0:00:03 > 0:00:06Salisbury in the summer.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10I've come to explore this beautiful cathedral city
0:00:10 > 0:00:14and to enjoy some peace and quiet in the surrounding countryside.
0:00:14 > 0:00:15But all is not quite what it seems.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25Take cover!
0:00:29 > 0:00:31This week, I discover the amazing story
0:00:31 > 0:00:33of the church on the battlefield
0:00:33 > 0:00:37and I come across flower power on a spectacular scale.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40There's glorious music from Hayley Westenra
0:00:40 > 0:00:43and don't miss the latest news about our Songs Of Praise
0:00:43 > 0:00:4550th birthday celebration.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56Strolling through Salisbury on a summer's day,
0:00:56 > 0:00:59it's easy to see why it's often called the city in the countryside.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02Green spaces all around offer breathtaking views
0:01:02 > 0:01:05of that soaring spire
0:01:05 > 0:01:07and the vast plateau of Salisbury Plain
0:01:07 > 0:01:11stretches for 300 square miles from the edge of the city.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Many thousands of visitors come here every year
0:01:14 > 0:01:18to see the mysterious megaliths of Stonehenge.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22But some residents of the Plain manage to keep a lower profile.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24Once hunted to extinction in Britain,
0:01:24 > 0:01:28the Great Bustard has been successfully reintroduced here
0:01:28 > 0:01:30and now even graces the Wiltshire county flag.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38And at the heart of Salisbury is the cathedral
0:01:38 > 0:01:40where there has been worship every day
0:01:40 > 0:01:43for more than seven-and-a-half centuries.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47And it's still a thriving community today and a place of prayer,
0:01:47 > 0:01:50so it's the perfect setting for our music this week
0:01:50 > 0:01:53as church and choir members from across the Salisbury area
0:01:53 > 0:01:57join the cathedral congregation for our Songs Of Praise.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06But what I love most about summer
0:04:06 > 0:04:09are the smells and the colours of the flowers,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12so when I heard that they were having a flower festival
0:04:12 > 0:04:14at Salisbury Cathedral, I had to come along.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18I've even made my own little floral contribution.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22More enthusiastic than skilful but, you know, every little helps.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27Something tells me they won't need my little posy.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32I've never seen anything on this scale.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36Whatever made you come up with the whole concept of such a huge event?
0:04:36 > 0:04:38Three years ago, we had a flower festival
0:04:38 > 0:04:42to celebrate the 750th anniversary of the completion of the cathedral,
0:04:42 > 0:04:45and the Dean and Chapter said they would like another one.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47How many blooms have you got, do you think?
0:04:47 > 0:04:50Well, over 39,000 stems,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53plus all the things that people have brought from their gardens,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56plus the foliage - it must be well over 100,000 stems.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59And an army of people to make it all happen.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02We've had 500 arrangers from all over the diocese
0:05:02 > 0:05:04who have arranged the displays you see.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08But the building itself lends so much, doesn't it?
0:05:08 > 0:05:11When you think what's gone on for seven-and-a-half centuries,
0:05:11 > 0:05:13does it add a certain something?
0:05:13 > 0:05:16You couldn't really wish for a better canvas.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19The beautiful stone here in the cathedral
0:05:19 > 0:05:21and the majestic pillars
0:05:21 > 0:05:26offset any flowers you put against them and any style of design.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Now, how many visitors, then, are you hoping for?
0:05:29 > 0:05:33Just under 4,000 visitors every day for six days.
0:05:33 > 0:05:38- And it's just about opening time? - It is. I think they're queuing outside, Pam, as we speak.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45One of the big things about the cathedral is the size
0:05:45 > 0:05:47and when you look at something,
0:05:47 > 0:05:50perhaps you've cut it thinking, "That's going to be huge."
0:05:50 > 0:05:54You walk in the door of the cathedral and suddenly it's shrunk.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57It is one of those places where you can,
0:05:57 > 0:06:00although it's very, very big, it can enwrap you
0:06:00 > 0:06:02and make you feel very, very close,
0:06:02 > 0:06:06feel the presence of God and very, very still.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11Well, we've come all the way from Philadelphia in the United States.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14So, what do you guys think? Do you like the flowers?
0:06:14 > 0:06:17They're really pretty and they smell good.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Magnificent, I think.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21You've got to say, you know, a lot of hard work.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25I'm just getting lovely ideas and, um,
0:06:25 > 0:06:27some of those will appear in another church
0:06:27 > 0:06:29in the not too distant future.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33First thing that struck me was the subtleness of the colours.
0:06:33 > 0:06:38- We're talking about blue and the hues of the colours. - Blues and purples.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40It wasn't, sort of, a mad extravaganza.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47And what would you say, then, to the army of flower arrangers
0:06:47 > 0:06:50in churches up and down the country?
0:06:50 > 0:06:55The value that flowers make into worship is considerable,
0:06:55 > 0:07:00and brings great enjoyment and a deeper sense to everyone.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02It's an act of worship and an act of prayer.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24They do say if you want to see the best of this area,
0:09:24 > 0:09:26there's only one mode of transport, so here goes.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29And I'm new to this so be kind to me.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32I've come to an outdoor therapy centre
0:09:32 > 0:09:36just a few miles from Salisbury called God Unlimited.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38So, I know how to start,
0:09:38 > 0:09:40does he know how to stop?
0:09:41 > 0:09:44On my trusty steed, I caught up with Stephanie,
0:09:44 > 0:09:48one of the team, to find out more.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51It's terribly therapeutic for people just to be around nature
0:09:51 > 0:09:55and we find that quite a lot of our activities call for the outdoors anyway,
0:09:55 > 0:09:59but the therapy seems to be augmented by the nature
0:09:59 > 0:10:01and the being in nature.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04So, what is the range of activities that you do here?
0:10:04 > 0:10:05We have a huge variety.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09We do all sorts of outdoor activities such as climbing
0:10:09 > 0:10:11and walking and cycling, kayaking.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14We obviously do quite a lot with the horses
0:10:14 > 0:10:17simply because we've got that resource to tap into
0:10:17 > 0:10:21and that includes things like parties and riding lessons
0:10:21 > 0:10:25as well as equine assisted therapy and lower back pain therapy.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35What we provide is tailored towards therapy,
0:10:35 > 0:10:37so we actually have to build up the relationship
0:10:37 > 0:10:42and mend some of the underlying problems, not just the physical ones.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45- How did this all start? - Three families out of the four
0:10:45 > 0:10:48that have actually started up God Unlimited
0:10:48 > 0:10:50were going to an Anglican church.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54The parents were praying and they all heard
0:10:54 > 0:10:58the same part of the Bible, or the same verse
0:10:58 > 0:11:00about Elijah moving to the plain.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04We all managed to end up in the same village
0:11:04 > 0:11:07because God obviously wanted us to be together
0:11:07 > 0:11:11in the same place at the same time, with the same purpose.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15As well as having the outdoor therapy centre,
0:11:15 > 0:11:19we're a Celtic community which is what we officially call ourselves.
0:11:19 > 0:11:24We walk outside, we pray outside, we worship outside, we sing outside.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28# We come to take our stand Hear our cry
0:11:28 > 0:11:30# Hear our cry... #
0:11:30 > 0:11:35We felt that it was easier to connect with God, potentially,
0:11:35 > 0:11:38in God's creation than in a building made by man,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41so that's why we do it outside.
0:11:42 > 0:11:49Our personal walks with Jesus have just rocketed and we always pray.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52We're finding so many small miracles
0:11:52 > 0:11:56and God has been massively gracious to us.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02Hidden in the countryside just a few miles from Salisbury,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05life in the village of Imber had carried on quietly
0:15:05 > 0:15:07for over 1,000 years.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10But that all changed one day in 1943.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14As the Second World War raged on, the allies needed somewhere
0:15:14 > 0:15:17for troops to practise street fighting.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21The people of Imber were evicted and dutifully left their homes
0:15:21 > 0:15:24expecting to return as soon as the war was won.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26They never came back.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29For Ken Mitchell, Imber had been home.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34It was the beginning of November, 1943,
0:15:34 > 0:15:39when they were told that they would have to leave their homes.
0:15:39 > 0:15:44They'd have to move away by the 17th of December,
0:15:44 > 0:15:47just before Christmas, which...
0:15:49 > 0:15:51..when you think about it,
0:15:51 > 0:15:52it was a bit of a shock.
0:15:52 > 0:15:57The onset of winter and you've got to get out and leave your home.
0:15:57 > 0:16:02We didn't have a furniture van, we had a cattle wagon
0:16:02 > 0:16:07and my mother wasn't going to allow her belongings, her furniture,
0:16:07 > 0:16:09to go into a cattle lorry.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11It was awful.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15She made a statement then, and she said,
0:16:15 > 0:16:17"Do you know, we get no respect,
0:16:17 > 0:16:20"we're treated the same as the animals, aren't we?"
0:16:22 > 0:16:25Leaving Imber was even harder for the older generation,
0:16:25 > 0:16:28for people like Ken's grandad Albert,
0:16:28 > 0:16:31who was the village blacksmith.
0:16:31 > 0:16:36I think, first off, his reaction was that he just wouldn't go.
0:16:36 > 0:16:37I think he did say,
0:16:37 > 0:16:41"They'll have to shoot me if they want me," or something like that.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45He took it really badly and he was really desperate.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49It meant everything to him. It was his life and that was it.
0:16:51 > 0:16:56His wife Martha, my gran, she said to me,
0:16:56 > 0:16:58"I don't know what I'm going to do. He won't eat."
0:17:00 > 0:17:02He lost the will to live
0:17:02 > 0:17:04and I think he had his wish when he died
0:17:04 > 0:17:08on the 21st of January, 1944.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12- So, just weeks after he'd left, he died?- He died, yes.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18- Where was he buried?- Here.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22His grave is only 50 yards from where we are now.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25- So, in the churchyard? - Here, in the churchyard.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27Yeah.
0:17:30 > 0:17:35People hear the story, they say, "Well, you know, what did they have to worry about?
0:17:35 > 0:17:38"There was lots of people that were suffering far more."
0:17:40 > 0:17:43"The Imber people, at least they survived."
0:17:43 > 0:17:48But that was the action of our own government
0:17:48 > 0:17:52that their hardship came from.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59What happened to Ken's grandad
0:17:59 > 0:18:03and all the people here was a real tragedy.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05But St Giles Church is still standing
0:18:05 > 0:18:07and looking very good today
0:18:07 > 0:18:10so was it the end of the story of Imber in the 1940s?
0:18:10 > 0:18:13We'll find our after we've heard this lovely piece
0:18:13 > 0:18:16from the choristers back at Salisbury Cathedral.
0:18:22 > 0:18:28# Hail, true body
0:18:28 > 0:18:32# Born of Mary
0:18:32 > 0:18:39# Spotless Virgin's
0:18:39 > 0:18:46# Virgin birth
0:18:46 > 0:18:53# Thou who truly
0:18:53 > 0:18:58# Hangest weary
0:18:58 > 0:19:04# On the cross
0:19:04 > 0:19:12# For sons of earth
0:19:12 > 0:19:18# Thou whose sacred side
0:19:18 > 0:19:23# Was riven
0:19:23 > 0:19:30# Whence the water flowed
0:19:30 > 0:19:34# And blood
0:19:34 > 0:19:39# O may'st thou
0:19:39 > 0:19:46# Dear Lord, be given
0:19:46 > 0:19:53# At death's hour
0:19:53 > 0:20:00# To be our food
0:20:07 > 0:20:17# Amen
0:20:19 > 0:20:38# Amen. #
0:20:43 > 0:20:47After all the residents were evacuated in 1943,
0:20:47 > 0:20:51Imber village was used for important military exercises.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54Public access has always been strictly limited,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57but Neil Skelton still remembers the first day
0:20:57 > 0:20:59he came here as a teenager.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01It was on Whit Monday, 1964,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04when I cycled all the way from Salisbury
0:21:04 > 0:21:08and one, as now, was not supposed to leave the metalled road
0:21:08 > 0:21:12but I did come up to the church track and I peered through the fence
0:21:12 > 0:21:15and got inside the churchyard to get some photographs.
0:21:16 > 0:21:21And I cycled back home and I suppose the memory of Imber lingered on.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Little did Neil know that decades later,
0:21:25 > 0:21:28he would be instrumental in saving and restoring St Giles
0:21:28 > 0:21:33through his work with the Churches Conservation Trust.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35And now, as voluntary custodian of the church,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38he opens to the public whenever he can.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42We have a very good relationship with the Ministry Of Defence,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45and we do get up to 50 days public access a year.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48So, what happens on those days? How many people come?
0:21:48 > 0:21:50Well, at Easter, we had it open on the four days
0:21:50 > 0:21:54and we averaged about 1,000 people each day.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58We served refreshments and we had bell-ringers coming here.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05I think people find a certain peace and tranquillity here.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08I know it's in the middle of a battle training area,
0:22:08 > 0:22:13but not when we have the church open so I think people do enjoy that.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17I think it's important that the church remains.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20After all, it is the only building in the village remaining intact
0:22:20 > 0:22:26and it does stand for 1,000 years of worship on this one site
0:22:26 > 0:22:30and also, it is a monument to the community
0:22:30 > 0:22:34and the villagers of Imber who made that sacrifice in 1943
0:22:34 > 0:22:38by giving up their homes for the defence of the country.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Now, the name of Imber will endure.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52Here, at this church, is a symbol.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54Not as a... I was going to say a monument,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57but a monument is a dead object.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01This is not dead. This church is living.
0:26:34 > 0:26:35Lord of all creation,
0:26:35 > 0:26:38we thank you for the beauty of your world.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42Open our eyes that we may always see your glory
0:26:42 > 0:26:45in the splendour of flower and field,
0:26:45 > 0:26:50in the love of a community and in the creativity of every person.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54And though the world around us may change,
0:26:54 > 0:26:58help us always to hold our hope in you.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00Amen.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10# Whispers in a dream
0:27:10 > 0:27:16# The world is quiet and waiting
0:27:18 > 0:27:23# And all around the air is still
0:27:23 > 0:27:28# And sings the angel
0:27:28 > 0:27:33# When all has come to pass
0:27:33 > 0:27:37# The storm has breathed its last
0:27:37 > 0:27:41# And the rain
0:27:41 > 0:27:45# Has washed their fears away
0:27:45 > 0:27:57# The people
0:27:59 > 0:28:03# Whispers in the wind
0:28:03 > 0:28:08# The clouds part to let the light in
0:28:08 > 0:28:15# And all around the air is still
0:28:15 > 0:28:20# And sings the angel
0:28:20 > 0:28:25# When all has come to pass
0:28:25 > 0:28:28# The storm has breathed its last
0:28:28 > 0:28:33# And the rain
0:28:33 > 0:28:37# Has washed their fears away
0:28:37 > 0:28:47# The people
0:28:47 > 0:28:58# Would not sigh
0:28:58 > 0:29:12# And we can smile again. #
0:29:20 > 0:29:22Isn't that the image of Salisbury
0:29:22 > 0:29:24that people will remember after their visit?
0:29:24 > 0:29:27But for me, what I'll recall most of all,
0:29:27 > 0:29:29are the people I've met.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32The way they want to live out their faiths in the service of others,
0:29:32 > 0:29:34the beauty they create,
0:29:34 > 0:29:37their sense of history and belonging.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40And in many ways, that hasn't changed all that much
0:29:40 > 0:29:43in this community throughout all the years that this great cathedral
0:29:43 > 0:29:47has stood here as a symbol of God's enduring love.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50So, from Salisbury and me, goodbye.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29Next week, Sally is in the beautiful Kingdom of Fife.
0:32:29 > 0:32:34We'll visit the home town of the real Robinson Crusoe,
0:32:34 > 0:32:38and hear a new translation of the Bible into Scots.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41And our hymns are from Dunfermline Abbey
0:32:41 > 0:32:43and St Andrews University.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46And now, here's Aled with news of a very special event.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48Thank you very much, Pam.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51Later this year, Songs Of Praise will turn 50,
0:32:51 > 0:32:54and we're planning a celebration which could include you.
0:32:54 > 0:32:58We're marking this milestone with a spectacular concert
0:32:58 > 0:33:03and sing-along with superstar guests including Katherine Jenkins,
0:33:03 > 0:33:04and Andrea Bocelli.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08Plus, one or two exciting birthday surprises.
0:33:08 > 0:33:13Now, the recording takes place on Sunday the 25th of September
0:33:13 > 0:33:16at one of the most iconic venues in television history,
0:33:16 > 0:33:18Alexandra Palace in London.
0:33:18 > 0:33:19If you'd like to be in the audience,
0:33:19 > 0:33:22you can buy tickets at £12 each by calling this number...
0:33:30 > 0:33:34Standard geographic charges apply. Calls from mobiles may be higher.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36You can also apply online...
0:33:39 > 0:33:41Hope you can come and join the party,
0:33:41 > 0:33:45because we're going all out to celebrate our big 5-0.
0:34:00 > 0:34:03Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:34:03 > 0:34:06E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk