A NEW project to record heritage sites that matter to local communities has been launched by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Somerset and the Exmoor National Park is one of 22 pilots for this new Local Heritage List. The list is intended to help to protect buildings, sites and structures that local…
THE peregrines are back on their lofty perch at Salisbury Cathedral – and the webcam which allows us to see them has now gone live. They’ve been hanging around the tower for a while and have been seen mating, so the signs are good. Last year the first egg was laid on 15th March so…
YOU don’t have to be a church-goer or religious in any way to admire and love the great cathedrals. Historian and atheist Simon Jenkins is fascinated and awed by them. We are lucky to live in an area with two of the world’s greatest – Wells and Salisbury … Wells with its magnificent West Front, currently…
WORK on renovating the orchards at Springhead, the environmental and arts trust at the ancient mill-house at Fontmell Magna, is beginning on 10th November. There will be volunteer working parties on Wednesday mornings, from 10am to 1pm. It is an opportunity to learn new skills and meet new people. All ages and abilities will be…
… a walk along the River Otter WE can’t fly anywhere and all our favourite places in Scotland are booked up into 2022, so it’s day trips for us this summer. When we read about guided walks to see beavers on the River Otter, we booked up for one immediately. The best holiday we…
AN unusual friendship has developed at Longleat where an emu chick which was rejected by its parents and a flock of farmyard chickens. The two-month old chick is being reared by keepers who have named it Bueno. It is the first to have been successfully reared at the Wiltshire safari park. Keepers initially cared for…
BRISTOL Harbour achieved international attention last year when protestors toppled the statue of slave-trader Edward Colston and tipped it into the harbour. More lastingly damaging is the amount of plastic that gets dumped in the water – a new boat aims to help tackle that problem. Seacycler, a 12-seater, launched by environmental charity Hubbub, is made…
BATH Vegan Market is going ahead on Saturday 10th July, a week later than originally planned. Due to COVID restrictions, the original indoor event on 3rd July will take place at Odd Down Sports Ground. The fair showcases what the vegan lifestyle has to offer with more than 60 stalls including world food caterers. There…
ONE of the most beautiful gardens in the West Country, Springhead at Fontmell Magna in North Dorset, is open over the May Day bank holiday weekend for visitors to admire the blossom. The gardens will be open on Sunday 2nd May and Monday 3rd, from 11.30am to 4.30pm. There is no charge, but donations are…
BERE Marsh Farm, the Countryside Restoration Trust’s showcase farm by the Stour near Shillingstone in Dorset, will be at the heart of a pioneering project to make the Blackmore Vale a hive of activity for bees and bee enthusiasts. Gardening clubs, schools, parish councils, allotment holders, indeed any organisation or group, will be invited to…