Somerset Stories

Our guests for the final episode of this season are Lulu Urquhart and Adam Hunt, landscape designers dedicated to nature and ecological restoration. Having partnered together for many years, their philosophy embraces creating spaces that provide tranquility for people, and homes for wildlife. Long term Somerset residents, they were selected to work with Piet Oudolf to create one of the county's most well-known, and transformative gardens at Hauser & Wirth in Bruton. More recently, their first ever garden at the Chelsea Flower Show - which put the spotlight on beavers in rewilding Britain - won the award for Best Show Garden.

Somerset Stories gets experimental... our guest this week is Colleen Bower, Director of a new annual science festival launching in May.... Somerscience brings together 65 organisations from around the region to showcase and celebrate the amazing world of science, technology, engineering, and maths. Colleen's extensive experience in the education industry, as well as her natural curiosity, are vital to spearheading this event - which aims to connect local people in an engaging way with some of the innovative, fun, and pioneering developments taking place on our doorstep. What's more, this isn't her first festival of this kind - she developed Malta's first large-scale science festival in the Gozo citadel. We met, with days to go before the event and discussed the critical role of STEM in education, and a range of other great topics.

Our guest this week is at the forefront of a revival in the ancient craft of blacksmithing. Alex Pole has been forging creations from metal for over 30 years, and - for the best part of a decade, his focus has been on developing high end ironware for professional and amateur chefs around the world. Alex's dedication to using traditional methods to create practical but beautiful products has won him many fans and followers. In recent years, he's collaborated with chefs such as Nathan Outlaw and Thomasina Myers to write "The Forge Kitchen Cookbook". His latest book, simply titled "Blacksmith", brings to life the history and folklore of life in the trade throughout the ages.

Our guest this week is Charlotte Howell-Jones, a climate campaigner trying to change the world one story at a time. Charlotte's work primarily focuses on creating change and building the climate movement through storytelling, communications and content. A Somerset resident for over 20 years, she is passionate about helping others make an emotional connection with nature. When not busy collaborating with organisations like DearTomorrow and Parents For Future UK, she will most likely be found foraging or nurturing her veg patch with two muddy children. 

Somerset Stories takes on a blue hue this week as we meet Nick Hounsfield, creator of The Wave - the UK's first inland surfing lake - located just outside Bristol. Driven by a passion to help people live healthier lives, more connected to nature, Nick's vision is more than a decade in the making, opening to the public in 2019. As a well as surfing being a great sport, The Wave aims to bring people into contact with water, nature, and each other, in order to create a community atmosphere which allows people to find their own calm and enjoyment in and around the lake.

As a mother of identical triplets, this week's guest is literally one in 200 million! After a history of setback and pregnancy complications, Rosie Phelps-Goggin has truly defied the odds, and conventional thinking. Born and raised in Somerset, you can now find Rosie, documenting and sharing her family's highlights in social media, where the adventures of Ava, Connie, Evie, and their big sister Gabriella have a loyal and supportive following of thousands. We met earlier this month, and shared Rosie's memories and thoughts on some personal and poignant topics. As this is such a deeply personal and emotive topic, I feel the need to say that this episode does contain some discussion of pregnancy loss, but Rosie shares her story in a way which is honest and helpful to others who may be going through similar challenges.

Somerset Stories serves up a treat, as we meet the Somerset born chef who has opened critically acclaimed restaurants in London, and has made a remarkable return to his Westcountry roots with the opening of Holm in South Petherton. Nicholas Balfe brings a love for seasonality and local produce to the restaurant, which has charmed locals and visitors alike. Holm is inspired by nature and its surroundings, and the team is driven by provenance, sustainability and warm hospitality.Nicholas is also a firm believer in creating a progressive team environment.  Challenging the legacy that the food and drink industry has had in the past. We met in February 2023 and recorded our conversation on site at Holm.

It's been a while, but we finally talk about cheddar, with someone whose family have been dairy farmers in Somerset for generations. Rich Clothier is the managing director of Wyke Farms - and has been a key part in taking this family business from local producer, to one of the largest independent cheese makers in the UK producing over 16,000 tonnes of Cheddar per year to the same 160-year-old recipe. What's more, Rich has overseen a long-term strategy to make farming and production more sustainable at Wyke, with a mission to be a net positive business. We met back in January of this year and talked about a really wide range of topics that are at the front of mind in rural and agricultural life.

Claire Calvert has forged an amazing career with the Royal Ballet Company, dancing some of the most prestigious roles on one of the world's greatest ballet stages. She was born in Bath and grew up learning to dance in the area. Making the decision as a teenager to join White Lodge, the Royal Ballet's boarding school in London, Claire hasn't looked back, and has since become a First Soloist with the company, dancing major roles in productions of Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and many more. We met earlier this month in London and talked about all aspects of life as a professional dancer, the mental and emotional elements of performing, and the resilience of coming back from injury.