Tom Joule - Joules
This Rural Life
In a rare in-depth interview, Joules founder Tom Joule shares the story of his glorified market stall that grew into an icon of rural life and a darling of the City.
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William Kendall
This Rural Life
Of all the things to be known for, building famous companies and exiting them with piles of cash, repeatedly, would be close to the top of most people’s list. William Kendall has had the kind of career that if proposed in a movie script might be poo-pooed by the studio as being ‘too farfetched’.
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Dawn Chorus
This Rural Life
Armed with nothing but a flask of tea, a homemade cinnamon muffin and my trusty digital recorder, I made for the Bluebell Woods. I had hoped to experience a British dawn chorus at its best and I wasn't disappointed.
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The Vet
This Rural Life
Tom Hume recognised a desire in himself to be intimately connected with nature and to understand how it functions. He then had the foresight to nurture that desire, channeling it towards his ultimate goal of becoming a large animal vet.
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Billy Ivory - Screenwriter
This Rural Life
He’s worked with Dominic West, Rosamund Pike, Pete Postlethwaite and Helena Bonham Carter and continues to write on (and be terribly secretive about) upcoming projects for the BBC and Channel 4. Billy Ivory went from bin man to Baftas and, of course, has a tram named after him in Nottingham.
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Rural Artists
This Rural Life
Two artists absolutely entwined with nature. I met Deborah Bird and Beth Johnson to talk about how they find their flow, who their work is for and what the point of it all is.
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NFU Vice President - Stuart Roberts
This Rural Life
Newly elected Vice President of the National Farmers Union, Stuart Roberts, forms one leg of a most newsworthy tripod as the right hand man to the NFU's first female President. Stuart is a henchman that one can easily imagine sitting at the helm one day. A bewellington'd Jose Mourinho to Minette Batters' Bobby Robson, if you like.
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Villagers
This Rural Life
What does a professional gambler from a big city who thinks farmers are miserable old gits have in common with a retired rural councillor who grew up mucking in on his family farm? Answer - They now live but a few doors apart in a quiet Leicestershire village. Meet Jeff and Bob.
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Peverel Manners - Belvoir Fruit Farms
This Rural Life
The recipe for their famous elderflower cordial hasn't changed in 30 years. Plenty of other things have. I went to meet Peverel Manners, son of co-founders Lord John and Lady Mary and the man at the helm of one of the most respected drinks brands in the country, Belvoir Fruit Farms.
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The Gay Nightshift Lamber
This Rural Life
Sheep midwifery is no walk in the park and the nightshift is particularly tough. The only guarantees are birth, afterbirth, death and solitude. Throw zero job security and spartan accommodation into the mix and job candidates become fairly thin on the ground.
info_outlineNewly elected Vice President of the National Farmers Union, Stuart Roberts, has a massive job on his hands. He forms one leg of a most newsworthy tripod, as the right hand man to the NFU's first female President. Stuart is no shrinking violet, he is a henchman that one can easily imagine sitting at the helm one day. A bewellington'd Jose Mourinho to Minette Batters' Bobby Robson, if you like.
The National Farmers Union was founded in December 1908 and 110 years later still does its best to serve the interests of some 55,000 farmer members. In the wake of the Brexit vote, the NFU must surely now fight like a dog to establish a future that keeps its membership happy and that resonates with the customer. What a time to be elected to office. I met Stuart at his farm in Hampshire just before Christmas 2017.