The BV: from the heart of the Blackmore Vale

In the first of the April BV podcasts, we of course start with all the letters – including editor Laura's exciting news. Then, in his monthly round up, Chris Loder MP takes a look at how rural Dorset will gain from the latest NHS dentistry reforms, and the latest record funding of £408,022 for Adult Social Care reforms in the county.

For the Green Party, Ken Huggins takes a sideways look at the blurred lines between party funding ...

• Retired Colonel Guy Deacon was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease in 2011. In 2019 he embarked on an epic solo journey from his home near Sherborne to the southern tip of Africa. In a revealing and personal interview, Terry talks to Guy about his journey: 'There's nobody handing out spare parts for a VW camper between Morocco and Namibia, so that was a bit of a problem...' Guy's book Running on Empty, with all profits to the Par...

One in three of us yearns to throw in the day job and set up on our own. In this month's Letter from the Editor, Laura mulls over the realities of running your own business – who on earth would actually do it, and why do they love it?  The reader's letters are rather dominated by the reaction to the suspension of the Blackmore & Sparkford Vale Hunt story the BV ran last month.

In politics, Simon Hoare MP’s varied March musings ...

• Sam Peters, former rugby correspondent at the Mail On Sunday and The Sunday Times and author of Concussed, talks to Terry about the gathering debate around concussion in the sport: 'There was a seismic shift moving from the amateur rugby game in the mid-90s to the pro game in the mid 2000s. The game is completely different to how it looked 30 years ago, and evidence says clearly that the game has never been more dangerous at pr...

Experience the unique camaraderie of cold water swimming in one of England's highest (and coldest!) towns, and unravel the mystery of polecats with wildlife expert Jane Adams.

• Editor Laura reflects on the little pieces of ourselves we unknowingly leave with other people, from helpful motivation quotes to the embarassing little stories we would actually prefer to die away!
• In politics, Simon Hoare MP unwraps the intricate iss...

• Claire Allen’s Epic Walk: 'I’m surprised I’m still here!’ Terry briefly interrupts Claire's year-long journey walking Britain’s entire coastline to find out how she started, where she is - and how it's going

• MP Chris Loder confronts the Post Office’s leadership, offering unwavering commitment to the Horizon scandal victims

• He graduated from Cambridge and, to his father’s consternat...

In the first of 2024's BV podcast we have all the January letters and politics, and Jenny talks to Fanny Charles about the rights and wrongs of the planned creation of the new Bonham Forest near Stourhead.

• Editor Laura Hitchock is looking for reasons to be cheerful during the longest month of the year
• The Reader's Letters this month include some wonderful memories of Iwerne Minster, triggered by last month's vintage postcard wh...

• From Phnom Penh to Poundbury: in a fascinating interview, New Zealander George Norbert-Munns tells Terry how he came to bring the delicate gourmet flair of Kampot pepper to the UK’s foodie scene, taking a 'risk' on one small shipment – which he sold in his very first weekend!
• Gay Pirrie-Weir has been reviewing pantomime for longer than she cares to remember; she's seen more than 500 productions, she thinks. She c...

We start the month, as always, with the Letters to the Editor, before listening to a Brecon Cathedral bellringer at Hazelbury Bryan Primary School. Jane Adams chats to Jenny about the fascinating (no, really!) world of lichen, and lastly we hear from International harpist Gwyneth Wentink.

In her letter this month, editor Laura is looking back to a specific shopping list she once saw on Twitter which has ...

In this episode Terry gets to grips with some of the biggest issues currently pressing Chris Loder MP, Cllr Spencer Flower gives us a peak into his personal life, Penny Nagle talks to Jenny about a new producers market and Terry discovers the fascinating men behind award-winning Orris Leather in Wimborne.

• Cllr Spencer Flower shares his life's journey from a boy to a single mum on a Gillingham council estate to becoming the l...

We start the month, as always, with the Letters to the Editor, before moving on to a slice of seriousness – along with the usual political columns we have the first part of Terry’s interview with Chris Loder MP as he answers the open post bag from this month’s Q&A. Finally Jenny chats to BV columnist and Nutritional Therapist (and podcast favourite) Karen Geary.

• Reflecting on the current seemingly intractable conflict on th...

• Tune into a candid conversation where soil meets soul, with Fifth-generation local farmer James Cossins. Delve into the trials and triumphs of this year's difficult harvest. Discover a world where the crunch of fresh produce and the rustle of golden fields meet business savvy and environmental stewardship. James opens up to Jenny about the delicate act of juggling profitability with passion for animal care and land conservati...

It's a mixed package for the first of the October podcasts. After the usual start with the letters, we delve straight into the politics columns. Then Jenny has a fascinating conversation with Dorchester Literary Festival's co-organiser Janet Gleeson, and Terry talks to Pauline Batstone who's currently in Bridport ... the one 11,000 miles away in Tasmania!

As usual we start the month with the letter from the editor, in which ...

In the second of September's podcasts – still in the new longer format which has proved popular – Jennie talks to Jane Adams about how we welcome (or don't!) bindweed, dandelion and ivy. And don't miss Terry's brilliant interview with Alex Stevens of the NFU, shedding a lot of light on the modern dairy farming business.

• Resident wildlife columnist Jane Adams would like to see the term 'weeds' thrown out - if we use 'wildflowers...

In the first of September 23's episodes of the BV podcast:

• Letters (from and to) the editor
• In politics, Chris Loder, MP for West Dorset, discusses the fact that the declining use of cash particularly affects the elderly and rural dwellers. Ken Huggins of the Greens agrees that he, too, hates wind turbines. But that that's not the point! And Mike Chapman of the Lib Dems has been at two big rural shows recently – and despite a...

In the second of August's podcasts – still in the new longer format which has proved popular – Jennie talks to both Jane Adams and owner of Little Waddon Vineyard Simon Priestman

• 'A weasel is weasily identifiable, whereas a stoat is stoatally different'. Jennie talks to widlife expert Jane Adamas about the stoat – its mesmerising effect, how to spot it and why Dorset may be a perfect home for the my...

As usual we start the month with the letter from the edfitor, as well as all the BV's reader's letters.

The red kite is a popular conservation success story, and Jenny talks to Dorset Wildlife Trust’s Adam Woolcott about his love of the birds of prey, who – despite their rising population numbers – are still at risk from poisoning.

Simon Hoare MP asks whether every town needs a town centre - he thinks it does.

MIke Chapman of the L...

Admittedly a chimpanzee-studying lady in Africa may not have been everyone's childhood hero, but for editor Laura – an animal-obsessed girl growing up in a big Essex town – the life of her dreams was being lived by Jane Goodall, the renowned ethologist and inspiring conservationist. Even at 89 Dr Jane Goodall remains a powerhouse of action, and her answers to this month's Random 19 questions are everything you could hope for – from...

You can never say the BV provides a predictable array of subjects! In the politics columns this month, Simon Hoare MP agrees that climate change is all around us – but he is confident that it is being acted on by the government. He also takes time to discuss vaping – our next public health crisis? In a mock exam for politicans, Mike Chapman of the North Dorset LibDems has a long list of questions he'd like to see someone in the go...