0:00:30 > 0:00:34Shropshire, a county known for its heath,
0:00:34 > 0:00:36its moorland and in particular,
0:00:36 > 0:00:40its hills, which roll on as far as the eye can see and it was on one of
0:00:40 > 0:00:45these craggy exposed peaks that a mining community made its home.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54- This is a simple life, isn't it? - Yeah.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02Anita is exploring the site of a very unlikely nature reserve.
0:01:02 > 0:01:07I mean, you wonder what a scrapyard and a wildlife trust could possibly
0:01:07 > 0:01:09- have in common.- It's all about where it is.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12Right here we're on the edge of one of the largest peat bodies
0:01:12 > 0:01:13in Britain.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Charlotte's finding out about an issue that is all too common,
0:01:18 > 0:01:20but often hidden away.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24Dementia can be devastating wherever you live,
0:01:24 > 0:01:26but finding help and support in
0:01:26 > 0:01:28rural areas can be tough and for farmers
0:01:28 > 0:01:32especially, everyday tasks can quickly become dangerous.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37And in the first part of a series of special films,
0:01:37 > 0:01:41Adam is discovering how they farm on the other side of the world,
0:01:41 > 0:01:42in New Zealand.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45Obviously we're in the old home where you used to snore a lot.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47You know, when you come and stayed last time?
0:01:47 > 0:01:51You used to kick me out of bed and make me go and prune kiwi vines!
0:02:05 > 0:02:09This wild, storm-battered rocky ridge is hardly
0:02:09 > 0:02:10the ideal place to build a
0:02:10 > 0:02:14new community, but in the mid-1800s,
0:02:14 > 0:02:16that is exactly what happened.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19This is literally life lived on the edge.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28Migrant workers poured into this remote corner of Shropshire,
0:02:28 > 0:02:30southwest of Shrewsbury,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33attracted by the booming lead mine at Snailbeach.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Cottages began to spring up high on this hill above the mine.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43This community, known as Blakemoregate,
0:02:43 > 0:02:45was without doubt, one of the most isolated and these
0:02:45 > 0:02:50squatters' cottages were built on the Welsh tradition of a house in a
0:02:50 > 0:02:52night. This is incredible.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54Basically, if you could build a
0:02:54 > 0:02:57chimney and get it smoking by the morning,
0:02:57 > 0:02:59then you had the right to stay.
0:02:59 > 0:03:00Once given the thumbs up,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03you would throw an axe and wherever the axe landed,
0:03:03 > 0:03:05that was your boundary.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Presumably, once they had staked their claim,
0:03:08 > 0:03:10they spent a little bit more time fine tuning the house.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19By 1836, there were 97 cottages built on this precipice.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23As they were sometimes cut off for months on end,
0:03:23 > 0:03:25the residents had to survive on what
0:03:25 > 0:03:28this unforgiving landscape could provide.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32And this is what they used as kindling for the fire,
0:03:32 > 0:03:33heather from the hills.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36It was brittle, burnt easily and more importantly,
0:03:36 > 0:03:38it was right on the doorstep.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Local farmer, Mary Huxley still lives by many of these principles.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54She is the third generation of a family to make butter from scratch.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58Now in her late 70s, this is still her livelihood.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01Mary, do you remember a time in your life when you weren't churning
0:04:01 > 0:04:04- butter?- No, I don't, unfortunately.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07- Definitely on a Saturday, always. - Right.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09And from what age are we talking?
0:04:09 > 0:04:11- Eight years old.- Eight years old!
0:04:11 > 0:04:13This is a simple life, isn't it?
0:04:13 > 0:04:16What have we got going on in here?
0:04:16 > 0:04:18We've got that cream we pour in from one end to the
0:04:18 > 0:04:20other and as it drops from one end to
0:04:20 > 0:04:24the other, it knocks out the fatty globules and it will look like
0:04:24 > 0:04:27scrambled egg floating in milk.
0:04:27 > 0:04:28How do you know when it's ready?
0:04:28 > 0:04:30Because that window will be clean,
0:04:30 > 0:04:32that is why I am trying to reach over to have a look.
0:04:32 > 0:04:37Do you think we're done? Screw that a little bit more.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40We can have a look. And see if it has worked.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43- That looks pretty good to me.- This is how my mother used to do it.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47Mary is the last in her family to churn for a living.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52Is this is for your design now?
0:04:52 > 0:04:54That's my mother's and it went down the family line.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59Well, it's beautiful. Nobody would not look at that and think,
0:04:59 > 0:05:01"That is a fine display of butter, Mary."
0:05:01 > 0:05:02THEY CHUCKLE
0:05:08 > 0:05:12But this self-sustaining way of life on these hills was soon to die out.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17As the lead mining industry fell into decline,
0:05:17 > 0:05:19the cottages here at Blakemoregate were
0:05:19 > 0:05:21gradually deserted and this cottage here
0:05:21 > 0:05:26behind me, Cook's Cottage, was the last to be abandoned in the 1950s.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31But now Natural England have
0:05:31 > 0:05:34painstakingly rebuilt this cottage from rubble,
0:05:34 > 0:05:36so that the miners' way of life can be
0:05:36 > 0:05:38recorded for future generations.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45You know, this whole restoration project gives a wonderful glimpse
0:05:45 > 0:05:47into what life was like for the people who lived here,
0:05:47 > 0:05:49how rooted they were in their habitat,
0:05:49 > 0:05:54how they lived off the land and how they responded to the seasons and I
0:05:54 > 0:05:56don't want to over romanticise this,
0:05:56 > 0:05:58because it was all borne out of necessity,
0:05:58 > 0:06:01but this simple life is very attractive to me.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13Now, dementia is a difficult diagnosis for any family to receive,
0:06:13 > 0:06:15but as Charlotte has been finding out,
0:06:15 > 0:06:17for those who live in our countryside, well,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20they face very specific problems.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27I've seen my father, who was straight as a arrow,
0:06:27 > 0:06:29change so dramatically in the previous year.
0:06:32 > 0:06:37It was just horrible, watching him deteriorate into a shell,
0:06:37 > 0:06:39not recognise us or any of his friends.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46Dad got dementia in his 60s,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49we had to hide the car keys from him but he still wanted to work on
0:06:49 > 0:06:51the farm.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54Dementia is a devastating condition,
0:06:54 > 0:06:58cruel both to those who have it and to those left to care and it's a
0:06:58 > 0:06:59growing problem.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05Many of us may think of dementia as simply a case of memory loss,
0:07:05 > 0:07:09but the symptoms can be as wide-ranging as they are damaging.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12Your whole way of perceiving the world alters.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16It can change your personality and affect spatial awareness.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21The University of Plymouth will soon publish a report which shows that
0:07:21 > 0:07:25rural and farming families dealing with dementia face an even greater
0:07:25 > 0:07:27burden than those elsewhere.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32And the findings from that report show that those with dementia on
0:07:32 > 0:07:35farms can find themselves in a dangerous environment,
0:07:35 > 0:07:38often with little support available.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40In November last year,
0:07:40 > 0:07:43dementia was recognised as the leading cause of death in England
0:07:43 > 0:07:46and Wales for the first time.
0:07:46 > 0:07:51Right now there are around 850,000 people living with dementia across
0:07:51 > 0:07:55the UK, of which a significant proportion live in rural areas.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Now, this is a very personal and sensitive subject,
0:07:58 > 0:08:02one that farmers and their families are understandably reluctant to talk
0:08:02 > 0:08:06about. We've been in touch with many families and although they didn't
0:08:06 > 0:08:08want to appear on television,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11they were willing to share their experiences anonymously.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17I wept in the shed one day when I got a phone call from him saying he
0:08:17 > 0:08:19had parked the car in town.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21He can't find it, could I come and pick him up.
0:08:26 > 0:08:27My own small business has taken a
0:08:27 > 0:08:29knock because of me covering for him.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33We have to go together in the morning to feed the sheep.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36It's usually a 20 minute job but now it takes over an hour.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43The man in charge of tackling dementia in our countryside
0:08:43 > 0:08:44is Ian Sherriff.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48He chairs the government's Rural Dementia Task Force and commissioned
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Plymouth University's new report.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53What are the main problems for
0:08:53 > 0:08:56people who have dementia who are in rural areas?
0:08:56 > 0:09:00I think the biggest thing and we are being told by carers,
0:09:00 > 0:09:05is that they are lonely, they're isolated and quite frankly,
0:09:05 > 0:09:07nobody gives a damn about them.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11You look around us here in Devon and people from outside Devon
0:09:11 > 0:09:14think it's a wonderful location, to some people that is a prison.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16Nine times out of ten,
0:09:16 > 0:09:19the person who has the dementia is the one that drives the car and
0:09:19 > 0:09:23visiting people in rural locations by health and
0:09:23 > 0:09:26social care workers is difficult.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29You can imagine the time it takes to get to a location,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32how much time they have on location with a person,
0:09:32 > 0:09:37so everything is exacerbated even more, by the idyllic,
0:09:37 > 0:09:41what other people would say, rural setting.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43And when we put this into a farming context,
0:09:43 > 0:09:45I guess that gets more complicated.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47I think if you look at the environment on a farm,
0:09:47 > 0:09:50the farmyard is a very risky place to work.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52People have been injured.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55But I've also heard that livestock has suffered as well.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Where an individual,
0:09:57 > 0:10:01had not been feeding their animals correctly and those animals had to
0:10:01 > 0:10:07be put down. It does worry me about the risk factors that farmers put
0:10:07 > 0:10:10- themselves into.- Because they are just carrying on doing what they do
0:10:10 > 0:10:11with machinery and animals.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14Yes, just carrying on as farmers do.
0:10:16 > 0:10:21And farmers do just carry on, as these anonymous testimonies show.
0:10:21 > 0:10:27Keep coming. Whoa!
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Things like attaching something to the back of the tractor is now a
0:10:30 > 0:10:33dangerous job. Not for him, for me.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35Keep coming. Keep coming.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37I've been squashed three times now.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Keep coming.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42Whoa!
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Put him in the field with a spreader or a plough and he's fine.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47You wouldn't know he'd almost killed me 20 minutes ago.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57We realised just how bad it was
0:10:57 > 0:10:59getting when we looked in his tractor and
0:10:59 > 0:11:02found post-it notes stuck all over the windscreen.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04He had written instructions to
0:11:04 > 0:11:06himself saying what gears he should use for
0:11:06 > 0:11:08all the different jobs!
0:11:10 > 0:11:13I had to persuade him that he ought to give the younger chaps a chance
0:11:13 > 0:11:17to use the bigger machines, but he still drove the tractor.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19In the end, it got too dangerous.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26I remember that once he drove out of the grain store with the trailer
0:11:26 > 0:11:27still up.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31Only just missed the door frame.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35We were lucky not to have a nasty accident.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40Dementia can affect anyone but if you're somewhere rural,
0:11:40 > 0:11:45the challenges can be huge and on farms what were everyday jobs can be
0:11:45 > 0:11:47potentially life-threatening situations.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50So what's being done to tackle the issues farmers face?
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Well, that's what I'll be finding out later.
0:11:59 > 0:12:00Shropshire...
0:12:02 > 0:12:04..a diverse rural county.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Home to some unusual nooks and crannies,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12including some of the country's rarest habitat.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18So why am I in this polluted old scrapyard?
0:12:18 > 0:12:20Well, believe it or not,
0:12:20 > 0:12:23this is Shropshire Wildlife Trust's latest nature reserve,
0:12:23 > 0:12:25or at least it will be.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29It's part of a £5 million restoration project.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36But what makes this toxic tip so special?
0:12:36 > 0:12:39Why spend so much reclaiming this scrappy patch of land?
0:12:44 > 0:12:45This is why.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51It borders this internationally renowned nature reserve.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57Its landscape was carved out thousands of years ago
0:12:57 > 0:13:01in the last Ice Age but remains vital today.
0:13:01 > 0:13:02It's quite something, isn't it?
0:13:02 > 0:13:06Looks like Africa but I can assure you I'm on the Fenn's, Whixall and
0:13:06 > 0:13:07Bettisfield Mosses and
0:13:07 > 0:13:13the land here is full of peat and peat is an environmental life-saver.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20Peter Bowyer is Natural England's senior reserve manager and it's his
0:13:20 > 0:13:22job to look after the mosses.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25Why is peat so important?
0:13:25 > 0:13:28We're standing on a huge carbon store,
0:13:28 > 0:13:30below our feet is a vast amount of carbon,
0:13:30 > 0:13:32which is really important for climate change reasons,
0:13:32 > 0:13:35it's taking all the carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and locking it
0:13:35 > 0:13:36here in place.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40There is more carbon locked in the UK peatlands than all the forests in
0:13:40 > 0:13:41Britain and France combined.
0:13:41 > 0:13:46That's astonishing. Why does peat have the capacity to do that?
0:13:46 > 0:13:48Sphagnum bog moss is the key to it all, really.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50- Can I see what that looks like? - Yeah, sure.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52There's some here. This is sphagnum bog moss.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56Sphagnum bog moss turns the water here very acidic,
0:13:56 > 0:13:58all the plants that grow every year
0:13:58 > 0:14:01become pickled and preserved and that's what the peat is,
0:14:01 > 0:14:03it is pickled preserved plants.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05The site is very much in different stages of development,
0:14:05 > 0:14:08so we're trying to put it all back together to try and get it to become
0:14:08 > 0:14:10completely self-sustaining.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13That involves retaining the water in the centre of the moss but then
0:14:13 > 0:14:16a lot of tree clearance around the edge of the site as well.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Quite a big job you've got ahead of you.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20It is a big job, it's a very big site,
0:14:20 > 0:14:22it's the largest peat bog in Britain.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24It's a big challenge but it is a really exciting challenge as well.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26I'm going to go and get my hands mucky.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29- OK.- Thank you Pete, I'll leave you to it.- All right.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38It's all hands to the pump for the volunteers.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41Because a long history of peat cutting almost destroyed these
0:14:41 > 0:14:44internationally important mosses.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49Peat was commercially cut here for fuel and then for compost from the
0:14:49 > 0:14:541850s, a practice that only stopped here in 1990.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Since then, nature has been fighting back.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02You can already see just how different this is
0:15:02 > 0:15:05to the peat bog and they've got quite a bit of work to do.
0:15:05 > 0:15:06Right, where's Clare?
0:15:13 > 0:15:15- Hello there, Clare.- Hi, Anita.
0:15:15 > 0:15:16I'll get kitted up as well.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21- Already seems quite boggy on the way in here.- Yes, it is.
0:15:21 > 0:15:26But the hope is that it will get a lot wetter once the project is well
0:15:26 > 0:15:29underway and we have cleared some of the stuff.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31Why volunteer, why do this?
0:15:31 > 0:15:35I felt that I would learn something as well as getting fresh air
0:15:35 > 0:15:36and exercise.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38But also, you know,
0:15:38 > 0:15:41contributing a little bit to a project I really believed in.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43Were you a dab hand with any of these tools before you did this?
0:15:43 > 0:15:48No, I was a complete stranger to a silky saw and to any kind of saw,
0:15:48 > 0:15:50to be honest, but I could probably
0:15:50 > 0:15:53build you a fence if I really had to.
0:15:53 > 0:15:54- My kind of woman.- With help.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Cutting back those trees is a huge job,
0:16:11 > 0:16:16but turning all of this back to nature is on a whole other level.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18How on earth do they plan on doing it?
0:16:18 > 0:16:20I'll be finding out later.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30Now, it's time for our winter warmer.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Late last summer, we asked some well-known faces from
0:16:35 > 0:16:36DJs to comedians...
0:16:36 > 0:16:38It's a seal. False alarm everyone.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41- It was a seal.- ..chefs to singers...
0:16:41 > 0:16:45# My old man said follow the van. #
0:16:46 > 0:16:50..which part of our magnificent countryside was special to them.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57This week Michelin-starred chef
0:16:57 > 0:17:00Michael Caines heads out on foot into the wilds of Dartmoor.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20Outdoor life has always been
0:17:20 > 0:17:22something I have thrived on, the nature,
0:17:22 > 0:17:25the feeling of being outdoors is quite liberating.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28Being in the environment of the kitchen with all that stress of
0:17:28 > 0:17:30work, going out and taking a moment,
0:17:30 > 0:17:33half an hour or an hour even two hours running,
0:17:33 > 0:17:35in and around this environment,
0:17:35 > 0:17:38really gives me inspiration but it also gives me a chance to think.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49I was born in Exeter and grew up in Devon,
0:17:49 > 0:17:53so these parts of Dartmoor and the surrounding area were pretty much my
0:17:53 > 0:17:55playground as a child.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59Wow. What a view. Incredible.
0:18:03 > 0:18:08So this is Cranbrook Castle. It's a hillfort, one of three in this area.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12Hound Tor, Fernworthy, Chagford
0:18:12 > 0:18:15and then the other hillfort over here.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23The thing that fascinates me the most about these settlements on
0:18:23 > 0:18:26Dartmoor is it is hard to imagine anyone really living
0:18:26 > 0:18:30on Dartmoor now, it's so barren, it's such an extreme environment,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33and yet actually if you can imagine in Neolithic times,
0:18:33 > 0:18:35one of the most densely populated parts of Britain.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40It's just incredible to see this landscape now,
0:18:40 > 0:18:41stretching out to Devon.
0:18:43 > 0:18:44I really get a sense of place...
0:18:45 > 0:18:48..and a connection with this landscape,
0:18:48 > 0:18:49massively, incredible view.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55Because Dartmoor has always inspired me as a young man,
0:18:55 > 0:18:59I've taken the time in the last sort of ten or 12 years to do
0:18:59 > 0:19:01wild camping.
0:19:05 > 0:19:06Right, I'm ready to go.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11So, the general idea of going camping for me
0:19:11 > 0:19:13is planning a route first,
0:19:13 > 0:19:17couple of waypoints on the map where I'm going to head to and then I'll
0:19:17 > 0:19:20take a bearing. Then off I go.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22I go walking.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29You know, as a young man I was in the cadet force,
0:19:29 > 0:19:31we used to come on Dartmoor doing point to point.
0:19:32 > 0:19:38But I think above all, it's a great reminder of a wonderful childhood.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42We used to go, just the boys with my father on Dartmoor, camping.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46When I look back, I think Father is not here any more but in a way,
0:19:46 > 0:19:49there's lots of memories and lots of things that come back,
0:19:49 > 0:19:51places that you have been to that you then suddenly remember.
0:20:00 > 0:20:01Good spot for it, I think.
0:20:05 > 0:20:06Amazing view.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Clouds with the light coming through, it's just so beautiful.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13Hopefully the rain will hold off, at least until I
0:20:13 > 0:20:15get my tent up, anyway!
0:20:21 > 0:20:24I just love the atmosphere of the place, the moods that it gives,
0:20:24 > 0:20:26through the weather.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30But also the landscape itself, if you're looking out at it now,
0:20:30 > 0:20:32it's become very,
0:20:32 > 0:20:36almost polarised, by the shade of the clouds.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38And then you can see the rain is coming in,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41the weather fronts coming in and the elevation gives you
0:20:41 > 0:20:42that broad aspect and view
0:20:42 > 0:20:47and you really sense that different parts of the moor are
0:20:47 > 0:20:49experiencing different, sort of, microclimates.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52You really get that. It's very atmospheric.
0:21:25 > 0:21:30Wow, what a completely different view this morning from last night.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32You can't even see beyond the valley.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35The mist is just clearing and it
0:21:35 > 0:21:39just shows how drama unfolds on Dartmoor with the weather cycle.
0:21:49 > 0:21:50You know,
0:21:50 > 0:21:55Devon is the third largest county in the UK and it has an amazing
0:21:55 > 0:21:58food larder. Lots to forage.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01Here we are looking for some field mushrooms.
0:22:03 > 0:22:04Here's a few here.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12Beautiful mushroom, very tasty, very delicate.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14I think the key thing is to remember,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17you've got to know what you're picking and in this
0:22:17 > 0:22:20regard field mushrooms are quite safe.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23So I'm going to cook this Dartmoor steak with our foraged
0:22:23 > 0:22:25field mushrooms.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33There we go. Got plenty.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39So what I'm going to do is, I'm going to oil and season the beef.
0:22:40 > 0:22:45I've got just one pan to cook so I'm going to griddle it.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47This is going to be
0:22:47 > 0:22:51cooked in a few minutes, so just get that nicely sealed.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55So I'm going to add some oil with the mushrooms.
0:22:55 > 0:22:56And a little bit of seasoning as well.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00In they go.
0:23:02 > 0:23:03It smells good.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10I'm cooking for two!
0:23:11 > 0:23:12Look at that!
0:23:18 > 0:23:19Incredible.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24We're pretty good to go, really.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43To think that these were in the field
0:23:43 > 0:23:47only a few hours ago, picked, cooked with this lovely steak,
0:23:47 > 0:23:51for me, I feel connected to the landscape and the land and,
0:23:51 > 0:23:53of course, the produce which I use.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59It's... Yeah, it's stunning.
0:24:01 > 0:24:02Bit like my steak.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14Now, Charlotte's been hearing how dementia cruelly
0:24:14 > 0:24:16impacts on rural lives.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Sadly, it's an issue more and more of us will have to deal with.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33As our population ages, the number of people with dementia is growing.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37Within ten years there could be as many as a million people with
0:24:37 > 0:24:39dementia here in the UK.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42And that's expected to double by 2050.
0:24:42 > 0:24:48Right now 15-20% of people aged over 65 in our countryside are living
0:24:48 > 0:24:49with the condition.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52When farmers are struck by dementia the results can be
0:24:52 > 0:24:55catastrophic. Their families are placed under great strain
0:24:55 > 0:24:58and can even be put at risk.
0:24:58 > 0:24:59So what help is out there?
0:25:01 > 0:25:05I'm meeting Joanne Jones, a dairy farmer here in Devon.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07She's also a part-time nurse
0:25:07 > 0:25:10and a coordinator with the charity Farming Community Network,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13a key member of the rural support structure.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15- Hi.- Hi.- Accessing help is challenging
0:25:15 > 0:25:18for those living in isolated rural
0:25:18 > 0:25:21locations, which is why Joanne makes house calls.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24So what sort of things do families come to you with?
0:25:24 > 0:25:28We help farming families if there's a problem with the business,
0:25:28 > 0:25:31the farm, the family, or health issues.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34How much help, realistically, can you be, though?
0:25:34 > 0:25:39Because some people with dementia need an awful lot of care.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42The way in which we offer help is through befriending and offering
0:25:42 > 0:25:44support and signposting.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47So it's finding out what's available in the area.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50They can also meet other carers that are in the same situation,
0:25:50 > 0:25:52so that the carer doesn't feel isolated.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00Today Joanne's making her first visit to young farmer Duncan Wilmot.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05Duncan's mother Sue was diagnosed with dementia aged just 55.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08She moved into a care home last summer.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10- Have a seat.- Thank you very much.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16Did you find it easy to sort of get a diagnosis and get support?
0:26:16 > 0:26:22We had to travel to get a diagnosis, but eventually it came through.
0:26:22 > 0:26:23And how was mum at the time?
0:26:23 > 0:26:26Did she find that quite hard to accept?
0:26:26 > 0:26:29Yeah, she did find it hard to accept, I remember,
0:26:29 > 0:26:33when we got her driving licence revoked, because with forgetting,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36she wouldn't indicate, or anything, and wouldn't check blind spots.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38It wasn't safe for her to drive.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41There is help available but much of it is voluntary.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45And rural families struggling with the emotional and practical impact
0:26:45 > 0:26:49of someone having dementia, well, often they are managing alone.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54Jo, if you could change one thing to help rural families struggling with
0:26:54 > 0:26:56dementia, what would you do?
0:26:56 > 0:27:00I think it would be great if there was some sort of coordinated care,
0:27:00 > 0:27:03so there was one place within each county you could go to,
0:27:03 > 0:27:05that we could signpost people to,
0:27:05 > 0:27:08that would know all about the resources and what's available in
0:27:08 > 0:27:12their local area in terms of support for the person with the diagnosis of
0:27:12 > 0:27:14dementia and also for the family.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17And that's exactly what Ian Sherriff,
0:27:17 > 0:27:18chair of the government's
0:27:18 > 0:27:20Rural Dementia Task Force, is trying to do.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Ian's established a pilot scheme with local parish councils to help
0:27:25 > 0:27:27with the coordination of services.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32How's that working here in Devon?
0:27:32 > 0:27:36You've got five parish councils who are being coordinated by a worker,
0:27:36 > 0:27:40providing support, advice, information and guidance.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44But not only doing that, it's raising the awareness.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47When you consider there are 700 parish councils
0:27:47 > 0:27:48in Devon and Cornwall,
0:27:48 > 0:27:52now if all of those became dementia aware, dementia friendly,
0:27:52 > 0:27:55then we've got the whole of our rural communities covered.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58And not only are parish councils doing it in Devon,
0:27:58 > 0:28:01there are other people in our rural communities, like the church.
0:28:01 > 0:28:06So, for you, in rural communities it is actually the word community that
0:28:06 > 0:28:07is the important word, isn't it?
0:28:07 > 0:28:09Yes, yes. There is a saying that
0:28:09 > 0:28:13there's no sense of community without a sense of caring.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16Through the dementia friendly parish's initiative,
0:28:16 > 0:28:18several support groups have been founded.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24Here in the village of Yealmpton, people with dementia and their
0:28:24 > 0:28:27carers meet weekly for sessions of guided reading.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30'No man is an island entire of itself.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33'Every man is a piece of the continent.'
0:28:41 > 0:28:44These groups are really important to the people who use them but they are
0:28:44 > 0:28:46also pretty rare.
0:28:46 > 0:28:47So how's that going to change?
0:28:55 > 0:28:59Ian Sherriff has no doubts about what needs to happen.
0:28:59 > 0:29:03He's passionate about tackling rural dementia at a national level.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06It is the biggest thing to hit this planet.
0:29:06 > 0:29:10We're actually diagnosing somebody around the world every three
0:29:10 > 0:29:12seconds. In this country, it's every three minutes.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15I think government must focus on some of those big issues that are
0:29:15 > 0:29:19happening around dementia within our rural communities.
0:29:19 > 0:29:20Will they?
0:29:20 > 0:29:22I think it isn't will, they've got to.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25But it's going to cost a lot of money.
0:29:25 > 0:29:30I think cost benefit analysis is one thing we can look at.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33If we do the work now, if we set up those systems,
0:29:33 > 0:29:37then in the long term, it will pay for government to do that.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39How supportive can government be, though?
0:29:39 > 0:29:43There is a commitment being given by the Prime Minister to
0:29:43 > 0:29:44support dementia.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48There is a commitment and the Department of Health
0:29:48 > 0:29:49told us that improving
0:29:49 > 0:29:53dementia care and treatment will continue to be a
0:29:53 > 0:29:55priority for the government.
0:29:55 > 0:29:59But there's a long way to go and it's going to cost a lot of money.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03Because right now, those in isolated communities are reliant on the
0:30:03 > 0:30:05kindness of volunteers.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12The saddest thing is that Dad didn't get to see how the farm's grown
0:30:12 > 0:30:14during better times.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16He spent most of his life worrying.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19It's a real shame he didn't get to enjoy his retirement with his
0:30:19 > 0:30:20grandchildren.
0:30:22 > 0:30:24If you've been affected by dementia,
0:30:24 > 0:30:27you can get in touch with the BBC action line.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29Details of organisations offering
0:30:29 > 0:30:32information and support with dementia
0:30:32 > 0:30:35are available at...
0:30:36 > 0:30:40Or you can call for free at any time to hear recorded information on...
0:31:00 > 0:31:01Well, at Christmas time,
0:31:01 > 0:31:03we decked the hall with boughs of holly and
0:31:03 > 0:31:05really celebrate this stuff
0:31:05 > 0:31:08but then, for the rest of the year, it's kind of forgotten about.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10But here on these Shropshire slopes,
0:31:10 > 0:31:13holly stands proud throughout all the seasons.
0:31:16 > 0:31:21These hollies are an ancient cluster of 500 gnarled and wizened trees,
0:31:21 > 0:31:24sitting high on the hills above
0:31:24 > 0:31:26Lords Hill Chapel in south Shropshire.
0:31:26 > 0:31:30It's believed they were planted around 400 years ago.
0:31:35 > 0:31:37- John, how are you? - I'm very well, Matt.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41John Hughes from the Shropshire Wildlife Trust has made
0:31:41 > 0:31:44it his life's work to protect these incredible trees.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48I'll tell you what, this is some place, isn't it?
0:31:48 > 0:31:51- Do you like it, do you?- I do. It's very unusual, isn't it?
0:31:51 > 0:31:52It's more than usual.
0:31:52 > 0:31:56I just think there's nowhere else quite like this in Britain.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58It is a very, very special place.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04Well, let's have a wander through.
0:32:06 > 0:32:07Look at that holly tree there!
0:32:07 > 0:32:10It has to be one of my very favourites.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12- It's a belter.- Of all the holly trees...
0:32:12 > 0:32:14- Yeah?- It's just remarkable, this one.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16So you would think, on the face of it, it was dead.
0:32:16 > 0:32:21This one has almost been put in its coffin and yet,
0:32:21 > 0:32:23you can hear this tapping coming from it.
0:32:23 > 0:32:29- Yeah?- It's dead all the way round bar a few inches of bark.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32And still, it puts out this shoot.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35A little bird told me, John, that you love these trees so much,
0:32:35 > 0:32:37and you believe that they're so full of character,
0:32:37 > 0:32:39that you've given them all names.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42Well, I've always had a particular view of each tree.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44- Is that yes?- It is, it is yes!
0:32:44 > 0:32:47And the way I see them is,
0:32:47 > 0:32:51we don't treat our elderly as well as we could, do we?
0:32:51 > 0:32:56And these are all very elderly and they're sort of in this retirement
0:32:56 > 0:32:58home. And therefore,
0:32:58 > 0:33:00it's our duty to get to know them
0:33:00 > 0:33:03individually and personally, isn't it?
0:33:03 > 0:33:06So, this one, that's clinging on to life,
0:33:06 > 0:33:09I think she's a bit of a Sheila.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12- Do you know, my grandma is called Sheila.- Is she?- She is.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15- Very well-suited.- Is she? Is she as good-looking?
0:33:17 > 0:33:21Sheila and her friends have survived for centuries because in the harsh
0:33:21 > 0:33:23winters, the local miners harvested
0:33:23 > 0:33:26the holly trees for their cattle to eat.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30It was this pruning which regenerated the trees.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37- Right, who needs a haircut, then, John?- This lady here.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39- Yeah.- She's called Maureen.
0:33:42 > 0:33:44John is carrying on this tradition.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49Back in the day, obviously, crofters,
0:33:49 > 0:33:51farmers would be coming down here
0:33:51 > 0:33:54and getting all of these lovely gentle leaves
0:33:54 > 0:33:56for their cows to feed on.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59Yes. So if you look at that, there's barely a prickle on it.
0:33:59 > 0:34:03And that will keep my livestock alive during the winter and that's
0:34:03 > 0:34:08what I need, cos if my livestock aren't alive, I'm not alive.
0:34:08 > 0:34:09Is there, I mean,
0:34:09 > 0:34:14evidence of how they've been managed by those kind of early growers?
0:34:14 > 0:34:17They would have gone in and they'd have climbed the tree and they've
0:34:17 > 0:34:20sawed the top out, chopping the top out of a tree like that
0:34:20 > 0:34:21is a very ancient technique
0:34:21 > 0:34:25called pollarding and it causes the tree to regrow.
0:34:25 > 0:34:27There will be new young growth next year,
0:34:27 > 0:34:29which is ideal to feed your livestock.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34These hollies would have been cleared long ago if the miners
0:34:34 > 0:34:36hadn't needed them for animal fodder.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40So we have them to thank for preserving what is now one of the
0:34:40 > 0:34:42oldest holly groves in Europe.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48So we're going to just leave some of this lying around, then?
0:34:48 > 0:34:49- For the livestock?- Yeah,
0:34:49 > 0:34:52the cattle will come in and find this and they'll
0:34:52 > 0:34:53think it's delicious.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59Maureen, I'll book you in for the next appointment!
0:34:59 > 0:35:02Tell you what, it's a good job I've got the Countryfile calendar here.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05Anyway, there's still time, if you haven't got yours yet.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07Here's John with all the details.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09May 9th - cheeky trim for Maureen.
0:35:12 > 0:35:16It costs £9.50, including free UK delivery.
0:35:16 > 0:35:17You can go to our website, where
0:35:17 > 0:35:20you'll find a link to the order page.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22Or you can phone the order line on....
0:35:26 > 0:35:30Standard charges will apply to both landlines and mobiles.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34If you prefer to order by post, then send your name,
0:35:34 > 0:35:39address and a cheque to...
0:35:44 > 0:35:49And please make...
0:35:49 > 0:35:53A minimum of £4 from the sale of each calendar will be donated to
0:35:53 > 0:35:55BBC Children in Need.
0:35:58 > 0:35:59Back in 1989,
0:35:59 > 0:36:04a 23-year-old Adam and his now business partner Duncan made the
0:36:04 > 0:36:05long trip to New Zealand, keen to
0:36:05 > 0:36:09experience just what makes Kiwi farmers some
0:36:09 > 0:36:11of the best in the world.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14Now, in the first of a series of four special films,
0:36:14 > 0:36:18he's revisiting the land of the long white cloud to discover just how
0:36:18 > 0:36:20farming has changed since his last visit.
0:36:34 > 0:36:38New Zealand may be the dream location for a holiday,
0:36:38 > 0:36:42but its captivating, lush landscape is also perfect for farming and it's
0:36:42 > 0:36:46what inspired Duncan and me to visit all those years ago.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49We bought a little Austin 1100 and hit the road.
0:36:50 > 0:36:53One of our first stops was the Bay of Plenty,
0:36:53 > 0:36:56a farmer's paradise on the North Island.
0:36:56 > 0:36:57It's so good is to be back in
0:36:57 > 0:36:59New Zealand and the Bay of Plenty here is
0:36:59 > 0:37:02famed for its perfect growing conditions.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05It's warm all year round with lots of sunshine and rainfall and rich,
0:37:05 > 0:37:07deep soils.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09So perfect for growing grass,
0:37:09 > 0:37:11but also lots of different fruit and veg too.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14And that's why Duncan and I thought here would be a good place to pick
0:37:14 > 0:37:18up some labouring work. Our point of contact was a local dairy farmer,
0:37:18 > 0:37:20a guy called John Cameron,
0:37:20 > 0:37:23and he found us a month's work pruning kiwi vines.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26I thought I was going to be milking dairy cows!
0:37:26 > 0:37:30Anyway, it was great fun and JC, as his mates call him,
0:37:30 > 0:37:31became a good friend.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34And now I'm really looking forward to catching up with him back on his
0:37:34 > 0:37:35farm all these years later.
0:37:37 > 0:37:40But farmers here have had their difficulties.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43In 1984, five years before my visit,
0:37:43 > 0:37:45the New Zealand government had
0:37:45 > 0:37:48removed almost all agricultural subsidies.
0:37:48 > 0:37:49With Brexit just around the corner,
0:37:49 > 0:37:52there's a chance British farmers might lose theirs too.
0:37:52 > 0:37:56So it's a poignant moment to find out how New Zealanders like JC,
0:37:56 > 0:38:00who we stayed with, adapted to this huge change.
0:38:00 > 0:38:01How are you keeping, mate?
0:38:01 > 0:38:03- All right.- I haven't seen you for ages.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06- Great to see you.- Yeah, you too. - What a place you've got now.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08Yeah, it's bloody brilliant.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10- Isn't it, eh?- When did you build this?
0:38:10 > 0:38:14Um, ten years ago we started and obviously, we're in the old home.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17Where you used to snore a lot when you came and stayed last time!
0:38:17 > 0:38:20You used to kick me out of bed and make me go and prune kiwi vines!
0:38:20 > 0:38:22- Yeah.- So you've still got cows.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25When I was here last, you had two farms, milking what, I don't know,
0:38:25 > 0:38:27- 1,000 cows or something?- Yes, that's correct.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30Now we've sort of diversified into, I guess, other land uses,
0:38:30 > 0:38:32which is kiwi fruit at this stage, yeah.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34You're growing kiwi fruit yourself now?
0:38:34 > 0:38:37- Yes, thank you very much.- You used to take the mickey out of those kiwi
0:38:37 > 0:38:40- growers!- I have to say that I never thought I'd ever do it, you know!
0:38:40 > 0:38:44But economics is telling that, you know, land-use, etc.
0:38:44 > 0:38:45So time to do it.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47Well, the view has changed dramatically.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50It was all open pasture and thousands of cows and now,
0:38:50 > 0:38:53there's all these trees and sort of shelter belts everywhere.
0:38:53 > 0:38:57Lucky, we've got that chance to do that, so it's all good.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59Well, I'd quite like to get back down into the kiwi plantation.
0:38:59 > 0:39:01- Yeah, I'd love to show you.- Can we have a look?
0:39:01 > 0:39:03- Yeah, love to show you, mate.- Bring back some sweet memories.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06- Yeah, yeah. Well, good to see you. Yeah.- When I was last here,
0:39:06 > 0:39:10kiwi fruit was still seen as an exotic crop to grow.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13Pruning them earned Duncan and me some much needed cash to fund our
0:39:13 > 0:39:14travels.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18Today, the fruit is big business.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22The plantations are vast.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26And pruning is a full-time job.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29Nathan Burt manages JC's kiwi orchard.
0:39:31 > 0:39:32Well, this takes me back.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35And I have to say, 20 years, 27 years on,
0:39:35 > 0:39:38that was one of your claims to fame here.
0:39:38 > 0:39:40I'd like you to give it a go, at least, mate.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42Can I still remember what I'm...?
0:39:42 > 0:39:45So when we were pruning kiwi vines, it was in the winter months.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47I think we were taking out the dead wood.
0:39:47 > 0:39:48But it's all growing now.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51So basically now, we've gone through flowering,
0:39:51 > 0:39:54so these males with the male flowers aren't needed any more.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57So what we're doing is trying to rein them back in and get the shade
0:39:57 > 0:40:01off the females and also get good production for flower for next
0:40:01 > 0:40:04- season for the male.- The gross fruit production now,
0:40:04 > 0:40:07instead of being at 5,000 trays per hectare once upon a time when you
0:40:07 > 0:40:09were here, 10,000 now is normal.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11- Wow!- So it's around, you know,
0:40:11 > 0:40:16Nathan's ability to exercise and get new methods that we're consistently
0:40:16 > 0:40:18trying to get better and better at what we're doing.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20- Moving things on.- Yeah, absolutely.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26Now, around a third of kiwi fruit are grown in New Zealand,
0:40:26 > 0:40:29most of them here in the Bay of Plenty.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34It's not just kiwis that JC's started to grow.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38In the UK, avocados are now outselling oranges
0:40:38 > 0:40:41and they grow well in this part of the world.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43There is a lot of fruit on here.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45It's great to see fruit on there, believe me,
0:40:45 > 0:40:48cos it can be difficult to grow them.
0:40:48 > 0:40:52Any severe weather conditions from now onwards after budding is done,
0:40:52 > 0:40:56- you can lose the fruit.- Right.- So it's quite rewarding and it's very
0:40:56 > 0:40:58economic, over and above cows.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01So are you a dairy farmer or are you a businessman?
0:41:01 > 0:41:05Hand on heart, I'd say that I'm a dairy farmer and a stock person
0:41:05 > 0:41:10at heart. But I would have to say I'm a businessperson as well.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12In the UK, we've just had Brexit.
0:41:12 > 0:41:14We'll be coming out of Europe soon
0:41:14 > 0:41:16and there is a concern that our support
0:41:16 > 0:41:18to farmers will be lacking from government.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21What would be your advice to those people?
0:41:21 > 0:41:23Well, we're obviously very,
0:41:23 > 0:41:26very conscious of the world market and it's being open to those
0:41:26 > 0:41:28opportunities. It may be in time, growing vegetables.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30I don't know. I'm not going to...
0:41:30 > 0:41:32You know, I'm not going to say no to anything.
0:41:32 > 0:41:36As you know, I said no to kiwi fruit 27 years ago but things change.
0:41:36 > 0:41:41And I think it's about having the adaptability and the foresight with
0:41:41 > 0:41:45people and partnerships to make those choices and the Bay of Plenty
0:41:45 > 0:41:46is very lucky for those.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49Well, I'd love to come back in another ten years and see what
0:41:49 > 0:41:50- you're up to, JC. - Ten years is too long.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52You've got to come sooner than that, please.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54- I will, I promise you.- OK. - Cheers.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59It's been great to catch up with JC.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02The farm has certainly changed since I was last year.
0:42:02 > 0:42:03- See you again.- Take care.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08But JC is just as I remember him.
0:42:11 > 0:42:15I'm leaving the fertile soil of the Bay of Plenty and driving south to
0:42:15 > 0:42:19find out how other farmers have made subsidy-free farming work for them.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24I'm heading to the Rangitaiki Station.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27It's one of several huge government-owned farms.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30The state have always owned land over here,
0:42:30 > 0:42:32and once subsidies were removed,
0:42:32 > 0:42:34the government had to make those farms pay for themselves.
0:42:39 > 0:42:43Deer aren't native to New Zealand and over the years
0:42:43 > 0:42:46these wild animals were seen as a menace.
0:42:46 > 0:42:48But with the popularity of venison soaring,
0:42:48 > 0:42:50a market opened up to farm the deer
0:42:50 > 0:42:52and the government saw an opportunity.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57New Zealand has become the largest exporter of
0:42:57 > 0:43:00farmed venison in the world.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02The Rangitaiki Station is not only
0:43:02 > 0:43:05the biggest deer farm in New Zealand,
0:43:05 > 0:43:07but it's the largest in the southern hemisphere.
0:43:08 > 0:43:10Sam Bunny is the station manager.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15- Oh, you must be Sam.- Yeah. - Good to see you.
0:43:15 > 0:43:16- How's things?- Really good.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18This is an amazing set up. What are you doing in here?
0:43:18 > 0:43:21These are our two-year-old stags and the vet's just here giving them a
0:43:21 > 0:43:22health check before sale.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25They'll be getting sold in the next couple of months.
0:43:25 > 0:43:27And I understand you've got the biggest herd in the country.
0:43:27 > 0:43:32Yeah, Rangitaiki runs about 7,500 commercial hinds.
0:43:32 > 0:43:35- Goodness me! Thousands of them! - Yeah.- Amazing.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38- Keeps us busy.- So when you've got all the hinds and the fawns and all
0:43:38 > 0:43:40the stags, what does that add up to?
0:43:40 > 0:43:42On any given, sort of, summer,
0:43:42 > 0:43:45we might have about 14 or 15,000 deer running around at Rangitaiki.
0:43:45 > 0:43:46Serious operation.
0:43:46 > 0:43:48What are you focusing on, then, to improve the deer?
0:43:48 > 0:43:51We've got to the deer stud here, so genetically,
0:43:51 > 0:43:53we're working on their breeding
0:43:53 > 0:43:55values which is traits around growth rates
0:43:55 > 0:43:59and carcass weights, trying to get them to grow faster and get their
0:43:59 > 0:44:03venison production up. A lot of focus around pasture management,
0:44:03 > 0:44:06so just eating grass is better, growing more grass.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09And the more grass we can grow and the better that grass is then the
0:44:09 > 0:44:12more profitable and the better our business will be, so...
0:44:12 > 0:44:15There are concerns back home that our farming subsidy system may be
0:44:15 > 0:44:17reduced following Brexit.
0:44:17 > 0:44:21How have you managed here since 1984 when your farming subsidies were
0:44:21 > 0:44:24- removed?- I mean, I know nothing different.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26I'm only 33 years old and I...
0:44:26 > 0:44:30All my farming career's been about trying to run a sustainable business
0:44:30 > 0:44:31and it's not easy. It's a real
0:44:31 > 0:44:33challenge and we have our ups and downs,
0:44:33 > 0:44:36but, it's just all about trying to improve production,
0:44:36 > 0:44:39improved genetics, just make it sustainable as best we can.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42Well, it's fascinating to see how you guys were out here and how you
0:44:42 > 0:44:45think. Beautiful looking deer. How are they, Andrew? All clear?
0:44:45 > 0:44:48- Yeah, they're all clear. Good to go. - Let's leave them to settle down.
0:45:00 > 0:45:01There's good boys.
0:45:03 > 0:45:07- They've got some size about them, haven't they?- Take it easy.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10Wow! Once they go, they certainly go.
0:45:15 > 0:45:18- Certainly a lot quicker than moving sheep about.- Yeah.
0:45:20 > 0:45:21You have to hand it to the Kiwis.
0:45:22 > 0:45:26These subsidy-free farmers know how to turn opportunities into
0:45:26 > 0:45:28money-making businesses.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34And I know when it comes to farming,
0:45:34 > 0:45:37New Zealand is very different to back home,
0:45:37 > 0:45:40but what really sets them apart from what I've seen
0:45:40 > 0:45:41so far is their attitude.
0:45:43 > 0:45:47It's this can-do attitude that many of the early pioneers
0:45:47 > 0:45:49to these shores certainly had.
0:45:49 > 0:45:52But that's not the only thing to have survived from them.
0:45:52 > 0:45:54Next week, I'm on the hunt for an
0:45:54 > 0:45:56elusive breed of old English goat that
0:45:56 > 0:45:58took up residence on an isolated
0:45:58 > 0:46:02New Zealand island more than 200 years ago.
0:46:13 > 0:46:16Bordering Wales, Shropshire is a county of contrasts.
0:46:19 > 0:46:20From the rugged hills of the south...
0:46:22 > 0:46:25..to the patchwork of pools and bogs of the north.
0:46:27 > 0:46:28As we found out earlier,
0:46:28 > 0:46:33the Meres and Mosses are a landscape with an important environmental role
0:46:33 > 0:46:34and therefore, worth protecting.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43Not the usual Countryfile location, is it?
0:46:43 > 0:46:47Now, it may seem unlikely, but reclaiming this scrapyard is
0:46:47 > 0:46:50the latest stage in keeping those mosses happy.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52I don't quite understand it either, but luckily,
0:46:52 > 0:46:55there is a chap here somewhere with all the answers.
0:46:58 > 0:47:01Shropshire Wildlife Trust bought this site three months ago.
0:47:04 > 0:47:08Now in partnership with Natural England and Natural Resources Wales,
0:47:08 > 0:47:10the most challenging work is about to begin.
0:47:13 > 0:47:17Luke Neal is a community officer with Shropshire Wildlife Trust.
0:47:18 > 0:47:20- Hi, Luke.- Oh, hi, Anita.
0:47:20 > 0:47:22I've brought another massive pair of hands.
0:47:22 > 0:47:24- You're going to need those!- So, what are we doing?
0:47:24 > 0:47:26- We're lugging...- We're moving some of these tyres.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29We're trying to get them sorted from the ones that have got metal rims in
0:47:29 > 0:47:31and those that haven't. Yeah, help yourself to one down there.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34- Just piling up over here? - Yeah, please.
0:47:35 > 0:47:39I mean, you wonder what a scrapyard and a wildlife trust could possibly
0:47:39 > 0:47:42have in common, don't you? I mean, why acquire this site?
0:47:42 > 0:47:43It's all about where it is.
0:47:43 > 0:47:46It's about the location, so right here, we're on the edge of Fenn's,
0:47:46 > 0:47:47Whixall and Bettisfield Moss,
0:47:47 > 0:47:50which is one of the largest peat bodies in Britain.
0:47:50 > 0:47:53That seems quite strange to have a scrapyard positioned here.
0:47:53 > 0:47:54I mean, it's quite rural, isn't it?
0:47:54 > 0:47:57The scrapyard was actually brought here in the 1960s and that was
0:47:57 > 0:48:01before this site really had its special designation.
0:48:01 > 0:48:03Prior to that, it would have just been a farm.
0:48:03 > 0:48:04It's not an easy job though, is it?
0:48:04 > 0:48:07It's not. There's an awful lot that we've got to deal with.
0:48:07 > 0:48:10I mean, you can see here, we've got piles of tyres, we've got scrap,
0:48:10 > 0:48:13we've got oil and it's quite polluted in the ground under our
0:48:13 > 0:48:15- feet as well.- But despite those challenges,
0:48:15 > 0:48:19they're using what they can from the site and transforming it to work in
0:48:19 > 0:48:20harmony with nature.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25So, what we're hoping to do is to keep some of these sheds back here,
0:48:25 > 0:48:29but, kind of, clad so that it's got an earth wall and an earth roof.
0:48:29 > 0:48:32We would like to have a viewing tower at the top because one of the
0:48:32 > 0:48:34things about these sites, they're very, very flat,
0:48:34 > 0:48:37so if you can get a bit of height and then you can actually see right
0:48:37 > 0:48:39out across the whole of the Moss.
0:48:39 > 0:48:44From there, where we want to go is we want to restore all of this area.
0:48:44 > 0:48:47We want to try and build some walls and maybe some play features out of
0:48:47 > 0:48:50the tyres. You know, really re-use them if we can.
0:48:50 > 0:48:53With this lovely kind of boardwalk that leads you right out onto the
0:48:53 > 0:48:56- edge of the Moss.- And we'll all have as much fun as that little dog.
0:48:56 > 0:48:57Absolutely, yeah!
0:49:03 > 0:49:07And that's not the only way this scrap material lives on.
0:49:07 > 0:49:09Artist Rob Holmquist is turning some
0:49:09 > 0:49:11of it into children's play equipment.
0:49:15 > 0:49:17That is brilliant.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19- Cheers, thank you.- So, what are these bits that you've got?
0:49:19 > 0:49:23These are a couple of valves from an engine and they've been welded onto
0:49:23 > 0:49:26the front of the snail like that to make its tentacles.
0:49:26 > 0:49:28What we're going to do is we're going to turn it into a bug hotel,
0:49:28 > 0:49:30so not only was it scrap,
0:49:30 > 0:49:34it's now a habitat for small creatures and animals.
0:49:34 > 0:49:38I mean, it's funny because I look at that and all I can see is scrap.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41- But what do you see?- Quite a lot of scrap, I must admit!
0:49:42 > 0:49:43But there is a lot of potential, as well.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45If you've got the time and the tools,
0:49:45 > 0:49:47you can make something out of quite a lot of it.
0:49:47 > 0:49:48I'd love to have a go at something.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50Cool. Do you want to do some spray-painting?
0:49:50 > 0:49:52Would I ever like to do some spray-painting!
0:49:52 > 0:49:53What are these going to be?
0:49:53 > 0:49:56These are parts for one of the rockers over there,
0:49:56 > 0:49:58so this is the body of a grasshopper.
0:49:58 > 0:50:00I'd suggest everyone take a step backwards.
0:50:02 > 0:50:03Thank you very much.
0:50:18 > 0:50:21It is as fun as it looks and if it's inspired you to get out there and do
0:50:21 > 0:50:23something fantastic in the great outdoors,
0:50:23 > 0:50:25you'll want to know what the weather's doing.
0:50:25 > 0:50:26Here's the forecast.
0:51:12 > 0:51:16We're in Shropshire, where I've been discovering the unforgiving
0:51:16 > 0:51:19landscape where both people and plants have battled to survive.
0:51:22 > 0:51:25This quiet place was once a beacon of industry.
0:51:26 > 0:51:28Today, the wheel no longer turns.
0:51:30 > 0:51:32And the miners have stopped streaming into these tunnels.
0:51:34 > 0:51:38But in the mid-18th century, lead mining was big business.
0:51:39 > 0:51:43This stuff helped to power the Industrial Revolution.
0:51:43 > 0:51:46Now, at one point, this place, Snailbeach Mine,
0:51:46 > 0:51:49was the richest mine per acre in Europe,
0:51:49 > 0:51:53and it was extracting 3,000 tonnes of ore a year.
0:51:55 > 0:51:57Now restored, there's a maze of
0:51:57 > 0:52:00rarely-seen underground tunnels to explore.
0:52:00 > 0:52:02Let's venture into the gloom.
0:52:04 > 0:52:05'Andrew Wood from the
0:52:05 > 0:52:10Shropshire Mines Trust is taking me deep underground.'
0:52:10 > 0:52:12How big is this mine, then, Andrew?
0:52:12 > 0:52:14It actually goes well below sea level.
0:52:14 > 0:52:19- Right.- It's actually 1,700-odd feet deep.
0:52:19 > 0:52:213,000 tonnes a year coming out of this place,
0:52:21 > 0:52:23what was the workforce like?
0:52:23 > 0:52:27Well, at its peak in the middle of the 19th century,
0:52:27 > 0:52:30this site employed over 500 people.
0:52:30 > 0:52:33So instead of the quiet country place it is now,
0:52:33 > 0:52:37it was a hive of industry and there were people and smoke and noise
0:52:37 > 0:52:39absolutely everywhere.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41Instantly, it opened up here, then, Andrew,
0:52:41 > 0:52:43so what have we come across here?
0:52:43 > 0:52:47This is what's called a stump, where all the mineral has been removed.
0:52:47 > 0:52:52And what techniques would they have been using to get all this out?
0:52:52 > 0:52:56It was all done by hand and using candles.
0:52:56 > 0:52:59The men had to buy their own candles and they had to buy their own
0:52:59 > 0:53:01gunpowder and, of course,
0:53:01 > 0:53:03they needed gunpowder to blast the rock down.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06So they used an implement like a bit of a spoon, if you like,
0:53:06 > 0:53:10on a long stick. The spoon is copper,
0:53:10 > 0:53:15the handle is wood because the last thing you want to do is to introduce
0:53:15 > 0:53:18iron or steel to gunpowder in case you get a spark.
0:53:18 > 0:53:21When they were ready, they'd light the fuse, run away and hide.
0:53:21 > 0:53:23There'd be an enormous bang,
0:53:23 > 0:53:25all the rock would come down and when the dust had settled,
0:53:25 > 0:53:28they'd come back and start shovelling up the ore.
0:53:28 > 0:53:29The mind boggles, doesn't it?
0:53:29 > 0:53:32When you've got electric lights and you can see the vast area that was,
0:53:32 > 0:53:37kind of, excavated but then, you think, that was all done by hand.
0:53:48 > 0:53:50In the second half of the 19th century,
0:53:50 > 0:53:54lead production reached its peak, but in 1885,
0:53:54 > 0:53:56after a flood of cheap imports,
0:53:56 > 0:54:01lead prices fell and many small mines went out of business.
0:54:10 > 0:54:12This mine has now fallen silent.
0:54:12 > 0:54:14But it's far from empty.
0:54:14 > 0:54:19One particular species has set up home in these cavernous chambers,
0:54:19 > 0:54:21the lesser horseshoe bat.
0:54:21 > 0:54:27Just hanging about ten feet away from where I'm kneeling is the most
0:54:27 > 0:54:30beautiful lesser horseshoe bat.
0:54:30 > 0:54:32You could see one just fly up right there.
0:54:32 > 0:54:33And here in Shropshire,
0:54:33 > 0:54:38numbers of this beautiful creature have been on the rise since 1999,
0:54:38 > 0:54:39year-on-year.
0:54:39 > 0:54:43And the Shropshire Bat Group believe that this is because they found the
0:54:43 > 0:54:48perfect dark, dank hibernation roost right here in Snailbeach Mine.
0:54:54 > 0:54:58It's wonderful to see that this mine is not just a museum to the past.
0:54:58 > 0:55:00It's also helping to protect the future.
0:55:03 > 0:55:04Perfect timing!
0:55:04 > 0:55:06Can you let me out? What's it worth?
0:55:06 > 0:55:09Shall I let him out? All right, come on.
0:55:09 > 0:55:10Thank you. Just what I wanted, actually.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13- There you go.- Oh, my eyes! Tell me when that's off. Is that off?
0:55:13 > 0:55:15- It's off.- It's off. - How is it down there?
0:55:15 > 0:55:17Yeah, good, good. I've had a lovely time here.
0:55:17 > 0:55:20I tell you what, I've been up on top of it and underneath the landscape
0:55:20 > 0:55:22here, but what a view. The hills around here!
0:55:22 > 0:55:24It has been spectacular in Shropshire, hasn't it?
0:55:24 > 0:55:26Even a scrapyard looked gorgeous!
0:55:26 > 0:55:30Anyway, that's all we've got time for for this week.
0:55:30 > 0:55:31Next week, we're going to be in
0:55:31 > 0:55:33Carmarthenshire, where I will be exploring
0:55:33 > 0:55:35the explosive sand dunes.
0:55:35 > 0:55:39And Helen will be finding out just how fantastic bees really are.
0:55:39 > 0:55:41- Join- us then. See you.- Cheers.