Episode 5 Countryfile Autumn Diaries

There's a change in the air.

And with it comes the most spectacular,

the most theatrical seasonal show of all.

Autumn.

It's a time of fruitfulness, of harvest...

When our six million acres of woodland come alive with colour.

It's one of the busiest times of the year across the land.

And for wildlife,

it's a chance to stock up before the harsh winter days ahead.

All this week, we're travelling the length and breadth of Britain,

unearthing the very best seasonal stories that matter to you.

Ooh, ho-ho! That's a biggie!

-Yeah! That is our family walnut tree.

-Come on!

This is Countryfile Autumn Diaries.

Here is what we have for you on today's programme.

Keeley discovers it's not just moths that should beware of bright lights.

Is spending too much time on THIS actually damaging your health?

Ever dreamt of escaping to the country?

Jules meets one man who's taken this to the extreme.

Impressed?

I am impressed! I'm seriously impressed.

And I'm with a team of wildlife heroes,

who rescue some of the nation's favourite animals every single day.

All this week,

we've been here in the Kielder Forest in Northumberland.

Its 250 square miles of woodland and lake make it

a great place for cycling and walking

and horse riding and just messing about on the water.

But a shocking survey reveals that three quarters of children in

the UK spend less time in the open air than prison inmates.

Margherita's meeting an inspirational head who is

spearheading a campaign that could change that.

BELL RINGS

When I was little, I was lucky.

I was one of those kids that really loved all their years at school.

But when that bell went at 3:15, that was the moment I knew I could

finally get outdoors and play outside, which I adored.

But for many of today's kids, they're not quite as fortunate.

On an average day,

as many as a fifth of British children don't play outside at all.

And a new report warns that digital technology, lack of green spaces

and parental fear is leading youngsters to have enclosed lives.

But here in Christchurch Primary in the heart of London,

headteacher Colette Morris is trying to change all that.

So, we're going to go over to the secret garden.

-We're going to harvest our produce.

-Good morning, Mrs Morris.

-Am I in time to visit the garden?

-Good morning. You are in time.

-Can you take these?

-Oh, OK, I can be of help.

-Yes.

-That's good.

-You can be of help.

-Lead the way.

-Let's go!

In 2010, Colette discovered an overgrown and disused space

next to Clapham Junction train station and had the brainwave

of turning it into a garden of plenty for learning.

Are we clear to go, Esther?

Colette, where did this idea come from?

We knew that our children don't have enough time outdoors.

Parents work long hours, so children don't get

opportunities to take their children out as much as they would want to.

Children live in flats, so their access to outdoors is not as great.

So, we decided that in order to increase that,

we'd give opportunities for outdoor learning.

-This is the secret garden.

-This is our garden?

-This is our garden, isn't it?

-Yeah!

I thought these were garages!

Oh, my goodness! How big! This is a gigantic classroom.

-It's the best classroom.

-Look at all that veg. Look at those tomatoes!

They're all ready for harvest.

I won't need to do the shopping later, will I?

'It's taken six years for the garden to come to fruition.

'Now the children, who have classes in the garden every week, are harvesting the rewards.'

You are working fast! Although you might need another basket.

That is fast filling up.

'The kids really enjoy these green-fingered classes and are fast

'becoming little Monty Dons.'

-You see, that's when you know it's ready.

-How?

Cos the leaves are purple and it's like a bushy hairstyle.

-Oh, Charlie, what have you got?

-Wow!

-Wow!

-Whoa!

-A swede!

-A GIANT swede, by the looks of it.

'It's Charlie and the giant NEEP, not peach!

'And that giant beetroot needs pulling, with a little girl power.'

-Wow! Whoo!

-THEY LAUGH

-How big is that?

-It's giant!

-It's almost bigger than you.

-Is it heavy?

-Not really.

-What have you got?

-We've got yellow tomatoes that look like these.

-I haven't seen those ones before.

-We're selling them.

-So, I might be able to buy these and take them home with me?

-Yeah.

'This project isn't just about using locally grown food.

'The garden is a teaching aid,

'where the pupils can apply lessons learned in the classroom.'

It's wonderful, because, literally, when you set them off to work,

you stand here, you watch them working in teams, so you've got

the co-operation, and then they have to think, "Well, if we're going to

"take this back to class, are we going to weigh it? How much will it weigh?"

So, there's a lot of learning in everything you're doing.

And some of the children say that sometimes when they're in class,

they'll do their learning in class because they know they're

going to get to come out here.

-So, you're increasing that in-class focus.

-Yes.

'In fact, one study on 2,500 ten-year-olds found those children who had more

'green space around their school had improved attention and memory.'

BELL RINGS

'Back at school, the maths lesson continues.

'Most of today's harvest will be sold on the school's very own market stall,

'so everything needs to be weighed and recorded.'

Ellie, I know you're weighing the beetroot today and I found this one in the garden.

-I would love to know how much it weighs. Can you help me?

-Yeah.

-What does that look like?

-1,600.

Over a kilo! That's quite a weight!

I wish maths had been this much fun when I was at school!

BELL RINGS

A blast from the past for me. Home economics! What are we making?

-Apple and pear chutney.

-Wow, that sounds delicious!

I don't think I've ever made chutney before.

What do you think it means to your students that they're actually

-cooking and eating the food they've grown?

-They're proud.

They're proud to see all that seed that they planted last year.

They know exactly where it's come from.

They know the hard work that is required to make sure that it grows.

And I've noticed that, as well, there's a lot less waste.

-So, there's a deeper respect, almost?

-Yeah, definitely a deeper respect.

'With the exact weight of ingredients calculated,

'the pupils now have to follow the recipe.'

They look like they're cooking really nicely.

'I'm not sure whether I'm a help or a hindrance.'

When I was in school, I remember my first home-ec lesson.

At 11, I think we made beans on toast.

These guys are seven and eight, making chutney!

How times have changed.

Outside, the pupils have set up the fruit-and-veg market stall,

to sell the remaining harvest to school parents.

You can get four apples for a pound.

And some take it very seriously.

Get your fresh fruit and veg here!

CHILDREN SHOUT OVER EACH OTHER

Since the kids started working in the secret garden, the parents

have seen how it enriches their children's lives and education.

-OK, so there we go, two pounds...

-Thank you, 50p.

-Thank you.

We're always hearing about the different ways that they,

you know, use the garden at school,

whether it's doing a cooking project or just learning maths.

When they're selling the goods, they sometimes...like,

one of them gave me change just now,

I gave her £5 and she gave me £3.50, so...which is good.

One of the most important things

is that a lot of the children come from...an estate.

Being in a flat with no garden is very sterile.

Having the garden over there, the secret garden, is just so amazing.

'Before all this wonderful produce is sold, I'd better buy something!'

Ellie, can I have the big beetroot before it goes? How much is it?

-One pound!

-One pound, great, thank you.

I have been blown away by just how effective the garden's been,

in not only engaging the children in where their food comes from

but in subjects like home economics and maths.

It is astounding, the dedication of the teachers here

and what they're doing with the pupils and their learning.

Right, off to make some chutney!

Well, I hope she saves me some! I love chutney.

Now, on Sunday, just in case you've forgotten, the clocks go back.

And it's going to get darker much earlier.

But have you ever experienced a truly dark sky?

Well, Keeley is here in Kielder, going stargazing.

The night sky.

One of the most awe-inspiring features of our countryside.

On a clear night, you can see more than 3,000 stars.

But how many of us actually get to enjoy them?

In today's 24/7 world,

the artificial light from nine million street lamps and 27 million

British homes and offices means that two thirds of the country

never gets completely dark.

Yet here in Northumberland,

we have the largest expanse of dark night sky in the whole of Europe.

For astronomer Gary Fildes, it's the perfect place to work.

Wow. That's about all I can think to say right now.

-This is absolutely stunning, isn't it?

-Yes.

I don't think I've ever been somewhere where there's

so many stars that you can see so clearly.

On a night like tonight, when you look out and see

so many stars overhead, it's just a wonderful experience, isn't it?

'Unlike most of the UK, Kielder has virtually no light pollution.'

These skies are pristinely dark and it's due to the fact that

we don't have any streetlights or any external lights at all for

that matter. We clearly do tonight, as you can see, but generally speaking,

we don't have any light pollution at all.

'100 years ago, pretty much everyone would have been able to view

'the Milky Way with the naked eye.

'Now, three quarters of us will never see it.'

It must break your heart to think that people, not even too far

away from here, don't ever get to see this because of light pollution.

Yeah, people forever have looked at the night-time sky and

thought how special it is.

The view here is absolutely spectacular.

And it actually makes me feel quite emotional.

I grew up rurally and we used to stargaze with my grandma and

pick out the stars and planets and constellations.

And it makes me feel really sad to think that my children might

not be able to do that.

But it isn't just that we're not able to see the stars.

Recent research by Newcastle University has shown that

light at night is actually having a knock-on effect to animal behaviour.

Biologist Callum MacGregor is looking at the impacts of modern

lighting on our moth species.

-Hi, there, Callum, how you doing?

-Hello, good, thanks.

-Good to see you.

-I hope the moths aren't put off by cold, wet weather!

-Ha-ha!

-Quite possibly. But we soldier on.

-We've chosen a good evening, then!

Just explain to me exactly what you've got set up here. There's three lights.

Yes, so we've just got a very simple set-up.

Three lights of different sort of colour spectra.

The idea is to attract moths and see if we get different numbers of moths to the different colours of light.

So, why are you so interested in the relationship between light and moths?

Well, we've known for centuries, really,

since long before electrical light was around, that moths are

attracted to artificial sources of light.

Normally, they might be flying around at low level looking

for plants to drink nectar from, flowers, and to lay their eggs on.

And what we showed is that around streetlights,

they spend more time flying up high at around the level of

the streetlight and less time flying sort of down low.

And this may have contributed to a worrying fall in moth numbers.

The UK's 2,500 species of moth

have declined by more than a quarter since the 1960s.

That's not just bad for the moths,

it could have a knock-on effect on our whole wildlife ecosystem.

So, if we took moths out, maybe the birds would have less to feed on

and our birds start to decline as a result.

Maybe the bats, again, could start to decline as a result.

Maybe some of those plants that rely on moths for pollination...

More worryingly, the current switch-over to more energy-efficient

lighting could make the situation even worse.

This is basically the same technology as most of

the street lighting in the UK for several decades now.

It's a high-pressure sodium bulb, and as you can see, it looks very yellow.

Now, at the moment, we're starting to switch to LED technology.

And the important thing to understand about that is that

LED lights have a much higher proportion of blue in their output.

They look white to us but actually the majority of the light

they put out is at a wavelength that is blue light, essentially.

Why does it matter if they go from this light to this light?

We know from several studies that moths seem to be

most strongly attracted to light that is blue.

Local councils across the UK are converting streetlights to

blue-light LEDs. That's potentially bad news for moths.

But it's not only street lamps that omit this potentially damaging

blue light. Our smartphones and tablets are culprits too.

So, what about the effect on us?

90% of UK adults now own smartphones and our use is reaching epic proportions.

Professor Debra Skene from the University of Surrey is

undertaking research into the effect of the blue light they omit on our bodies.

So, why is light so important to us?

Well, we know it affects our body and body functions, and that could be daylight,

like what we have here, or it could be indoors,

so, artificial indoor lighting.

So, in what way does it affect our bodies?

Well, it does a lot of things.

It can make us feel more alert, if we have a lot of light.

It also suppresses some of our hormones.

It also affects our heart rate, body temperature...

So, a lot of different functions that it can have.

So we need that light every day to bring ourselves back and to

synchronise ourselves to a 24-hour clock.

So, what does too much blue light do to us?

In Professor Skene's research, human subjects are monitored

while they take a prolonged look inside a coloured sphere.

Today, I'm looking through one that's coloured blue.

So, if you rest your chin on the chin rest,

what we usually ask people is to look at the central point at the back.

And at that point,

we will be taking blood samples from you every 15 minutes.

We ask you how alert you feel, how sleepy you feel.

And if we were to connect you up to a brain scanner,

we should also be able to see the areas of the brain that would

light up by being exposed to this light.

This and other research suggests that blue light tricks the brain

into thinking it's daylight, making it harder to sleep.

Prolonged exposure could lead to a drop in melatonin,

which regulates our sleep patterns, and could increase the risk

of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

So, you prove, by using this sphere,

that blue light does make us more alert.

-It's that part of the spectrum.

-That's correct, yes. For humans.

And it's also now being shown in animals.

And so, what it means now is that this work probably has

implications for all the lighting devices that people are using.

The impact of light pollution is affecting not just our

chances of seeing the solar system in all its glory, but our

plants and wildlife too.

And with increasing amounts of blue light from our smartphones and

tablets affecting our sleep patterns,

there's knock-on effects for our health as well.

So, maybe we should all be doing a bit more of this.

SHE SNAPS FINGERS

Although we all love autumn,

it can be a particularly perilous time for our wildlife.

In England and Wales alone,

the task of looking after injured creatures falls to

a network of more than 700 centres, mostly staffed by volunteers.

So, have you ever wanted to do your bit to help sick or abandoned animals?

Well, here's Paul to tell you how.

Most mornings sees me checking up on our newest additions to the family.

19 quail.

We got these girls in the early part of the summer and so far, so good.

They're laying eggs every day and they have been

a dream to look after, they really have.

And we also know a super local vet, who's on hand in case

anything does go wrong.

Now, this time of the year, on a smallholding like this,

there's a lot of wildlife out there.

There's bound to be one or two casualties. So, how do you deal with that?

Our wildlife centres respond to half a million casualties a year.

And with experienced round-the-clock care, the dedicated staff and

volunteers aim to release as many of them as possible back to the wild.

I'm on my way to Secret World Rescue Centre,

which takes in over 5,000 injured wild animals each year.

Now, they're on the lookout for adoption sites where they can

release rehabilitated animals.

So, I'm hoping to do my bit by signing up our smallholding.

But first I need to find out what kind of animals might be looking for a good home.

Trudi Howell has been volunteering here for the last ten years.

And she's got a particularly prickly customer for me to meet.

I think he is adorable. So, what's wrong with him?

Well, this is an orphan. He's going to be about three weeks old.

-His eyes have opened in the last few days.

-Aw...

And for some reason, he's been separated from his mum

-and the rest of his siblings.

-Aw...

How long will he be here for?

-Well, this little one's called Fig and he...

-Fig!

HE LAUGHS

And he will be here probably until he's about nine or ten weeks old.

-Right.

-Depending on the weather conditions, really,

if it gets too late into the autumn and he's not large enough to make it

through the winter, put on enough weight for hibernation,

-then we'll hold on to him.

-You'll keep feeding him up.

-That's right.

-And then release.

-When he's ready.

-I'd love to give him a home. Do you know that?

-I really would. He's so cute!

-He's adorable.

-And I guess you see many hedgehogs this time of year?

-We do.

We get about 600 hedgehogs in, and typically, this time of year,

we're starting to get autumn juveniles,

-which are the ones born late in the year.

-Sure. Yeah, yeah.

What do you call this room here on site?

This is called our orphan creche.

Volunteers and staff that are working on site bring the animals

they're caring for at home into the centre.

It's a safe, quiet place.

-So, when you go home tonight, you take him home.

-Yes, that's right.

-You've got a very understanding husband, haven't you?

-Very!

-You've had loads of animals, haven't you?

-Yes, I have, loads.

This year alone, I've reared two fox cubs, two sparrowhawks,

two kestrels, and three barn owlets,

almost ready for release now.

I'm very excited about that.

'The centre take in everything from birds of prey...'

What a beautiful, beautiful bird.

We get all sorts of injuries with these guys.

'..to fancier fowl...'

-TURKEY CLUCKS

-He lives here with his ladies.

He's a lucky turkey, isn't he?

'..foxes, deer, and even the odd emu.'

Are there any animals that you would come across that are

on the ground, looking vulnerable, that you should leave there?

Yes, there are, actually.

A few spring to mind.

One of them is fawns,

you may find a fawn in a field.

The mother will have left the fawn there

while she's gone out foraging herself -

very much hands-off in that case.

And the other thing are tawny owlets -

very often they'll come out of the nest hole before they can fly,

they flutter down...

-And they drop off?

-That's right, and...

-And they're stuck at the bottom and Mum's up there watching.

-Yes.

-But you don't know that...

-No, that's right.

..so leave them alone.

'Birds will often be released close to where they were found,

'as many species are territorial,

'but rescue centres like this are on the lookout for new locations

'to offer a safe starting point for young and orphaned wildlife.'

Do you get a tear in the eye when it comes to the release?

-Do you sort of...?

-Erm...

-It's a happy moment but...?

It is very happy and I get so excited.

The nearer it gets to the release, the more excited I am,

because I know my job's almost done.

-And you know they're ready for it.

-Yes, definitely.

-You know they can take care of themselves in the wild.

-Yes, yeah.

'Fig the hedgehog's totally won my heart.

'I really hope our home has what it takes to make a good adoption site.

'Katia Whitfield from my local wildlife centre, Oak & Furrows,

'has come to assess it.'

I'm seeing you've already found the garden. What do you think?

I think it's perfect.

Could I rescue owls?

Could I rehabilitate some here?

You could certainly have a release site for

young owls that need somewhere to go.

We could put some nest boxes up on the bigger trees.

-Cos I'm looking, and they're big trees, aren't they?

-Perfect, yes.

And there's a lot of cover.

Yes, and they need a lot of different open countryside to hunt.

'We're lucky to be in the countryside with space around us,

'but even a small city garden could be the perfect release site

'for hedgehogs or small birds...'

There's lots and lots of yew trees here, so there's lots of berries -

bright red berries.

That'd be great for thrushes and different birds.

-Which is winter fuel, isn't it, for lots of birds?

-Yes. Yes, it is.

'..and Katia thinks our meadow could be a good starting point

'for fox cubs.'

You've got the wooded area over there to have a den in,

and out here, lots of things to eat.

I'd like that. Do you know that? Now that you've checked the site out, cos it's important,

-you have to check sites out...

-It would be perfect.

..to make sure it is the right habitat. I would love some.

I'm going to take you up on that offer next year.

That would be fantastic for us, too.

'Hopefully it won't be too long until we can

'welcome some new arrivals.

'In the meantime,

'I've been invited along to the release of one satisfied customer.'

Already we've been spotted.

-Yeah, yeah.

-PAUL LAUGHS

I gather, Vicky, the swan was found not far from here,

so, do you think it probably came from the site in the first place?

Yes, that's why it's coming back here.

We always try to find a release site that is close to the capture site.

Yeah, yeah.

'The rescue team deal with around 90 swans a year.'

Well, this is going to be a special moment.

'Swans can be very territorial, so let's hope our lady's accepted.'

Oh, look.

I think that's a good sign.

I think that's a really good sign.

'Looks like she's home and dry.'

That's lovely to see.

That's the rewarding part of the job, isn't it?

-Oh, absolutely. It's the best.

-It really is.

Being a release site is quite a commitment,

but selecting the right area for every animal is key.

The more options they have, the better.

So, if you think you've got a good site, get in touch with your local

animal rescue centre to find out if you can be a help in the future.

Although Kielder Forest feels as though it's been here forever,

it was in fact first planted in the 1920s.

It's England's biggest man-made forest.

Kielder may be relatively young in woodland terms,

but to find some of the UK's oldest trees, we need to head to Devon.

Anita's in Totnes,

meeting a man who uses ancient wood in incredible ways.

Here in this rather magical spot,

hardly anything has changed for centuries,

from the ruins of Berry Pomeroy Castle,

to the trees that hold it up and the ancient waters that surround it,

so it's the perfect spot to meet a sculptor who takes

inspiration from the old to create something very new.

Alarik Greenland is a local sculptor -

his muse, trees.

He painstakingly twists wires and jewels together to create

perfect replicas, each leaf a semiprecious stone.

These aren't just any trees.

They're ancient trees from his childhood surroundings.

Alarik, you can see that this is a very special spot.

It is, yeah. It's very special to me.

Everywhere I go around here, it stirs up memories for me,

just because I've been here my whole life.

What is it about the trees in particular?

It's the sense that they have been here for so long,

and that they've been touched by people that I've never known.

The ruined castle offers fantastic views of the woodland below -

a perfect spot for a lesson in tree sculpture.

Wow. How many hours did it take you to make this?

Well, altogether, it can take about four to five weeks to make a tree.

I can't promise you four weeks of my life,

-but I certainly fancy having a go. Shall we?

-Yeah.

This is gold-plated copper wire.

Right, so don't mess up, Anita, cos it's expensive.

-Yes!

-ANITA LAUGHS

-Pinch the two bits of wires...

-Mm-hm.

..and then make up three to four twists.

-OK.

-And how many beads would one tree have on it?

-One tree?

-Yeah.

The latest one that I've got is 10,000...over 10,000 stones.

-10,000 stones?!

-Yeah, yeah.

I don't know about this, though.

I might have just wasted a bit of gold.

LAUGHTER

This is an incredibly intricate work of art,

but the piece of wood it sits on has a fascinating life of its own, too.

Alarik salvages the centuries-old pieces of wood from

the depths of the River Dart.

I'm keen to find a piece, and Alarik knows just what to look for.

Sometimes it can be too rotten, not bogged enough,

so it's just sort of quite new,

and another thing, it's not the right shape.

We've got to really look carefully. We've got to look for a really nice piece.

-But, first things first, we've got to get me in the water.

-Yes.

-How would you plan on doing that, then, Alarik?

-Running!

MUSIC: Kids by MGMT

'The sun's shining and I'm all out of excuses -

'time for an underwater forage.'

Go for it!

Whoa!

Rrr!

Whoo!

It's freezing!

OK, let's swim.

On three. One, two, three...

I can't see anything. It's just black.

Where's he gone?

-Have you found something?

-I think I might have found something.

Hey! Hey.

Now, that...

-God.

-So, that is lush.

-Oh, look at that.

-That's brilliant.

-Are you happy with that?

-My mind's ticking over already about how I can use it.

-Oh.

That's wonderful.

So, in a few months' time, this could look like that.

-It could well be, yes.

-Wow.

-I feel like we've done a good day's work today.

-Yeah, we have.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

-Shall we get back in?

-Yeah!

Alarik's beautiful sculptures, combined with the dead wood from

the river, are giving Devon's ancient trees an artistic afterlife.

It's part of the British psyche, isn't it,

the yearning to escape to the country?

Well, Jules is in Hereford, meeting someone who's taken this

much further than most of us would ever dare.

Now, have you ever dreamt of escaping the rat race,

and quite literally building a new life for yourself in the countryside

off-grid, and saving yourself a lot of cash in the process?

Well, one man has done just that.

'20 years ago, a man called Sherwood - no, really -

'left the corporate world behind and bought this 40-acre forest

'in Herefordshire.'

Hi, Sherwood. How are you?

-Nice to see you again, Jules. I'm very well.

-How about it?

Who would have thought, four and a half years later,

-I'd be back to see your wood?

-I never thought I'd see you again.

'Sherwood's swapped conventional life for an old bus without any

'running water or electricity.

'I met up with him on Countryfile nearly five years ago,

'when his grand plan was to build a home sourced from his own woodland.'

You're joking. What's this?

A workshop, with a small space at the end for accommodation.

This is the kind of thing I've always dreamt of.

This clearing that I've created, all of the timber that came from here

is all going to go back in the house.

I absolutely salute your ambition for this.

-I love it.

-Thanks very much.

-I absolutely love it.

'In going off-grid,

'Sherwood's ambition was to build self-sufficiently,

'using the natural resources immediately available to him,

'and he was determined not to be ruled by deadlines.

'Walking down the same path,

'I'm excited and a little nervous to see how it looks now.'

Oh, wow.

-I love it. I absolutely love it.

-LAUGHTER

-Are you impressed?

-I am impressed.

I'm seriously impressed.

-It was just a pole frame.

-It was.

I mean, you've put the meat on it, haven't you?

I mean, it's really taking shape. I can see what the vision is.

It's a lot more substantial now, isn't it?

When you came and saw it before, it was so far away.

I have to confess, I did have my doubts when I left you last time

as to how you would get on, but it's definitely taking shape.

I mean, the only thing I would say, you know, in the parlance,

it's, erm, quite airy.

At the moment. Walls are to come.

Walls are the last thing, funnily enough.

It looks like there's a bit of activity going on

up there on the roof.

There is. That's Elaine, just finishing off the last few shingles.

'Instead of using expensive British slate, which isn't local,

'or ceramic roof tiles, Sherwood and his partner Elaine are using

'wooden shingles they've sourced from woodland just down the road.'

-Hi, Elaine.

-Hello, Jules.

-How are you?

-I'm fine, thanks.

-Very nice to meet you.

So, how many of these have you put up there?

Oh, in total, probably 13 to 14 thousand.

-13 to 14 thousand?

-At least that, yeah.

-Well done, you.

I mean, I looked at trying to buy some of these not that long ago,

and I think they were at least £1 each, so 14,000 of these,

you've saved yourselves about 14 grand.

'That's a huge amount of money, but sometimes when you do DIY,

'you end up paying in man-hours.'

If you actually calculated the amount of time

that we've spent doing it,

I mean, everyone would think that we were crazy.

But you talk about hours...

I mean, every single component,

you're having to source from the wood,

-chop it down, mill it, cut it up, design it...

-Mm-hm.

-..and then fix it.

-JULES LAUGHS

Absolutely. I mean, even the roof brackets, we've cut those ourselves.

They weren't... They didn't arrive on the back of a lorry.

You see, I'd have made a phone call and just had those delivered,

but you are the ultimate couple of purists, aren't you?

That must have been three days' work, just preparing those, alone.

'But they haven't always been alone.

'In the beginning, Sherwood exchanged his woodworking skills

'with a group of enthusiastic volunteers.'

-And what are you making, Jo?

-I'm making a teaspoon.

-Can I have a look?

-So many visitors, I thought that we needed some more.

-Wonderful. That's terrific.

-SHE LAUGHS

So, absolutely nothing goes to waste, does it?

'If you're interested in learning more about how to live off-grid,

'there are a network of hosts across the UK who can teach you

'in return for helping them out.'

I mean, you've clearly won the battle in terms of sustainable

materials, but how are you going to heat this house and power it?

Have you thought about some off-grid solutions to that?

Yes. We're surrounded by an endless supply of firewood,

and we're going to have several wood burners in there.

Power-wise, we've got a solar system,

and we'll be using solar panels to charge batteries,

-and then low-wattage lighting.

-Yeah.

As far as water goes, we're blessed with a spring up in the woods.

-Nice! Not everybody has that.

-No. Spring...

I mean, that is living the dream, isn't it?

Spring water on tap? I'll say it is.

'More than 500,000 homes in the UK have solar panels,

'generating enough power for domestic appliances and lighting,

'selling any surplus back to the grid.

'To maximise his insulation,

'Sherwood's turning to sheep power, specifically their fleece.'

We've already used it to great effect.

Where have you used it?

In our bathroom, we've put it round the hot-water tank,

and it is quite impressive stuff.

-And super efficient.

-Absolutely, yeah.

-Yeah.

If we heat a tank of water in the evening, by the next evening,

it can still be really hot - hot enough for a bath.

'To insulate the walls once they're built, Sherwood's turning to

'environmentally friendly and cheap straw bales.

'They can be twice as effective as conventional installation,

'and can last more than 100 years if properly maintained.'

-So, you then build that up...

-Build that up.

You won't see that from the outside, but then, from the inside,

-you'll see all that lovely framing.

-That's right,

-and then we'll put clay on the inside of the straw walls.

-Yeah.

Then there'll be the waney-edge timber cladding on the outside.

I mean, some people looking at that might think,

"It's just going to rot.

"The rats'll get in there or the mice'll get in there."

-But it does work?

-It's really key to keep it dry.

-Yeah.

I mean, if you let it get wet, then you'll get a problem with it,

so, whilst we're in the process of building,

we've got to make sure that we keep it in the dry.

Well, talking about it's not going to get it finished, is it?

So we'd better move that bale and do the rest of it.

-Get another measurement.

-Right. Very good.

'It's taken Sherwood five years to get to this stage -

'clearly he's not a man to be rushed -

'and they're still living in the converted bus.

'Off-grid living isn't everyone's cup of tea,

'but it's obviously possible.'

I've loved the off-grid lifestyle,

and I've had a very conventional life,

so, as long as you're prepared for, you know,

being cold, yeah, now and again, and the hardships of it...

There is clearly still some work to do.

If I said to you, if I come back in another five years,

will it be finished?

Unless something awful happens.

-Unless we break a leg or something disastrous.

-Yeah.

Well, guys, I'm in awe of what you have achieved.

I just can't wait for the day when I hear that you've finally finished it.

-Thank you very much for that.

-Oh, absolute pleasure. Cheers, guys.

Cheers. We'll look forward to seeing you in five years' time.

Now, Bonfire Night is almost upon us, and who doesn't love a firework?

But it can be a trying time for our animals, and there's

a certain seasonal bird that also gets a bit jumpy around now,

as Adam's finding out.

I'm heading to a turkey farm where, believe it or not,

during the autumn they have their turkeys in training

for Fireworks Night.

Sounds bizarre, doesn't it?

Well, that's the reason I couldn't resist the opportunity to pay them a visit.

TURKEYS GOBBLE

'This was a time of year that farmer Tom Copas

'and his 38,000 turkeys dreaded,

'but now he's found a solution that will help every turkey on

'Copas Farm overcome their fear of fireworks.'

-All right, Tom?

-Howdy, Adam. How are you doing? Are you all right?

-What a lovely sight.

-Yeah. Thank you very much.

-They're very talkative, aren't they?

-They are very vocal, yeah.

-You can actually talk to them, you know?

-Go on, then.

HE IMITATES A TURKEY

-TURKEYS GOBBLE LOUDLY

-Dr Doolittle with his turkeys!

Oh, absolutely, yeah. Yeah.

If you're really stuck on a decision to make, you can always ask the turkeys' opinion.

It's pretty consistent, but, you know, yeah.

And how long have you kept turkeys on the farm here?

Since 1957, so 50 years now. Yeah.

-And most of them outdoors?

-Yes.

Yes, I used to send them all outdoors, sort of free-range.

We have some barn-reared.

And then these lovely covers for them to get under.

-It's great.

-Yeah.

-I've seen them pecking away under the sunflowers.

Yeah, it's just quite a nice entertaining environment for

the turkeys to run around in, forage in, just to be turkeys,

gobble about and enjoy themselves.

They're certainly very inquisitive.

-I'm getting pecked on the leg by one right now.

-They'll do that. Yeah.

They want to have a good look at you and see what you're made of, you know? Yeah.

So, during the autumn months, you're building up for a big event. Tell me about that.

Yeah, well, as you know, 5 November is Fireworks Night.

The fireworks, the big bangs, the loud crashes

really can spook and upset our birds.

-So, when they panic, they can hurt each other, can they?

-Yeah.

Let me see if I can get one and show you.

TURKEY SQUEAKS

There we go. So you'll see...

-See that on there?

-They're really sharp, aren't they?

-Yeah.

-So they can seriously damage each other?

You can imagine what damage that would do behind a 7kg turkey on a little 5kg turkey.

It would rip them to shreds, the poor little guys.

So, horrible for the birds, but not very good on the Christmas table either.

Absolutely. No-one wants that on their Christmas dinner.

-It's the most important meal of the year.

-Of course it is.

-Yeah!

-I'll let you put that one down.

-Yeah.

So, to prevent this, we have fireworks training,

so this means that we actually, literally,

start out in the daytime, getting the birds used to letting

bangers off, letting fireworks off, getting them used to the bang,

get them accustomed to it and get it into the evening.

And then the birds just get used to the bangs and the flashes?

Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

'Up to 25% of the stock can end up damaged after Fireworks Night,

'so the training really is essential for their welfare.'

-So, are you letting off any today?

-We are, yeah. Do you want to have a go?

Yeah, I would. Yeah. I like a few fireworks.

'Tom and his team have been doing this for the past 15 years,

'and their training starts in the daytime,

'so we position ourselves a safe distance away, in the next field.'

So, we're just going to let off a few of these little poppers.

-All right. Let's see how you go. I'll stand back.

-Yeah.

FIREWORKS BANG AND WHISTLE

Yeah, so you see how they're moving across?

-Yeah, so they run away a bit.

-Yeah.

-They've all gone quiet, haven't they?

-Yeah, yeah.

There's a big one. Yeah.

FIREWORKS BANG

So, what happens now dusk is approaching?

Well, the ones out in the polytunnels that we've seen out here,

they'll be staying out all night just as they are,

whereas the ones in the permanent housing, they're going to be...

They will come in for the night.

'As the sun starts to set,

'the birds will naturally head for the cover of the barns.

'It's just a waiting game, until, eventually, darkness.

'At night, the birds are at more risk,

'as being inside means they've got less space if they start to panic,

'making it more likely they'll injure each other.

'So, phase two, the night-time fireworks training,

'is essential to make sure that, come 5 November,

'they'll all stay calm in their barn.'

All right, Tom, it's pretty dark now, isn't it?

Yeah, it's a bit tricky. Have you got any light over there?

Yeah, we'll get this light sorted.

-Oh, there we go. Is that better?

-Yeah, much better. Thanks.

Right, so what's the plan?

All right, so, Steve, our manager, is in the sheds.

He's ready there for when we set off the firework

to calm the birds down and make sure, you know, it all goes swimmingly.

-OK.

-So, if you want to do the honours?

-All right.

-Give it a light and we'll get out of the way.

-OK.

-Are you ready, Steve?!

-Yeah, all ready!

THEY CHUCKLE

-Calm down. Calm down.

-FIREWORKS WHISTLE AND BANG

TURKEYS GOBBLE

Calm down.

-Calm down.

-FIREWORKS WHISTLE

How was that, Steve?

-Yeah, that was good, Tom!

-Cool.

Well, I've seen farmers prepare for them in all sorts of ways, but that was a first for me.

-Yeah.

-And how do you think today's gone?

-Well, it was a good start.

You know, the birds calmed down nice and quickly afterwards,

so I'm pleased with how it's gone, but we have got

a bit more work to do before we're ready for Bonfire Night.

Well, there we go,

and we all have to be aware on Fireworks Night that you may

scare pets, wild animals, and, of course, farm animals,

but at least we know that Tom's turkeys will be safe

and ready for Christmas.

And that's just about it, I'm afraid.

It's time to close our Countryfile Autumn Diaries,

from here in Northumberland's Kielder Forest.

It's been a spectacular place in which to explore the wonders

of the season.

And if, nearer the date,

you'd like to make a note of when we open our Winter Diaries,

well, this could come in handy -

the Countryfile calendar for 2017.

It's sold in aid of BBC Children in Need,

and here is how you can get one.

It costs £9.50, including free UK delivery.

You can go to our website,

where you'll find a link to the order page,

or you can phone the order line on:

If you prefer to order by post,

then send your name, address and a cheque to:

And please make your cheques payable

to BBC Countryfile Calendar.

A minimum of £4 from the sale of each calendar will be donated

to BBC Children in Need.

Well, enjoy the rest of autumn, and I hope you'll be joining us again

when we open our Winter Diaries.

Bye for now.