0:00:03 > 0:00:08He was a whisker away from death but who shot George?
0:00:08 > 0:00:10None of us could believe it.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13We still now are very angry and very upset.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16We didn't know if he was going to make it and it
0:00:16 > 0:00:18was totally heartbreaking for all of us.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22Emma Britton lifts the lid on our public toilets.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25Oh, it stinks around here!
0:00:25 > 0:00:31I wonder why?
0:00:31 > 0:00:34And we spend a year on a 100-year-old cider farm.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38We are just having a good old drink tonight to celebrate the beginning
0:00:38 > 0:00:39of the wassail.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43So, cheers, everybody!
0:00:43 > 0:00:44Evening all.
0:00:44 > 0:00:53Welcome to Inside Out West.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Now, this might seem like a strange question.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04but who would shoot a cat?
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Hopefully none of us but there are people out
0:01:06 > 0:01:09there who would, and have.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13We are a nation of cat lovers.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17But, our feline friends face a surprising menace, air-guns.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21They can leave cats maimed or even dead.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25What pleasure can anyone get from going out
0:01:25 > 0:01:28and shooting an animal?
0:01:28 > 0:01:31I can't believe that someone would actually physically do
0:01:31 > 0:01:35it, attack someone else's pet.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38I want to find out what compels anyone to shoot a cat,
0:01:38 > 0:01:46and what can be done to stop it.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Georgie.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52They say you're just a cat but you're
0:01:52 > 0:01:54mummy's special little boy.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58Mummy's baby?
0:01:58 > 0:02:01This is George the cat, at home in Matson,
0:02:01 > 0:02:06near Gloucester, after spending the last week in intensive care.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09George went out on Boxing Day morning for his usual run
0:02:09 > 0:02:12around for 15 minutes.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14He was crying quite a lot.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17When he didn't improve his owner Helen
0:02:17 > 0:02:19took him to the vet.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23They gave him a shave and could see he had been injured.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25They said it was a pellet.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28The vet tells you your cat has been shot.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31We were just gobsmacked, sorry?
0:02:31 > 0:02:33It was such a shock.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36We just can believe it.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38George had a perforated gall bladder, a hole in
0:02:38 > 0:02:42his diaphragm and a tear in his liver.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45He was rushed in for emergency surgery.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47It was a very long night waiting up for that call.
0:02:47 > 0:02:53It seemed like a lifetime, waiting for the phone to ring.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56We felt sick.
0:02:56 > 0:03:04We've never got through so many tea-bags in one evening!
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Now back home, George is still very poorly - his belly
0:03:08 > 0:03:11held together with metal staples and the pellet still
0:03:11 > 0:03:15lodged in his side.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18So does Helen have any idea who shot her cat?
0:03:18 > 0:03:22Maybe someone got a new toy for Christmas.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Saw him and shot him.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28Vet's say it was close range.
0:03:28 > 0:03:35To hear that, makes me physically sick.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38It's been the worst two weeks of my life.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42It's been absolutely horrendous just not knowing
0:03:42 > 0:03:45if he would make it or not.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48In the Forest of Dean, I've come to meet a cat coming to terms
0:03:48 > 0:03:53with life-changing injuries.
0:03:53 > 0:03:54Come on then.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Lily was shot last September just
0:03:56 > 0:03:57a few streets from home.
0:03:57 > 0:04:02The pellet missed her heart by millimetres but she lost her leg.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Who did this to you?
0:04:04 > 0:04:07How did you feel?
0:04:07 > 0:04:08Very angry.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10I didn't know whether to be angry or to cry, that
0:04:10 > 0:04:12someone could be so crue.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15The angle of the pellet as it entered her body suggested
0:04:15 > 0:04:18the shooter was in an upstairs window.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22Kim's convinced it was someone in the neighbourhood.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27These are the pellets where they shattered.
0:04:27 > 0:04:33There's quite a few of them.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36They're quite a big chuck.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38That was in my cat.
0:04:38 > 0:04:44I can't believe someone would do that, locally as well,
0:04:44 > 0:04:49attack someone else's pet.
0:04:49 > 0:04:54Like Lilly and George, cats that are shot often end up
0:04:54 > 0:04:57needing major surgery.
0:04:57 > 0:05:05Look away now if you're a bit squeamish.
0:05:07 > 0:05:13It can be traumatic when the cats don't make it.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17We've had two cats into our practice here.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20One died.
0:05:20 > 0:05:25I was very sad.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28It wasn't nice because I was hoping we could save hom but the deision
0:05:32 > 0:05:35was made to put him to sleep.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39It did make me weep.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Across England and Wales almost 2,000 cats have been shot
0:05:42 > 0:05:44in the last five years.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47But that's just what gets reported.
0:05:47 > 0:05:52Here in the West, the figure is around two cat shootings per month.
0:05:52 > 0:05:57The problem is big - we only see the tip of iceberg.
0:05:57 > 0:06:04Prosecuting them is hard - you need to catch them in the act.
0:06:04 > 0:06:10With forensics, we can match pellets to rifles but no
0:06:10 > 0:06:16certification, you don't know who owns those rifles.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20What the RSPCA wants is air-rifle licencing
0:06:20 > 0:06:22like they have in Scotland.
0:06:22 > 0:06:29But maybe the answer isn't legislation, but education.
0:06:29 > 0:06:35Always treat the gun as loaded.
0:06:35 > 0:06:40I've come to a pub in Nailsea in Somerset to see a gun club
0:06:40 > 0:06:45entirely for children, some as young as eight.
0:06:45 > 0:06:50Always keep the gun pointing in a safe direction,
0:06:50 > 0:06:51down range.
0:06:51 > 0:06:52Which way is down range?
0:06:52 > 0:06:53That way.
0:06:53 > 0:06:54Are you sure?
0:06:54 > 0:06:55This way.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59Never point a gun at anything you don't wish to destroy.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02If I say to you, you were in a garden shooting
0:07:02 > 0:07:05and your neighbour's cat walked out, would you shoot the cat?
0:07:05 > 0:07:06No.
0:07:06 > 0:07:07That's animal cruelty.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10There is no reason to should an animal, is there?
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Every life is sacred.
0:07:13 > 0:07:21Safety briefing over, it's time to shoot.
0:07:21 > 0:07:26These kids are good.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29You're teaching kids to shoot guns.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Is that a good idea?
0:07:31 > 0:07:35Something I was always brought up with, education is key.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37Kids are like sponges so if you
0:07:37 > 0:07:39educate them correctly, the process is
0:07:39 > 0:07:41very simple because they learn right
0:07:41 > 0:07:44from wrong right from a very early start.
0:07:44 > 0:07:45A lot of people might say
0:07:45 > 0:07:47these are dangerous, should they not
0:07:47 > 0:07:50be licensed like in Scotland?
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Our firearms departments are already
0:07:53 > 0:07:56overwhelmed with work and they are undermanned.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58Adding this to licensing, it would inhibit the
0:07:58 > 0:08:00training and teaching and the
0:08:00 > 0:08:03education of the children coming in.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05Do you think teaching the kids stops them doing
0:08:05 > 0:08:07things like shooting cats?
0:08:07 > 0:08:09If they are properly trained, they
0:08:09 > 0:08:10won't want to take the life
0:08:10 > 0:08:12unnecessarily but after they've been
0:08:12 > 0:08:14trained and if they shot
0:08:14 > 0:08:16someone's cat, they darn well meant to
0:08:16 > 0:08:20so they've got no leg to stand on.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23So, who's going to win the competition?
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Would you ever shoot a cat?
0:08:25 > 0:08:26No.
0:08:26 > 0:08:27Why?
0:08:27 > 0:08:29Because it's animal cruelty.
0:08:29 > 0:08:35What do you think you get from shooting as well as Rob does?
0:08:35 > 0:08:37You can have good skills.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39We can teach our children not to kill
0:08:39 > 0:08:42things, explain not to shoot them otherwise
0:08:42 > 0:08:44they will face a lot of
0:08:44 > 0:08:46not so nice consequences.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50They will have to suffer them.
0:08:50 > 0:08:57A couple of weeks on from his shooting, George is back at the vet.
0:08:57 > 0:09:02Lift up his front legs so I can look at the wound first of all.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07Has he made the recovery Helen so desperately wants?
0:09:07 > 0:09:12That looks perfect.
0:09:12 > 0:09:17No reason why we cannot take the stables out today.
0:09:17 > 0:09:24Great boy!
0:09:24 > 0:09:28The wound runs almost the full length of his stomach - with no less
0:09:28 > 0:09:31than 14 staples holding it together.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34There's multiple ways he could have been killed by this, but
0:09:34 > 0:09:38he didn't, so he is pretty lucky to be alive.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42It is such a relief and he was so good in there, I just can't
0:09:42 > 0:09:43believe how well he sat.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45It was amazing, quite tearful because he has
0:09:45 > 0:09:50been through so much and to see him well again and you know he is going
0:09:50 > 0:09:52to go back to himself, it is just amazing.
0:09:52 > 0:09:59I just don't know what to say, I feel quite emotional.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Glad to see he's on the mend.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Tell us what you think.
0:10:03 > 0:10:10E-mail me or get in touch via Facebook or Twitter.
0:10:10 > 0:10:15Coming up, cider making the old fashioned way.
0:10:15 > 0:10:23Good stuff!
0:10:24 > 0:10:27When you've got to go, you've got to go but where?
0:10:27 > 0:10:30This one is safe but public toilets are disappearing fast.
0:10:30 > 0:10:38BBC Radio Bristol's Emma Britton is on the case.
0:10:38 > 0:10:43Wee wee?
0:10:43 > 0:10:47My Billy can have a wee anywhere on here but for us humans
0:10:47 > 0:10:54we need to find a loo.
0:10:54 > 0:11:01Ah phew, this looks promising.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05Oh, it stinks around here.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08I wonder why?
0:11:08 > 0:11:13All of Bristol's 18 roadside public toilets are due
0:11:13 > 0:11:19to close permanently, all at once, and in two days' time.
0:11:19 > 0:11:26The city council does have a plan B though - a community toilet scheme.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28Local businesses are being asked to volunteer
0:11:28 > 0:11:32to open up their toilets to everyone and anyone, well here's a cafe.
0:11:32 > 0:11:39Let's see how I get on.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42Sorry, Billy.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44We've found very little evidence that the new scheme
0:11:44 > 0:11:49is ready to take over.
0:11:49 > 0:11:54You have just come out of the cafe.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56What were you doing in there?
0:11:56 > 0:11:59Well, I hadn't planned on going in to the cafe, I only
0:11:59 > 0:12:02wanted to go to the ladies but unfortunately the good
0:12:02 > 0:12:05old toilets which we have relied on for years are locked so I had
0:12:05 > 0:12:09to end up buying coffee and a cake in order to be able to go
0:12:09 > 0:12:10to the loo.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14Unless you use the cafe, where are you going to go?
0:12:14 > 0:12:17Way over on the other side by the gorge, the thousands
0:12:17 > 0:12:20of people who enjoy the downs can still visit the toilets
0:12:20 > 0:12:22near the viewing point.
0:12:22 > 0:12:27But they too are on the council's list of closures!
0:12:27 > 0:12:29The toilets by the Clifton Suspension bridge are also
0:12:29 > 0:12:31earmarked to shut even though they are
0:12:31 > 0:12:36used by streams of tourists and local people every year.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39We've visited every one of the toilets due for closure
0:12:39 > 0:12:42and have so far found none of the promised signs directing
0:12:42 > 0:12:50people to the nearest community toilet.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54Over at St George's Park, these toilets have already shut.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57We discover there's some foul play going on and the public
0:12:57 > 0:13:00are facing a health hazard.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02What's been causing you problems?
0:13:02 > 0:13:04Lots of poo.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06Dog poo?
0:13:06 > 0:13:08Well there is dog poo but that's not the main problem.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11It's human poo.
0:13:11 > 0:13:12We have a big human poo problem.
0:13:12 > 0:13:17So what kind of areas have you found the human poo in?
0:13:17 > 0:13:21Bottom of trees, on the side of the paths, in the play area.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25It's too far for the kids to walk so they tend to go wherever they go.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29People having barbecues and parties have to go wherever they can go.
0:13:29 > 0:13:30This is a destination park.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33We have people coming from miles and they don't know
0:13:33 > 0:13:36where the nearest toilets are and giving us a map saying
0:13:36 > 0:13:38go to the nearest pub isn't going to help.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41So can these community schemes work?
0:13:41 > 0:13:46My next loo-cation is a converted toilet block in Sea Mills which has
0:13:46 > 0:13:51operated successfully for six years as a community cafe and toilet.
0:13:51 > 0:13:56I'm here to meet Professor Clara Greed who is a world renowned expert
0:13:56 > 0:14:00on public toilets.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02She's not impressed by the council's plans.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06I think it's putting a lot of responsibility on owners
0:14:06 > 0:14:09particularly in pubs and cafes and other places.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12And as far as I can understand, there is no actual
0:14:12 > 0:14:14financial return on this.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17There is no contribution from the council which has occurred
0:14:17 > 0:14:20in some other local authorities.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23So I have got to say, why would they want to do this?
0:14:23 > 0:14:26And you have got to think about the cleaning and the vandalism.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29There's a lot of people who would say the toilets in a shop
0:14:29 > 0:14:31or a cafe are not necessarily open when they need them,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34the facilities are very limited and also they are not
0:14:34 > 0:14:35in the location that they want them.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37So who would this impact the most?
0:14:37 > 0:14:40Well, it would impact everyone but it affects some
0:14:40 > 0:14:42groups more than others.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45It affects tourists coming to the city, it affects commuters
0:14:45 > 0:14:48who have been stuck in traffic for ages, people with incontinence
0:14:48 > 0:14:51problems, it particularly affects women more than men.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55Because women have more reasons to use the toilet than men.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Women for example who are menstruating need the toilet more,
0:14:57 > 0:14:59women who are pregnant.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01Look at small children and babies, they need
0:15:01 > 0:15:03the toilet they have to have it pretty quick.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06So lots and lots of people who for years have depended
0:15:06 > 0:15:09on these toilets and now they are going to find they don't
0:15:09 > 0:15:12exist so I think this is a very real issue and the council has not
0:15:12 > 0:15:15thought this through.
0:15:15 > 0:15:23Here in Shirehampton I'm meeting two of the local residents personally
0:15:25 > 0:15:29affected by the toilet closures.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33I have inflammatory bowel diseases and what
0:15:33 > 0:15:36I tend to do, I have this with me, which I'm lucky to have.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40All I need to do is show this card and say,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43sadly I've got Crohn's disease, can I use your loo please?
0:15:43 > 0:15:45The only time I've used it is because
0:15:45 > 0:15:49there hasn't been a public toilet or a cafe around so I've been lucky
0:15:49 > 0:15:53so far but who knows in the future?
0:15:53 > 0:15:56Ruth, tell me about your walking group.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00We just basically walk and set the world to rights as we talk
0:16:00 > 0:16:02and go along.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06We walk a lot of times in the harbour-side, the docks and
0:16:06 > 0:16:08the historic parts of Bristol.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10The walk leaders have to recce walks
0:16:10 > 0:16:14and they always know where the toilets are because we're all 55
0:16:14 > 0:16:17plus.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Fresh air makes you want to go, doesn't it?
0:16:20 > 0:16:21Yeah.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23You cannot expect a small cafe to expect a
0:16:23 > 0:16:27dozen or so people pile in and say, can we use your toilet?
0:16:27 > 0:16:29They're going to say no.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32Do you think local businesses will sign up to the
0:16:32 > 0:16:35scheme that the council are proposing?
0:16:35 > 0:16:38First is a health and safety issue and a security issue with the shops.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42A lot of the toilets will be out the back or up the stairs so I think
0:16:42 > 0:16:45the answer is going to be now.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49To find out for myself, I go across the road
0:16:49 > 0:16:51to the village cafe.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55If someone came in to use your toilets
0:16:55 > 0:16:57and weren't a customer, what would you say to them?
0:16:57 > 0:16:59Sorry, no.
0:16:59 > 0:17:00Why?
0:17:00 > 0:17:03Because it's a customer toilet, that's why.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05So you wouldn't want anyone who wasn't a customer to come in?
0:17:05 > 0:17:06No.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10There might be a queue at the door because around the corner is shut.
0:17:10 > 0:17:11I know, but what can I do?
0:17:11 > 0:17:14I can't do anything.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17Time to head over to City Hall.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20The toilets here are available to the public -
0:17:20 > 0:17:24just as they are in other council buildings like the city museum.
0:17:24 > 0:17:30By closing the 18 street toilets the council are saving £400,000.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34We have not invested in our toilets over many, many years so
0:17:34 > 0:17:39a lot of them are in various states of disrepair.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42There's a lot of anti-social behaviour going on in
0:17:42 > 0:17:47them and the alternative was to look at bringing in a business and
0:17:47 > 0:17:48community toilet scheme.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52What are the benefits for any local businesses who volunteer?
0:17:52 > 0:17:57It's about providing a safe place
0:17:57 > 0:17:59for local people to use their toilets,
0:17:59 > 0:18:01maybe introduce people to
0:18:01 > 0:18:05their businesses and it is just being community minded and I have to
0:18:05 > 0:18:08say, I am really heartened by the response that
0:18:08 > 0:18:10we're getting so far.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13In the Cabinet papers when the decision was made,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16it says, a smooth transition from the existing
0:18:16 > 0:18:20arrangement to the new one is very important.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23How many community businesses have signed up to the
0:18:23 > 0:18:25toilet scheme?
0:18:25 > 0:18:28We have 12 businesses and community organisations signed up.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32We have over 20 plus pending.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36Does that number include Bristol City Council's own building?
0:18:36 > 0:18:37Yes.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39If we take those out of the equation, that doesn't sound
0:18:39 > 0:18:41like very many and the public toilets
0:18:41 > 0:18:42we visited, the ones that
0:18:42 > 0:18:44are closing on the 31st of
0:18:44 > 0:18:47January, there's no signage that they are closing
0:18:47 > 0:18:51or where the nearest toilet under the scheme is.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54People are quite literally going to be caught
0:18:54 > 0:18:55short?
0:18:55 > 0:18:57Not necessarily, we still have a week to go.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01Would it not be better to delay closure when you've got a viable
0:19:01 > 0:19:03community toilet scheme up and running?
0:19:03 > 0:19:06It simple to say that I'm feeling quite confident about the
0:19:06 > 0:19:10fact that we will have a viable community scheme and it is scheme
0:19:10 > 0:19:12that is only going to grow and grow.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Is it all right if I use the loo?
0:19:14 > 0:19:21You can use the loo, go on!
0:19:21 > 0:19:24There is some late loo news, though.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26The committee which looks after the Downs have agreed
0:19:26 > 0:19:29to take over the running of the toilets there.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32And the Suspension Bridge Trust will be responsible
0:19:32 > 0:19:35for the ones by the bridge.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38But elsewhere around the city, there are no signs of a reprieve.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42So look out for these, and cross your fingers,-
0:19:42 > 0:19:50or maybe your legs, that the council haven't been caught short.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54We're drinking more of Somerset's finest every year, but how does it
0:19:54 > 0:19:58get from this to this?
0:19:58 > 0:20:01Well, we've spent the last year on a legendary cider farm -
0:20:01 > 0:20:08with a celebrity following.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Tucked away down a small muddy road near Glastonbury,
0:20:11 > 0:20:16lives a cider maker to the stars and this year is a very special
0:20:16 > 0:20:22year, the farm is 100 years old.
0:20:22 > 0:20:30It's the start of a new season, Land's End Farm is in full colour
0:20:33 > 0:20:41and signs are this year's crop is going to be a good one.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44I've been cider making now for over 50 years and I've never
0:20:44 > 0:20:48known two bumper crops of apples and at the moment how the blossom
0:20:48 > 0:20:54is looking, there's going to be a good crop again now.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58But two good harvests mean Roger is flooded with cider.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02At the moment I've got 33, 35,000 gallons, which normally
0:21:02 > 0:21:06I only sell 20,000 a year, but because we've had two bumper
0:21:06 > 0:21:11crops, the actual stock has built up.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14This is all cider here.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18Which is why we want a bad crop this year really,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21unless I can get some cider drinkers in to drink it.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25Roger also has 120 head of cattle.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29But cider has always been the 'agricultural lubricant'
0:21:29 > 0:21:31at the heart of his family's farm.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34We've traditionally made cider on the farm ever since me
0:21:34 > 0:21:38grandfather come here in 1917.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Years ago if you didn't have cider on the farm you wouldn't get any
0:21:41 > 0:21:45workers because workers would go round and try the cider,
0:21:45 > 0:21:48and who had the best, that's where they would go to work
0:21:48 > 0:21:56bcause they got paid in cider, potatoes and cheese.
0:21:57 > 0:22:02Mid-July, the blossom has turned to apples and it's the peak
0:22:02 > 0:22:05season for customers.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07Roger has become a legendary
0:22:07 > 0:22:11figure in the Somerset landscape, and visitors come from all over
0:22:11 > 0:22:14the world to drink his cider and have a good chat.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18And for some, this been their local for decades.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20According to Roger, 40 years, he's got
0:22:20 > 0:22:23a better memory than me.
0:22:23 > 0:22:28It's the same as it is now, when I first started coming here,
0:22:28 > 0:22:33except Roger's dad was around, but Roger used to do
0:22:33 > 0:22:38all the running about, well he was younger then.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41He's also had a few famous faces in to buy his cider.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45That's Jamie Oliver there, I did have Jonny Rotten in here,
0:22:45 > 0:22:50that was about eight years ago when he come in here.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Joe Strummer used to come in regular from The Clash,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56he come in here for 20 years, lovely man.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59Lily Allen also had some cider off me.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01He's even had a visit
0:23:01 > 0:23:03from a mysterious graffiti artist.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05They asked me to turn
0:23:05 > 0:23:09everybody out at eight and could they put
0:23:09 > 0:23:10a painting on me wall?
0:23:10 > 0:23:13I went off delivering cider and that's what were on the wall
0:23:13 > 0:23:16when I came back, it's supposed to be me, a few years
0:23:16 > 0:23:21ago now, but I shall never take it off anyway.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25We've kept the prices down, we haven't put
0:23:25 > 0:23:27them up for three years.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30But there's such a glut of cider out there.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33At the end of the day you've got to be able to sell it,
0:23:33 > 0:23:36it's no good making it if you can't sell it.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39Years ago proper cider you could sell no trouble
0:23:39 > 0:23:44at all but unfortunately now a lot of the cider drinkers all want it
0:23:44 > 0:23:46clear and fizzy and sweet, and weak.
0:23:46 > 0:23:5040 years ago all the old boys wouldn't have looked
0:23:50 > 0:23:53at all this factory cider, they'd have just tipped it down
0:23:53 > 0:24:01the drain.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05The apple season has just started now, beginning of September.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09I don't aim to shake any apples at all, I always say the good Lord
0:24:09 > 0:24:12put them up there the good Lord will put them down,
0:24:12 > 0:24:15and when the apples drop, that's when the apple is ripe.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17This is the hilly orchard so we've got to pick
0:24:17 > 0:24:19them all up by hand.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22I used to pick up apples before I left school,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24when I was eight or nine years old.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26Sixpence a bag, and that were the big bags then,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29the big hessian bags.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33Years ago I used to carry them all down on my shoulder,
0:24:33 > 0:24:37bloody hard work but a lot of people now walk away, they
0:24:37 > 0:24:38don't want the work.
0:24:38 > 0:24:43I had an old age pensioner up here, and they said, oh, he's up
0:24:43 > 0:24:46there picking up these apples, I couldn't do that, and I said, well
0:24:46 > 0:24:49he's happy as a little sand boy up there in that orchard,
0:24:49 > 0:24:51bloody lovely up there.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53I'd rather be up there than sat in an office
0:24:53 > 0:24:57on a bloody computer, I said.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00The harvest takes three months but it's not all sunshine however,
0:25:00 > 0:25:04as Roger will be working away in the noise of his barn.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07We cut the bags of apples, we tip them into this
0:25:07 > 0:25:11stainless steel hopper, they go up the elevator.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14At the top of the elevator there is a high speed crusher,
0:25:14 > 0:25:18it hits the apples just like apple sauce you'd
0:25:18 > 0:25:20eat for your dinner.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23The apple sauce comes down through this stainless steel hopper,
0:25:23 > 0:25:27into these nylon cloths.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30And that is roughly 100 weight of apple pulp in each layer,
0:25:30 > 0:25:35and when we've built up to 12 layers, we pull it out onto this
0:25:35 > 0:25:38trolley, push it up the rails under the press.
0:25:38 > 0:25:43The press actually presses it at 3,500
0:25:43 > 0:25:46pounds per square inch, its called a 100 tonne
0:25:46 > 0:25:52press in 20 minutes.
0:25:52 > 0:25:57Good stuff!
0:25:57 > 0:26:01This year Roger also celebrates his 70th birthday,
0:26:01 > 0:26:04but how many years will he keep cider making for?
0:26:04 > 0:26:07I'm hoping me grandson is going to keep doing it,
0:26:07 > 0:26:11I'll keep doing it till I die I won't stop working,
0:26:11 > 0:26:14as long as I'm fit, I shall work but when I die that'll be up
0:26:14 > 0:26:18to they, but he's taken an interest in it now so I'm hoping he's
0:26:18 > 0:26:20going to take it over.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22We feed all the apple pulp to the beef
0:26:22 > 0:26:25cattle so there's nothing wasted, it's sweet as a nut
0:26:25 > 0:26:28and the cows absolutely love it.
0:26:28 > 0:26:33COW: Moo!
0:26:33 > 0:26:41It'll be mad in later here, when they all get
0:26:41 > 0:26:49singing and dancing.
0:26:51 > 0:26:56It's mid-January, and the night of Roger's famous wassail.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00It's an old tradition that's supposed to be to get a good apple
0:27:00 > 0:27:02crop to hunt all the evil spirits away.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04Leading the festivities this year
0:27:04 > 0:27:08is a new old father time.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11The Wassail is not a laughing matter, you're not here to have fun,
0:27:11 > 0:27:14you're here to make sure we get a good harvest next year.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17If you get it wrong, the apple trees will fail,
0:27:17 > 0:27:19and we'll have no cider next year.
0:27:19 > 0:27:20We ain't having that now are we?
0:27:20 > 0:27:21Then we'll have
0:27:21 > 0:27:23to start doing stuff like burning
0:27:23 > 0:27:25virgins in wicker men and all sorts of stuff.
0:27:25 > 0:27:30Sounds good to me.
0:27:30 > 0:27:38Our queen will place toast in the branches in the tree
0:27:47 > 0:27:55to welcome the birds back to our orchards.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57And now he big finale to ward off
0:27:57 > 0:27:58those evil spirits.
0:27:58 > 0:28:04BANG!
0:28:04 > 0:28:06As the dust settles on the wassail, the question is,
0:28:06 > 0:28:11has this year been a success?
0:28:11 > 0:28:14It's a record crowd this time I think,
0:28:14 > 0:28:16more than we've ever had before.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18I have come from Selby so 260 miles,
0:28:18 > 0:28:20it's quite a long round trip.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22It is quite unlike anywhere you will find
0:28:22 > 0:28:25in the West Country, it's amazing.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Roger is an institution in Somerset.
0:28:28 > 0:28:34It is what Somerset is all about.
0:28:34 > 0:28:35That's it for tonight.
0:28:35 > 0:28:36Thank you for watching.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38We'll see you next week.
0:28:38 > 0:28:46Cheers!
0:28:46 > 0:28:49Tune in next week for an after dark special.
0:28:49 > 0:28:53This fox jumped out from a neighbouring garden and
0:28:53 > 0:29:01it squared up at me and it was just eyeballing me.