37And for me, obviously, having the Christian faith at the centre of that, I think, is very important.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41I think it's important for anybody to make up their own mind but,
0:18:41 > 0:18:44as a father and as someone that's responsible for a young person,
0:18:44 > 0:18:48you're just getting that exposure to a lifestyle that you believe in.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Did you think you have to go to church to be a Christian?
0:18:50 > 0:18:54I don't think you have to go to church in order to believe in God, you know. Of course not.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57And I think, for some people, it's not possible for you to go to church every week,
0:18:57 > 0:19:00so I don't think it's got to be a, "You have to go to church
0:19:00 > 0:19:03"in order to do this", but I do believe it helps.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05And how do you feel, coming somewhere like this today?
0:19:05 > 0:19:07This is just incredible.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09You enter the gates and automatically
0:19:09 > 0:19:13you just get a sense of peace, a sense of tranquillity.
0:19:13 > 0:19:19- You can't help but see God's work. - And so to You Raise Me Up.- Yes!
0:19:19 > 0:19:22It's a song I know well! Why is that important to you?
0:19:22 > 0:19:24Why do you like singing that song?
0:19:24 > 0:19:28- Well, firstly, it's brought me out of retirement.- Good answer!
0:19:28 > 0:19:31And also, for me, it's just such a great song about empowerment
0:19:31 > 0:19:34and, you know, literally lifting you up and, if I was going to
0:19:34 > 0:19:37choose any song, it would definitely be that one to sing.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47# When I am down
0:19:47 > 0:19:51# And, oh, my soul, so weary
0:19:51 > 0:19:54# When troubles come
0:19:54 > 0:19:59# And my heart burdened be
0:19:59 > 0:20:03# Then I am still
0:20:03 > 0:20:07# And wait here in the silence
0:20:07 > 0:20:11# Until you come
0:20:11 > 0:20:15# And sit a while with me
0:20:15 > 0:20:19# You raise me up
0:20:19 > 0:20:24# So I can stand on mountains
0:20:24 > 0:20:27# You raise me up
0:20:27 > 0:20:32# To walk on stormy seas
0:20:32 > 0:20:35# I am strong
0:20:35 > 0:20:40# When I am on your shoulders
0:20:40 > 0:20:43# You raise me up
0:20:43 > 0:20:47# To more than I can be
0:20:55 > 0:20:59# You raise me up
0:20:59 > 0:21:04# So I can stand on mountains
0:21:04 > 0:21:07# You raise me up
0:21:07 > 0:21:12# To walk on stormy seas
0:21:12 > 0:21:14# I am strong
0:21:14 > 0:21:15# I am strong
0:21:15 > 0:21:20# When I am on your shoulders
0:21:20 > 0:21:23# You raise me up
0:21:23 > 0:21:27# To more than I can be
0:21:31 > 0:21:35# You raise me up
0:21:35 > 0:21:38# So I can stand on mountains
0:21:38 > 0:21:40# Stand on mountains
0:21:40 > 0:21:43# You raise me up
0:21:43 > 0:21:46# To walk on stormy seas
0:21:46 > 0:21:48# Stormy seas
0:21:48 > 0:21:50# And I am strong
0:21:50 > 0:21:51# I am strong
0:21:51 > 0:21:56# When I am on your shoulders
0:21:56 > 0:21:59# You raise me up
0:21:59 > 0:22:03# To more than I can be
0:22:07 > 0:22:11# You raise me up
0:22:12 > 0:22:20# To more than I can be. #
0:22:30 > 0:22:34Now, if you love singing, this could be for you.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38Tickets for this year's Big Sing at the Royal Albert Hall go on sale tomorrow.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41The event itself takes place on Sunday, September 10th,
0:22:41 > 0:22:45and it's going to be a wonderful evening, featuring fabulous hymns, songs and carols.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49The phone line and box office open at 9.00am tomorrow morning,
0:22:49 > 0:22:51so, please, don't try calling before then
0:22:51 > 0:22:53because you won't be able to purchase tickets.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55The ticket line number is...
0:23:08 > 0:23:10Details are on our website.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18And we return to Tideswell for our next hymn,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20which echoes this week's theme of creation.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23It takes several months to create the intricate garden designs
0:25:23 > 0:25:25here at the Chatsworth Flower Show.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27Many are based on personal experiences and have
0:25:27 > 0:25:29a strong theme at their heart.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34Designer Neil Sutcliffe was moved to create this award-winning garden
0:25:34 > 0:25:38after a family bereavement. It's called A Time For Everything.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41He's been explaining to Pam how the garden symbolises
0:25:41 > 0:25:43the different stages of grief.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47Well, this is Neil's garden. How does it work?
0:25:47 > 0:25:49Right at the beginning there, you notice that
0:25:49 > 0:25:53a lot of the planting's very dark, quite spiky, uninviting.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57And this is really the sort of the diagnosis stage.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01We then have this water channel that runs through the centre of
0:26:01 > 0:26:04the garden and, as you come to that and have to step over,
0:26:04 > 0:26:07it's highlighting the acute awareness of how time is passing.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10And how people have passed, too. There are names along the sides.
0:26:10 > 0:26:11That's right.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15And that's where the sort of memorial side of things
0:26:15 > 0:26:17crosses over into the theme.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21We then come round, after going there, to these two curved walls,
0:26:21 > 0:26:25and the planting's very vibrant at this point or a lot more interesting,
0:26:25 > 0:26:29and that's really signifying how life never really stops around you.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32So then, as we come to the end of the pathway,
0:26:32 > 0:26:35there's a large black reservoir behind the much more
0:26:35 > 0:26:39muted planting, which is a reflection pool,
0:26:39 > 0:26:42giving reflection or a memory of someone who was there once
0:26:42 > 0:26:45before with, as I say, a much more peaceful planting scheme.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Neil's work is driven by his strong Christian faith,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52which hasn't always come easily to him.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56I was sort of really struggling with the idea of Christianity and
0:26:56 > 0:26:59what it meant to be a Christian, that, you know what, it's not
0:26:59 > 0:27:04about me making myself right for God because that's what Jesus has done.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16Well, I hope you've enjoyed Chatsworth's beautiful flowers as much as I have.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19Next week, Sean Fletcher will be walking
0:30:19 > 0:30:22the ancient Christian pilgrim route to Mont-Saint-Michel in France,
0:30:22 > 0:30:24and Josie d'Arby will reveal its link
0:30:24 > 0:30:27with St Michael's Mount in Cornwall.
0:30:27 > 0:30:31God's amazing creation has been all around us today, so we're going to
0:30:31 > 0:30:35end with a hymn that celebrates the very heart of the Christian faith.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38And we're back in Tideswell,
0:30:38 > 0:30:40the Cathedral of the Peak, for Thine Be The Glory.