On English Soil ... Countryfile Live!

Rural, agricultural and environmental issues. That is what Countryfile, a British TV series is all about. Now, I’ve never seen Countryfile but I’d say that it sounds like my kinda show!

It was refreshing after such an environmentally eye-opening trip to SE Asia, to be amongst friends who care as much about the environment as I do. All of them were volunteering at Countryfile Live 2019 Castle Howard. Bella for the hedgehogs and Dolls for the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and Emz, well Emz has a cheeky monkey as a little boy and so had work to do.

With ten presenters I had to know who was who ... but luckily, not only were they here live, but their banner was lifesize!

Bella’s favourite was Ellie Harrison. Matt Baker was someone to watch out for I was told.

The aim of the TV series is to celebrate the beauty and diversity of the British countryside, through its working animals, its rural machinery and its countryside characters. Countryfile Live was set up as a massive three day event that sadly, I feel, still focussed on commercial trade and consumerism. I will freely admit though, that, had I have had space in my bag for a taster of some of the homemade jams, marmalades, preserves and chocolates, I would have gladly taken some to my host country for the new semester.

The gin tasting gave me a clear head to watch the shire horse racing but my head cleared more with a flask of tea in the sunshine, out of the biting wind.

Free trees were being handed out to concerned citizens willing to plant and care for them for the next thirty years, while children were able to try milking a wooden cut-out cow with ‘life-like’ udders, then there were pet snakes, hedgehogs, sheep and goats to handle in-between squirts of hand sanitiser, while dogs performed tricks and assult courses.

If they wanted (the kids that is) they could also present the British weather report ‘live’ on TV (rain and a few showers), sit atop a large shire horse or get involved in the water sports section – canoes, stand-up-paddle boarding and fishing (is that a water sport?)

Countryside crafts definitely had their spot in many of the tents and seemed to be at pretty exorbitant prices but still, there are those who need to dress right for the different leisure activities (if you have never watched ‘Keeping Up Appearances’ please do!). Certainly many different leisure activities were advertised and perhaps even seen in all the working animal displays that were ongoing on one or several of the three arenas at one time.

I had three favourites though, dog and duck with a Kiwi man (Stuart Barnes) whose humour matched mine exactly, the two lads who performed in the extreme mountain bike show (Danny Butlet and Rob Poyser) and the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust display.

Stuart Barnes communicated with his dogs in their language not his, asking them to herd six Indian running ducks into a pen, around a field, up a ramp and down a slide into a child’s paddling pool and finally into a box that brought the show to an end and took the ducks home.  Kids and adults alike loved his style and of course the obedience of his ducks.

Rob and Danny out did themselves in true English banter but proved to be both as good as each other in their jumps, their spring riding and, the bit that most impressed me, the daring do as one lay on the ground and the other dodged about his extremities on the bike.

 Although the show organisers had ensured water bottle refill stations, it was the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust that brought the wildlife and countryside care part to the show. With wonderfully interactive games for kids like ‘match the home to the animal’, ‘build an insect hotel’,’ look at runoff when there is no soil cover’ and ‘pollinators’, children dragged their parents to each and every stall so as to get their ‘Wildlife Passport’ stamped by each Wildlife Trustee.

It really was a wonderful day at Countryfile Live. Will I start watching the show you ask? Sadly I don’t think BBC iPlayer is available in Sweden ... but the Countryfile podcasts are!

Tips for Erasmus students:

• Podcasts are a wonderful way to learn about the environment around us and, in this time of environmental crisis, knowledge of the state of the world is important as we make voting choices.
• Some great podcasts are People fixing the World, Conservation Careers, Costing the Earth and the Kevin Pietersen 11 part series Beast of Man 
• A great environmental news app is Mongabay ... download it now.

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