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John Craven explores the history of Rivington Terraced Gardens, a ‘lost garden’ carved into a Lancashire hillside. It was created by Victorian soap magnate William Lever and landscape architect Thomas Mawson. John meets Elaine Taylor from the Lancashire Gardens Trust and Tom Mawson, Thomas’s grandson, who explain how the partnership formed by these two men created an outstanding arts and crafts garden where once there was moorland.

Lancashire cartoonist Tony Husband and Yorkshire poet Ian McMillan travel to the Rossendale Valley to delve into the history of 'Tacklers' Tales' – humorous stories and poems written by the working men and women of Lancashire’s cotton mills. They meet Jenny Ingham at Helmshore Mills Textile Museum to find out more about the county’s cotton industry. They are then joined by local dialect expert, Sid Calderbank, of the Lancashire Society. Sid and Tony hold a ‘bard off’ under Tony’s watchful eye. But who will be victorious, Lancashire or Yorkshire?

Ellie Harrison heads to the Wigan Flashes, a former coalfield turned wetland that now provides a haven for 200 species of wildlife. Among them is one of the most endangered British native birds – the willow tit. With the help of Mark Champion of the Wildlife Trust, Ellie learns more about why the species is in decline and still under threat. Later she joins Mark’s colleague Sue Lonsdale to help with the vital work being carried out creating nest sites to help boost the numbers of these little birds.

After the recent mild weather Adam Henson walks his fields to check on the progress of next year’s newly sown crops. As the crops are now all planted and flourishing his team move on to essential winter maintenance on the farm replacing tired and worn out fencing. It's an essential job because it keeps Adam's animals safe. That includes his rare breed Exmoor ponies who are expecting a visit from a team of inspectors from the Exmoor Pony Society. It's a tense time for Adam as the society are there to check and certify the pedigree of some of his young Exmoor foals.

At Rivington Terraced Gardens a project is underway to try to conserve the site for future generations to enjoy. John meets Ben Williams from Groundwork, an organisation working with local volunteers and specialists to see what needs to be done to stop the gardens from being lost to nature. Dorian Proudfoot, a conservation architect, takes him on a tour of some of the remarkable original buildings that still remain and explains how his work can preserve them for years to come.

2014 marks the 50th anniversary of the Forest of Bowland becoming an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. To celebrate, four artists have been commissioned to create ‘Landmarks’ - a series of new sculptures within the landscape. Ellie meets local artist Halima Cassell who carved her sculpture ‘Suncatcher’ from a 150 year old oak tree. Ellie finds out how the Forest of Bowland inspired Halima and sees the magnificent result for herself.

A number of agricultural organisations, including the National Farmer’s Union, have released a report claiming that a range of commonly used pesticides could be banned by the year 2020. Tom Heap hears claims that farming without these chemicals would leave crops at the mercy of pests and disease, lowering yields and pushing up food prices. He then meets farmers who claim that farming without pesticides is a realistic option for the future. 

Back at Rivington Terraced Gardens John discovers another legacy of William Lever’s ‘lost garden’, the flora and fauna that have continued to thrive on the site since his death in 1925, before the gardens were completed. In the overgrown kitchen garden he meets John Lamb of the Wildlife Trust along with volunteers who are clearing undergrowth and surveying the botanical life of the gardens. They are revealing some interesting plants that have survived since Lever and Mawson originally planted them almost 100 years ago.