Footprints

This September, alongside our annual walking festival, Bathscape also hosted a Landscape City Conference looking at what the Bathscape Partnership has achieved and to inspire Bath's future. This is the penultimate episode of Footprints, and with the project itself drawing to a close, this episode shares a flavour of the day. The conference was opened by Councillor Oli Henman who is the Cabinet Project Lead for Climate Change with Bath and North East Somerset Council. He was followed by two keynote speakers Andrew Grant and Dan Merrett before we hear from each of the three panels. Clips from all of these are included and we also meet two Bath Spa 2nd year Architecture students Jazz and Marcus and hear their thoughts before and after the conference.Keynote speakersAndrew Grant, Director at Grant Associates, Chair Bathscape BoardDan Merrett, Bathscape Manager.Panel 1 Accessing the therapeutic landscapeJulie Barnett (Chair), Professor of Health Psychology, University of BathLucy Bartlett, Community Projects Officer, BathscapeZina Abdulla, PhD Researcher in Green Equity, University of BathPanel 2 A dynamic landscape city in an uncertain climate futureAlex Sherman (Chair), CEO Bath Preservation Trust, Bathscape Board MemberMarion Harney, Associate Dean and Professor of Buildings and Landscape Conversation, University of Bath, Chair UNESCO World Heritage Site Advisory Board and Enhancement Fund, Bathscape MemberFunda Kemal, Module Leader and Architecture Lecturer, Bath Spa UniversityPanel 3 Land use in the setting of a landscape cityTom Boden (Chair), General Manager for the Bath Portfolio, National Trust, Bathscape Board MemberAmy Coulthard, Market Development Director, EnTradeHamish Evans, Head Farmer, Middle Ground GrowersClaire Loder and Jude Rice, Co-founders of Bloomin' WhitewayLinksBathscape - www.bathscape.co.ukGrant Associates - grant-associates.uk.comBath Preservation Trust - www.bath-preservation-trust.org.ukUniversity of Bath - www.bath.ac.ukBath Spa University - www.bathspa.ac.ukUnesco World Heritage Site for Bath - www.bathworldheritage.org.ukNational Trust - www.nationaltrust.org.ukEnTrade - www.entrade.co.ukMiddle Ground Growers - www.middlegroundgrowers.comBloomin' Whiteway - www.bloomingwhiteway.coma...

This episode takes the opportunity to explore Bath’s two relatively new universities. Each of them sits in a unique landscape. The University of Bath, high up on Claverton Down, is a modernist 1960s campus surrounded by open skies, mature trees and sweeping views. It started life in 1966 as Bath University of Technology and was renamed the University of Bath 5 years later. It has grown from a student population of almost 1,500 in 1966 to just under 20,000 students now.  Bath Spa University is set in a former country estate with lakes, temples and a 'Capability' Brown legacy. It became a university in 2005. It has a student population of just under 25,000.Ralph Thompson is the Senior Lecturer in Zoology and Programme Leader for Wildlife Conservation at Bath Spa University and we hear about the university and grounds from him. We are also joined by one of his students Evie de Gruyther who has just finished her degree at Bath Spa University getting a first class honours in Wildlife Conservation. She completed her dissertation this year by studying the bat population on the campus. She talks about her love of bats and what it was like to study at Bath Spa.Marion Harney is Professor of Building and Landscape Conservation and Associate Dean for Education in the Faculty of Engineering and Design at the University of Bath. She is also the Chair of the Bath World Heritage Site Advisory Board.She shows us around the university campus talking about the early super-structure architecture and the landscape design which was written into the initial brief to be a permanent feature of the campus. We walked around amid the hot sun and torrential rain and we were joined by Badger the dog! CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksBath Spa University - www.bathspa.ac.ukUniversity of Bath - www.bath.ac.ukBathscape - www.bathscape.co.uk

This month's episode explores Bath’s industrial past and the enormous changes in the landscape Bath has seen over the decades, since many of the factories have disappeared. Bath’s architectural landscape is often only viewed as Georgian or Roman and we forget that it has had an illustrious industrial past.We meet Peter Dunn, who from the age of 7 wanted to build cranes. He was taken on as an apprentice by Stothert and Pitt, Bath's 'Crane maker to the World', and he is responsible for restoring one of their oldest cranes, which now sits outside Newarks Works, where Stothert and Pitt used to be.Following this, writer and local historian Paul Fisher talks about Bath's furniture manufacturing history and the modernist buildings which housed them. We start at Lidl and walk over to the Hermann Miller building on the city side of the river. Finally we find out from Steve George what kinds of considerations are needed when deciding what can and should be built in this wonderful Unesco World Heritage city. Steve is Bath and North East Somerset Council's Principal Planner in the Planning Policy Department. CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksStothert and Pitt'Oldest Stothert and Pitt crane set to be restored' - BBC onlinePaul Fisher - Walks to Works 2, Smallish Publishing 2025Bath and North East Somerset Council Planning Policy Department - www.bathnes.gov.uk/local-planning-policy-and-guidance

The UK's largest free celebration of nature returns to Bristol and Bath from 7th -15th June and the theme of the festival this year is water. So in this episode of Footprints, we celebrate the river Avon and the Kennet and Avon canal surrounding Bath. The Canal and River Trust volunteers are out on their workboat Sulis twice a week, keeping the waterways clear of rubbish and weeds. We go along for the ride as they take their boat up to its summer mooring on the canal. They cover the river Avon from Hanham to Bath and then the Kennet and Avon canal from Bath to Dundas Aqueduct. We hear from Mike Ashman and his team including in order of appearance Bill, John, Trevor, Rich and trainee skipper Peter.Our rivers have been in the news a lot lately, so Amy Wade, River Engagement and Education lead at BART (Bristol Avon Rivers Trust) tells us about the health of our rivers and what we can do to help. Finally, we walk along the river Avon with Lizzie Venning from the Bath Riverline project. The aim of this project is to improve Bath residents’ connection with the river. We started out at Newbridge Park near the Park and Ride and next to Bath Marina and we walked all the way through to Batheaston where it was very easy to get a bus back to the centre of Bath, and then to the Park and Ride at Newbridge. Joanne Radway the National Trust Community Ranger for Bathampton Meadows finished off our walk by telling us about the work they do there. CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksBristol Avon Rivers Trust (BART) - www.bristolavonriverstrust.orgRiver Hub - www.riverhub.co.ukThe Bath River Line Project - www.bathnes.gov.uk/bath-river-lineCanal and River Trust - www.canalrivertrust.org.ukWaterspace - www.bathnes.gov.uk/waterspace-connectedFestival of Nature - www.bnhc.org.uk/festival-of-nature/events/Bathscape - www.bathscape.co.uk

In this episode we explore three of the Downs of Bath. It's debatable how many there are in Bath - some say seven others say 9...We start up on Bannerdown which sits up above Batheaston and has been common land since the early 18th century. Secretary of the Bannerdown Freeholders Association, Rob Kendall shows us around.Next we head over to Lansdown to find out about the new Tramper Trail. Nicole Daw from the Cotswold National Landscape tells us about how they, together with Bathscape have developed a new accessible route around Lansdown. Bath’s great architect John Wood the Elder is known for designing some of Bath’s beautiful georgian buildings, but it's less well-known that he was also convinced that there were the remains of druidic temples up on Lansdown. Local historian Mike Wiliams has done his own research on this and he shows us what John Wood had found and tells us whether or not they had anything to do with druids…Howard Burton has written a book - Charmy Down: Bath's wartime airfield, peacetime village and Cold War secret. We hear about how it was used during and after the second world war and some of the stories connected to it.CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksCotswold Voluntary Wardens - https://www.cotswolds-nl.org.uk/get-involved/volunteering/Bannerdown Common - https://www.batheaston-pc.gov.uk/bannerdown-commonDisabled RamblersCotswold National Landscape Lansdown on the LevelJohn Wood’s Moon Temple - https://www.bathscape.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/John-Woods-Moon-Temple-FINAL_2024.pdfBathscape - www.bathscape.co.uk

Join us this month as we explore some of the many ways Bathonians use the beautiful Bathscape in their free time. The episode gets going at the saturday morning parkrun up at the National Trust skyline. Parkrun celebrated its 20th anniversary last October and there are now said to be 10m registered runners in 23 different countries. Parkruns are completely free. You can walk, run, jog, volunteer or spectate. It is a 5k course and takes place every Saturday morning. Those who featured in this section were Bath Bats Founder Andy Mullett, Bath Parkrun Founder Helen Conner, Bath Parkrun Course Director James Gorman and Parkrun Master Runner Tom Hutchison. We need a rest after all that running and so relax on the river with paddleboarder and architect Meg Collin.Bathscape is well-known for organising the annual walking festival here in Bath and we thought it would be fun to hear from Andrew aka  'Abel' Lawrence who has written a book called ‘I walked every street in Bath’ .We finish up at Odd Down Sports Ground where there's a charity called All Cycle Bath and West. Here Hannah Samuel shows us around the amazing variety of accessible bikes they have stored up there. CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksAll Cycle Bath and West - https://www.allcyclebathandwest.com/homeBath skyline parkrun - https://www.parkrun.org.uk/bathskyline/Bath Junior parkrun - https://www.parkrun.org.uk/bathodddown-juniors/Bathscape - www.bathscape.co.ukBath skyline walk - https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/bath-bristol/bath-skyline/bath-skyline-walk

This year marks the 250th anniversary since Jane Austen's birth in 1775 and as she lived in Bath from 1801 to 1806, Bath will be celebrating! We find out from the Jane Austen Festival Director Georgia Delve what will be happening in the city this summer. Lizzie Bennet (Pride and Prejudice), aka actor Lauren Falconer talks about Jane Austen's time in Bath and the two novels she set in the city, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion.We visit a writer's event at Bath Central Library and meet three local authors, Jenny Knight, J F Penn and David WIlliamson.And Sam Drew from award-winning bookshop, Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights gives us his curation of books inspired by the city of Bath.Books mentioned by Sam Did he do it? from The Governess and other Stories, Stefan ZweigThe Frequency of Us, Keith StuartThe Shape of Darkness, Laura PurcellHidden Nature, Alys FowlerOffshore, Penelope FitzgeraldOutlandish, Nick HuntCreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksLauren Falconer, Actor and PerformerJane Austen Centre and FestivalMr B's Emporium of Reading DelightsBath Central LibraryBath Between the Wars, David Williamson, Hobnob PressPilgrimage, J F Penn, J F Penn BooksBath Through Time, Jenny Knight, AMberley Publishing

This month join us as we explore the follies of Bath.They were the thing in the 18th and 19th centuries. If you had cash to splash, why not show it off in the guise of a temple, a tower or a castle?Dr Amy Frost, Senior Curator, Bath Preservation Trust takes me up to the top of Beckford's Tower and talks about the man himself, William Beckford.We enlist the help of the Editor of the Folly Fellowship Magazine Jonathan Holt to try and pin down exactly what a folly is. Finally Fliss Swallow is Head Gardener of the National Trust's Prior Park Landscape Gardens and she shows us around the garden's follies.CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksBeckford's Tower - www.beckfordstower.org.ukBath Preservation Trust - www.bath-preservation-trust.org.ukPrior Park Landscape Gardens, National Trust - www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/bath-bristol/prior-park-landscape-gardenFolly Fellowship - www.follies.org.ukMap of follies - www.follies.org.uk/index.php/mapBathscape - www.bathscape.co.uk

Happy New Year and welcome back to Footprints!In this our first episode of 2025, we look back at our highlights from 2024. More than 40 people took part in the shows last year and we'd like to offer them all a huge thanks for the time, knowledge and passion they put into their work and which shows through in their contributions to each episode. They and the organisations they represent are at the very heart of the Bathscape and we will hear from many more in 2025.ClipsEp 26 March - Geology of Bath: Professor Maurice Tucker tells us about his hero William Smith who is dubbed the Father of Geology. He lived locally at Tucking Mill and designed the first geological map.Ep 27 April - Bath Goes Gardening: Professor Marion Harney shows us around Sydney Gardens describing what the pleasure gardens were like in the time of Jane Austen.Ep 26 March - Geology of Bath: Simon Hart takes us down his mine - Hartham Stone Mine where we hear about the work of the pickers before mechanisation.Ep 30 July - Full Steam Ahead!: Writer Colin Maggs talks about his lifelong passion for steam trains, a passion which has led him to write 114 books!Ep 25 February - Bath in Film: Actor Charlie McCloud talks about what it is like to be an extra on the set of Bridgerton.Ep 30 July - Full Steam Ahead!: Karl Baxter enthuses about running the gruelling 200 mile ultramarathon race backwards and forwards through the Combe Down Tunnel.Ep 27 April - Bath Goes Gardening: Carol Stone shows us around Alice Park Community Gardens and tells us how to manage slugs.Ep 31 August - Hedgelaying, Scything and Dry Stone Walling: In this clip, Dave Pegler describes the ancient art of scything.Ep 28 May - Birding in Bath: Birding expert Lucy Starling takes us to Bathampton Meadows in search of a pair of sedge warblers returning to their nest.Ep 33 October - Take a Walk on the Wansdyke: Local historian Mike WIlliams shows us the ancient monument at the top of Stantonbury Hill Fort.Ep 29 June - Bath City Farm: Farm Manager Ella Holmes takes us to meet the pigs and we hear from a participant of the mental wellbeing group.Ep 34 November - Renewable Bath: Architect Funda Kemal talks about her animation video which shows what Bath might look like with wind turbines, solar panels and green walls.Ep 35 December - A Community Pub Crawl: Simon Coombe outlines the challenges the community faced, bringing the Hop Pole Inn up to scratch, ready to be opened on 25th January 2025.Ep 32 September - Surfing the Generations: Bath College student Abi and Twerton's Forget-Me-Not club member Mary are in conversation.Our thanks to all our contributors throughout 2024Rachel Bowers, Director, Bath Film OfficeCharlie McCloud, ActorEmma Morris, Chief Operating Officer, Holburne MuseumProfessor Maurice Tucker, Bath Geological SocietyMike WIlliams, Landscape Historian and EcologistSimon Hart, Managing Director and Owner, Hartham Park Stone MineCarol Stone, Volunteer Manager, Alice Park Community GardensProfessor Marion Harney, University of Bath Amie Cook, Community Ecologist, Team Wilder Ecological Advisory ServiceCat Baker, Ecologist and Manager, Wild About BathLucy Starling, Birding ExpertEd Drewitt, Peregrine SpecialistMarika Kovacs, Birding ExpertStaff, Volunteers and Members, Bath City FarmColin Maggs, Author and Railway HistorianMike Beale, Secretary, Bath Railway SocietyKarl Baxter, Runner, The Tunnel Ultramarathon Mike Reed, Hedgelaying Expert Dave Pegler, Scything...

For our mid-winter episode join us for a pub crawl to three cosy community - owned pubs in and around Bath.The last few years have not been easy for pubs, with the pandemic, rising energy costs and inflation. More than 500 closed their doors in 2023, but community pubs it seems, are thriving.The first pub to be bought by the community was The Red Lion in Preston, Hertfordshire in the early 1980s. According to the Plunkett Foundation, a charity which helps people set up community-owned business, as of January 2024 there were upwards of 180 community-owned pubs in the UK and Bath has three of them. In this episode we start at The Hop Pole Inn in Limpley Stoke. It was bought by the community and after three years of frantic fundraising and backbreaking work, it is set to open its doors on 25th January 2025 for the first time in 9 years.  Chair of the Board, Simon Coombe tells us all about it. We move on to The Bell Inn in Walcott street which was the very first community-owned pub in Bath. It is also home to the Bath Festival Fringe office. Steve Henwood and Wendy Mathews are heavily involved in both the Festival Fringe and The Bell Inn and talk about what it means to them.Finally we visit The Packhorse in South Stoke. Perched on the side of a steep hill overlooking the beautiful Midford Valley, The Packhorse has been the centre of South Stoke life since the start of the 17th century. Managing Director, Dom Moorhouse shows us around.CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksSave the Hop Pole Inn - www.limpleystokecbs.orgThe Bell Inn - www.thebellinnbath.co.ukBath Fringe Festival - www.bathfringe.co.ukThe Packhorse - www.packhorsebath.co.ukPlunkett Foundation - www.plunkett.co.ukPlunkett UK Impact Report 2024 - www.plunkett.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Impact-Report-2024.pdfBathscape - www.bathscape.co.uk

In 2019 Bath and North East Somerset Council declared a climate emergency and is aiming for Carbon Neutrality or Net Zero by 2030.In this episode we explore what that means and what some of the challenges are facing the city. What will Bath and the landscape surrounding it look like if it is to be powered by solar and wind farms? How can this be achieved while making sure it keeps its UNESCO World Heritage status?Could areas in Bath and the villages surrounding it one day be powered entirely by local renewable energy sources?In answer to these questions, we are joined by three people who are keen to make a difference.William Heath joins me up on Kelston Round Hill at the Old Barn. The building is used for weddings, memorials and events and is completely off grid. Recently they installed a new zero-emissions system to provide electricity and hot water. Architect and climate activist Funda Kemal tells us about her animation video which visualises a future Net Zero Bath, adapted to climate change. Robin Spalding is the Renewable Energy Programme Manager for Bath and North East Somerset Council. He talks about what the Council is doing to reach Net Zero in terms of meeting the energy demand through renewable sources - wind, solar and hydro. CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksKelston Roundhill Barn - www.kelstonroundhill.com/home/Launch of solar panel array - https://kelstonroundhill.com/2024/06/28/celebration-and-discussion-to-mark-the-move-to-renewables/Funda Kemal - www.fundakemal.orgUtopian Realism. Animation Video - www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tcere_Op_0kBath and North East Somerset Council Climate Emergency - www.bathnes.gov.uk/climate-emergencyWe Want Wind - www.wewantwind.org

This month we take a walk on the Wansdyke.Stretching for 35 miles the Wansdyke links Savernake Forest near Marlborough with Maes Knoll just south of Bristol. The eastern section in Wiltshire is the best preserved, but in this episode we explore the western section, the piece that starts at the top of Horsecombe Vale and runs through Odd Down, over Stantonbury Hill Fort and on to Maes Knoll.Many questions surround the construction of the earthwork - who built it? The Romans or the Saxons or someone else? Why was it built? And where exactly did it run as it passed by Bath? The Wansdyke been the subject of debate and misinformation for decades and in this episode we’ll try to make sense of it.Local historian Mike Williams shows us around a section at Odd Down, just up near the Park and Ride, and then at the end of the show, we head up to a second section at Stantonbury Hill Fort.Melanie Barge is an Inspector of Ancient Monuments with Historic England and she tells us how they go about protecting ancient sites.We also meet Robert Vermaat in the Netherlands. Robert is a dutch historian and archivist who became interested in the Wansdyke when he was 17. He set up a website drawing together the many articles associated witht the giant earthwork and one of his aims has been to create a long distance path along it. In 2023, the LDWA (Long Distance Walkers Association) put a 13 mile stretch up on their website. Parts of the Wansdyke are clearly marked on OS maps so why not get out and explore it for yourself?!CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksHistoric England https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/Search the list to find designated (protected) heritage sites https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/missing-pieces/Allows anyone to add their own information or photos to a site on the Listhttps://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/features/ghost-signs/A recent project asking people to identify Ghost Signs - there are quite a few in Bath.https://historicengland.org.uk/research/heritage-counts/heritage-and-economy/wellbeing/Historic England's research on health and well-being and HeritageKnow Your Place West - https://www.kypwest.org.uk/Project 21 - http://www.wansdyke21.org.uk/wansdykehomepage.htmLDWA Wansdyke path - https://ldwa.org.uk/ldp/members/show_path.php?path_name=Wansdyke+PathBathscape - www.bathscape.co.uk

This month we take a closer look at the city of Bath through the eyes of its residents. We will hear some wonderful memories shared by those who’ve grown up and spent their lives working in the city.The episode starts with Reconnecting Twerton, a group set up by the Bath CIty Football CLub Foundation. The group is for older residents and aims to connect older residents with each other, combating loneliness, sharing stories and having a lot of fun. Three of its members share stories about their lives. The Foundation's Health and Wellbeing officer Chris Gannon introduces us to the groupWe find time to get out and go for a walk. Nicole Daw is the Trails and Access Officer for the Cotswolds National Landscape and  she’s been asked by Bathscape  to make a number of films about the joys of walking. We join her with young people from the Black Familes in Education Group. Rob Mitchell is the supplementary school coordinator and he talks about why he’s chosen to take them out walking.The episode finishes off at the Forget-Me-Not Dementia Club down at Bath city football stadium. This is a group for older people living with dementia and we hear a couple of them in conversation with some young people from the Bath College Prince's Trust Programme . Mitchell Horman is in charge of the Prince's Trust team programme at Bath College and he brings the episode to a close with his views on the importance of intergenerational projects.CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksReconnecting Twerton - www.bathcityfoundation.org/reconnecting-twertonBath City FC Foundation - www.bathcityfoundation.org/Cotswolds National Landscape - www.cotswolds-nl.org.uk/Black Families in Education Support Group - www.educationequals.org.uk/Forget-Me-Not Dementia Club - https://www.forgetmenotfamiliarfriendscic.com/Bath College Prince's Trust Team Programme

This month we head out into the countryside to find out about the many traditional and ancient skills using only hand tools and age-old techniques, including scything, hedge laying and dry stone walling.Local expert Mike Reed tells us all about hedgelaying, why it's done and what is different about the North Somerset style.We head up to Lyncombe Hill Fields and meet Maurice Tennenhaus leading a team of scythers. Presenter Pommy Harmar gets a lesson in scything from scything maestro Dave Pegler.Robin Morley leads the Cotswold Wardens Dry Stone Walling team and we hear from him and from the oldest drystone waller in the group Robin Oldland.Many new words are learnt in all three crafts!CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksMike Reid Hedgelayer - https://www.instagram.com/mikereedhedgelaying/Avon Needs Trees volunteering - www.avonneedstrees.org.uk/volunteering/Chew Valley Plants Trees - www.chewvalleyplantstrees.co.uk/Community Farm, Chew Valley Lake - www.thecommunityfarm.co.uk/Natural England - www.gov.uk/government/organisations/natural-englandFriends of Lyncombe Hill Fields - www.friendsoflyncombehillfields.co.uk/Green Scythe Fair - www.greenfair.org.uk/The Scythe Association - www.scytheassociation.org/Cotswold National Landscape - www.cotswolds-nl.org.uk/Cotswold Voluntary Wardens - www.cotswolds-nl.org.uk/looking-after/volunteering/Dry Stone Walling Association - www.dswa.org.uk/

Join Dan Merrett (Manager) and Lucy Bartlett (Community Projects Officer) from Bathscape as they transport presenter Pommy Harmar by electric bike along two disused railway tracks across the Bathscape. We start in Saltford on the Bristol to Bath Railway Path, which follows the route of the Midland Railway Mangotsfield and Bath branch line, which was closed during the Beeching Axe of the 1960s.We meet Colin Maggs, a railway historian and the author of more than 100 books about British Railways. He was awarded an MBE in 1993 for services to railway history and an honorary MA from the University of Bath in 1995. He is joined by Mike Beale, Secretary Bath Railway Society who' can trace back four generations of railway workers in his family.We explore the two tunnels which form part of the Dorset and Somerset Line and meet Karl Baxter a runner competing in the gruelling ultramarathon 200 mile race called simply 'The Tunnel'. Every year around 45 men and women try to run backwards and forwards through the dark mile-long tunnel 200 times. In 2024, only 7 completed the race within the mandatory 55 hours. CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksBath Railway Society - www.bathrailwaysociety.co.ukThe Railway and Historical Railway Society - Dorset and Somerset line 150th Anniversary Commemoriative Walk with Mike Beale The Tunnel - 200 mile Ultramarathon Race in Combe Down TunnelTucking Mill Resevoir - Visitor informationSustrans - Bristol to Bath Railway PathSustrans - Two Tunnels CircuitTwo Tunnels Greenway - www.twotunnels.org.ukBath and North East Somerset Council - Linear Park

This month's episode celebrates Bath CIty Farm.Situated on a beautiful 37-acre site with stunning views over the city, Bath City Farm is a working farm, that’s also a much loved visitor attraction. On the site there is a community cafe and farm shop, farm animals, children’s playground, woodland and nature trails. Entrance is free however donations are very welcome.In this episode you will meet a varitety of farm animals with livestock coordinator Ella Holmes.And on the way we will talk to:Sarah Davies, Programme Lead for Mental HealthBrendan Tate-Wistreich, DirectorAmy Nelson, Roots to Work Coordinator Sarah Prettejohns, Cafe Lead Roots to WorkLuke Roberts, Horticultural AssistantCreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksBath City Farm - www.bathcityfarm.org.ukBathscape - www.bathscape.co.uk

This episode is published on International Dawn Chorus Day which takes place on the first Sunday of May every year and this year it’s Sunday May 5th. It  is a worldwide celebration of nature's greatest symphony and in this show we want to celebrate birds in general, the birds of Bath and their incredible songs.  One of the main reasons that birds like to sing at dawn is that it’s quieter then,  the air is usually very still and birdsong has been shown to carry 20 times further at dawn. Remember you don't have to head out to a nature reserve, you can always just open your window - and listen.The episode starts off very early one morning just behind Sydney gardens with expert bird listener Lucy Starling who was keen to find out whether a pair of sedge warblers had returned to nest in Bathampton meadows.Ed Drewitt is a local naturalist, author, tour leader, birder, photographer, public speaker, bird ringer, zoologist, feather expert and he’s currently studying for a PhD based on researching Peregrines for the last 24 years. He talks about what the dawn chorus means to him and describes the life of a peregrine falcon and the Peregrine Project in Bath.The episode finishes with a walk organised by the Cotswolds Wardens with expert birder Marika Kovacs.CreditsMusic: AudionautixDawn Chorus audio kindly recorded by Ed DrewittProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksRSPB - dawn chorus - www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/news/the-dawn-chorus-all-you-need-to-know-about-natures-big-showBath Peregrine Project nest site webcam - www.hawkandowltrust.org/live-cameras/bath-peregrinesCotswold Warden Walks - www.cotswolds-nl.org.uk/visiting-and-exploring/guided-walksEd Drewitt - www.eddrewitt.co.ukBath Natural History Society - www.bathnats.org.ukBathscape - www.bathscape.co.uk

This month, as spring gets properly into its stride, we go gardening.We start with Carol Stone, one of the volunteers from Alice Park Community Garden down below Larkhall on the London Road. If you have always wanted to know how to stop slugs and aphids munching your beans, well - listen in..Marion Harney, Professor of Buildings and Landscape Conservation at University of Bath takes us around Sydney Gardens, the only Georgian Pleasure Gardens left in the UK and tells us how the Georgians liked to have fun.Amie Cook, Community Ecologist for the Team Wilder Ecological Advisory Service gives advice on how to encourage wildlife into your back garden. This is a service offered by Avon Wildlife Trust via site visits, video calls or workshops.Cat Baker, ecologist and manager of WIld About Bath takes us around a wild garden overlooking Horsecombe Vale, tells us what she loves about gardening and gives tips on composting.CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksAlice Park Community Garden: www.facebook.com/aliceparkcommunitygarden/?locale=en_GBTeam Wilder Ecological Advisory Service, Avon Wildlife Trust: www.avonwildlifetrust.org.uk/team-wilder-ecological-advisory-serviceWild About Bath: www.wildaboutbath.org

In this episode we take a deep dive underneath the city of Bath and discover the geology that underpins it.Professor Maurice Tucker from the Bath Geological Society tells us about the father of Geology, William Smith Mike Williams is a landscape historian and ecologist and he talks about the affect of the landscape on settlement and biodiversity. He also shows us petrification in action!Finally in our feature we go underground! Simon Hart, Managing Director and Owner of Hartham Park Stone Mine takes us down the mine where we meet a 16 ton chainsaw and see 200 year old graffiti.CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksBath Geological Society -www.bathgeolsoc.org.ukHartham Park Stone Mine - https://www.lovellstonegroup.com/quarry/hartham-park-bath-stone

For this episode you will need to grab your popcorn, dim the lights and settle down for a magical journey to the heart of the filmmaking industry in the historic city of Bath.Rachel Bowers from the Bath Film Office describes the process for bringing upwards of two hundred actors and crew into the heart of the city to film.Charlie McCLoud gives us his very own ‘Life in the day of an Extra’. Plus the Holburne Museum's Chief Operating Officer Emma Morris tells us the inside story of working in a building which famously doubled as Lady Danbury’s grand estate in the hit series BridgertonLinksBath Film Office - www.bathfilmoffice.co.ukHolburne Museum - www.holburne.orgCreditsMusic: Richard Frohlich Media and the Texas Radio Theatre Company.A short melody of Luigi Boccherini's minuet from his String Quintet in E, Op.13, No.6. Played by Howard GeiselProduced by Pommy Harmar