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Gloucestershire

Matt and Helen are in Gloucestershire where Matt pays a visit to the world-famous Slimbridge wetland reserve to see how a massive multi-million-pound refurbishment is going.

Matt and Helen are in Gloucestershire where Matt pays a visit to the world-famous Slimbridge wetland reserve to see how a massive multi-million-pound refurbishment is going. Matt gets a sneak peak of Sir Peter Scott鈥檚 personal studio, soon to be opened to the public for the first time. He also finds out how some old hunting kit is being used to aid conservation. Duck decoys were used to funnel ducks for shooting, but now they are being used to help gather data on Slimbridge's many duck species. Helen is on a dairy farm where two enterprising brothers have come up with a winning use for their produce: kefir, a kind of fermented milk drink from Russia that is currently one of the hottest foodie trends. She also meets an artist who draws with wire and takes her inspiration from the wildfowl at Slimbridge. Also in this programme, Hannah Cockroft is on the Gower helping rid its beaches of plastic. And Adam鈥檚 in Devon, where despite it being winter, it鈥檚 shearing time for one special breed of sheep, and Joe investigates the row over how some of the UK鈥檚 richest landowners want to manage our moorland.

55 minutes

Slimbridge

Slimbridge
Matt is at a very wet and wintry聽Slimbridge Wetland Centre, where he follows in the footsteps of pioneering conservationist Sir Peter Scott, who established the reserve in the 1940s.聽Slimbridge project manager Jackie Harris introduces Matt to the rare Nene geese that Scott rescued from extinction and to the Bewick swans that he loved to paint and study.聽They step inside Scott鈥檚 former home on site at Slimbridge, which is soon to be opened as a museum.聽

Kefir

Kefir

Helen visits a dairy farm where they are doing everything a bit differently.聽

Stroud Micro Dairy produces raw unpasteurised milk, yoghurt and a fermented milk-based drink called kefir which is becoming all the rage.聽

The farm also boasts an open-air milking parlour and the dairy is even housed in a salvaged lorry trailer!聽

Moor Burning

Moor Burning
Joe discovers how last year's moorland wildfires sparked a row that is raging on: how best to protect the vital reserves of blanket bog on our uplands.He finds out that this deep peat landscape has proved vital in soaking up water and reducing the risk of flooding, improving our air quality by storing carbon and providing a damp barrier to wildfire.But there are concerns that a land management technique known as rotational burning puts it at risk.So why isn't more being done to stamp it out?聽

Hannah Cockroft - Beach Cleaner

Hannah Cockroft - Beach Cleaner

Paralympian athlete Hannah Cockroft heads to the Gower peninsula in south Wales to the beautiful Llangennith beach.聽

There she joins a beach clean which has been organised by Laura Truelove, a local rep for environmental charity Surfers Against Sewage.聽

Hannah has a go at sieving for micro plastics and gets stuck in with a litter picker, alongside all the other volunteers who have turned up to help.聽

Whilst Hannah is dismayed to learn the issue of marine plastics and litter is far worse than she realised she is heartened by Laura鈥檚 dedication to fighting the problem.聽

Later, after all that hard work, it鈥檚 time to relax with a spot of paddle boarding. 聽

Merino Wool

Merino Wool

Adam鈥檚 down on the edge of Exmoor visiting a farmer who鈥檚 successfully breeding and farming Merinos -聽a breed of sheep that are more often found in the Australian Outback than in Devon!

Bird from a Wire

Bird from a Wire

Helen meets artist Celia Smith who sculpts with recycled wire to create the most amazing life-like birds.聽

At Slimbridge Wetlands Centre in Gloucestershire, Helen and Celia use a bird-watching hide to observe some lapwings.

And under Celia鈥檚 tutelage Helen gets hands on with some wire as she tries to capture this skittish wading bird.聽聽

Duck Decoy

Duck Decoy
Matt is given a lesson in the art of the duck decoy, a Victorian method of trapping ducks for the table.Today, this聽system of nets and screens -聽together with the help of a highly-trained dog -聽is used for conservation purposes.

Credits

Role Contributor
Executive Producer William Lyons
Series Producer Joanna Brame

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