Podcasts about Derbyshire

Geoff and Marie's Good Life: Part 13Appetites Vary.Diversity is a good thing.Based on posts by Only In My Mind, in 15 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.I guided my friend through to join the women and helped him to the head of the table. Megan sat to his right, Lucy to his left. I sat opposite him, Marie to my right, Angie to my left. Rather than a traditional Sunday roast, Megan had ordered a beef wellington with horseradish mashed potatoes, and green vegetables sautéed in garlic butter. The ladies were at ease in their near nudity; Angie having, just about, covered her bare tits with some pointless scrap of translucent fabric.The men, well, we did them the courtesy of admiring them. The conversation was surprisingly normal, by our standards at least. Lucy expressed her gratitude at being offered a place to stay. She was a little overwhelmed when Megan corrected her. Not a place to stay; a home.I shared the photo that Mike had sent me, showing Eddie with his new friend. "He rejected Lucy for HER?" Was Charles' incredulous response. Lucy was more sanguine. As far as she was concerned, Eddie had made his preference clear. In her mind she was already single, with an entire team of people willing to love her and a wealth of emotions that she needed to set out on canvas. That thought also reminded her. The day we christened her studio, she was determined to make a mold of my genitalia, while I was erect."How many castings are you intending to make?" I asked, in all innocence."A dozen or so in latex or silicone rubber for your Harem, or the Coven as Marie refers to us." I shrugged. That seemed a lot but, what the hell.She fell silent for a moment, as though calculating. "And then I thought, because it's such a nice shape, I'd do a limited edition of signed epoxy castings, about a hundred, each numbered and with its own unique marbled pattern."Everyone stopped eating and stared at her. "What?" She seemed defensive. "He only has to make a squiggle. Not his actual name, for pity's sake." She shook her head. "I was going to ask him if I could add a drop of his semen into the epoxy to infuse it with his essence. I could double the asking price then." She looked around the table at each of us in turn. "Well, think about it, anyway," she suggested to my wife and I.We changed the subject to our plans for the wedding and returned to enjoying our meal. For dessert there were individual warm pear frangipanes with brandy ice cream. By the time we had finished, not a morsel was left.We helped to tidy the kitchen and, after sitting and chatting for a little while longer, my three companions dressed and we left, making a short diversion to return the restaurant's delivery boxes. I picked up their home delivery menu on the way out. I was mortified; our meal must have cost our hosts over three hundred pounds. My 'expensive' wine from M and S seemed a bit pathetic by comparison.As we drove home, they discussed, without inviting input from me, my plans for the evening. Apparently, while I pleasured each of them individually in my bed, the other two would discuss the details of our wedding ceremony. We hadn't decided on a date but we needed to have the costumes selected very soon so that we could give the students who were making the outfits the design brief for each guest for their course-work. Lucy was intrigued at the idea of creating some scenic backdrops for the venue as well as helping with prop design. I was content to be well out of it.I'd swallowed one of my little chemical helpers as soon as we got home so, leaving my wife and Lucy to look on-line for inspiration, Angie joined me in bed. "Angie. I promised you a special treat if you earned it. You've earned it today, with Charles. But tonight would you be disappointed if we just made love? No toys, just you and me? Then we can find enough time to really explore your kinky side.""It's a deal," she agreed, unbuttoning my shirt. "You, me and the toy box can wait for another day. I'm okay if it's just the two of us for now."I helped off with her top and we kissed for a while, me savoring the feel of her lace covered tits against my chest. In time, we wanted more so we finished undressing ourselves and I led her to the bed. She sat me at the edge and knelt between my thighs. "I'm doing this because I want to," she reassured me. To be fair, I intended to return the favor, because I also wanted to. Isn't it nice that we have balance in our lives.Angie's oral ministrations were affectionate rather than porn-worthy, intended to show her love rather than display her ability to swallow my entire cock. When she finally took me over the edge, there were no theatrics; no swirling my cum in her mouth. She just quietly swallowed my sperm, cleaned me and looked lovingly up at me. Angie is a complex character. Strong, assertive, willful even. But behind that was a vulnerability, an uncertainty in social interactions. But with Marie and I, she relaxed totally.Pulling her to her feet I made her swap places and I knelt in turn, between her thighs. I repeated her own words to her before I leaned in to taste the nectar between those lips. For ten full minutes I knelt there, kissing her thighs, her mound; running my tongue along her labia and, briefly now and again, tantalizing her clit.As soon as I felt myself harden again, I knew it was time. I stood up and stretched (I'm fairly fit, but the years, and rugby, have taken their toll) then joined her on the bed. We made ourselves comfortable, Angie having decided she wanted 'snuggling' from behind. I indulged her. It isn't the best position for vigorous sex. It isn't the most visually stimulating; but, for screwing someone you love, it has a special languorous intimacy that I cherish. There was no rush for us to climax. My cock was perfectly content to slip slowly back and forth in Angie's slick tunnel.I realized that I was getting close and started to use my hand on her clit. She stopped me. "Take your time, Geoff," she murmured. "I've come once already. This is nice as it is. You need to learn that sometimes we need the intimacy as much as the orgasm."I think I understood. So, instead of our customary race to the finishing line, we kept a slow, tender rhythm until I couldn't hold back any longer and spurted inside her. "See," she murmured. "Wasn't that nice. You came and I could just enjoy the experience without arsing about having to fake an orgasm. This was much more satisfying."We lay for another ten minutes, just talking, before Angie left for the bathroom. I got up and used the shared bathroom then, wearing just my dressing gown, went downstairs. Marie and Lucy were studying our TV, where Marie was casting the images of Star Wars costumes that people had shown an interest in for our wedding. Lucy was trying to decide what outfit appealed to her.I gave Marie a pointed look to suggest the it was her turn upstairs. She shook her head. "Angela is going home tonight and Lucy tells me we're dropping her off at her place. I'm happy to wait until bed-time."Lucy smiled and shook her head too. "If you want me, I'm yours. But I'm content that I've had my ration for today. Tuesday, however, Marie will be at the shop. Would that be a convenient time for you to model for me?"'Model': Now there was an innocent enough expression; slightly less so if you prefixed it with the word, 'penis', for accuracy. Presumably, once the casting was done, my erection wouldn't be allowed to go to waste. So, two birds, one stone; cock casting and studio christening all in one visit. Mr. Efficiency, that's me.I dressed and made us a light supper and we ate once Angie re-joined us. At nine o'clock we left our planning session, having given Lucy some ideas to work with, and I drove her home. Angela and Marie followed us. We shared a bottle of wine, Angie sticking to the one glass, while Lucy showed us the unfinished works in her studio. She pointed to a stack of half a dozen propped against a wall. "I can't finish those," she commented in a flat tone. "I started them while Eddie was pissing me about, but my outlook has changed since, well, you know, and I'm in such a different place now that I don't know where the next brush stroke goes." She picked one up and examined it critically. "This isn't art," she decided. "This is an emotional breakdown on canvas." She made to throw it away. I stopped her. She looked at me in surprise."It's an asset," I reminded her. "If Eddie gets a solicitor and he bids for a share of your works, give him these.""But they aren't finished," she protested."Would Eddie know that?""No, but;”"So," I pointed out, gently. "Keep them. If Eddie plays silly buggers and demands a share of your work as marital assets, you can honestly say these were painted while you were together, the judge would be impressed and you unload these on Eddie.""But they are shit," she argued."And where would Eddie go to unload this shit?"Her eyes widened. "The gallery in town," she gloated. "If Eddie tried to sell them there, Carl, the owner, would check with me for the provenance. I'd tell him the truth and he'd sell them off cheap as unsigned, unfinished, unattributed works; he'd have to. Both to keep me sweet and keep his reputation." The three women exchanged malicious smiles. "I almost hope he tries it," she added. "I'd love to put one over on him one last time."We stayed with her until ten, when she declared that it was time for us to get away and for her to go to bed. Eddie was, fortunately for all of us, still notable by his absence. We left, agreeing to return before eleven the next morning, and Angie dropped Marie and me off on her way home. The two of us followed Lucy's example and went straight to bed.As we cuddled up close, we each asked the other, almost in unison, "Are we still okay?" The fact that we were both concerned more about our spouse's feelings than our own, suggested that we were. Then my wife slipped her nightie off and lay back down next to me. What followed convinced me that we were fine.The next morning, Angie collected us after breakfast and we arrived at Lucy's house about quarter to eleven. By then, the two guys in the van had moved most of the boxes with her clothes out of her bedroom and were starting to empty her studio. They refused our offer of help so we made them a cup of tea and retired to the kitchen out of their way. We were still there twenty minutes later when Megan arrived.Accepting a coffee from Lucy, Megan produced two brown, official looking, envelopes from her bag. They were both addressed to Eddie. The first one she held up had a large figure '1' in the top left corner. "This," she explained. "Is Eddie's formal notice that you have begun divorce proceedings and letting him know that, to comply with the legal requirements, you are now living apart, effective from midnight tonight."She turned her attention to me. "I liked your suggestion that Lucy keeps those depressing unsigned works to hand. We have included our proposals for the fair division of assets and advised Eddie to seek his own legal advice. If he gets greedy, we will have to try to agree a compromise or go to court for a Financial Order. In either of those cases, those works could come in useful."She held up the second envelope, appropriately enough with a figure '2' in the corner. This document," she announced, cheerfully. "Informs your soon-to-be ex-husband that you are waiving your right to occupy, granted by the trust set up for Alison. Your daughter, the de-facto owner, has retained me to act on her behalf to put it on the rental market."She gave a beatific smile that lit up the room. "As Lucy occupied under the terms of the trust, there is no tenancy agreement. Eddie's name appears on none of the utilities so, as far as Alison is concerned, he can pay the commercial rental fee, and stay, or piss off and live with his girlfriend. He certainly hasn't a leg to stand on if he thinks she'll let him live here for free, now that Lucy has moved out.""What will you be asking for the rent?" I asked, just out of interest. She told us. The rest of us sat, slack-jawed, gaping around the table at each other. "How much?" I admit, my voice came out in a less than masculine squeak. She repeated the figure. "That's more than the fucking mortgage would be," I pointed out, then begged Megan to excuse my language."True," Megan conceded, unperturbed by my profanity. "But a landlord has to cover additional contingencies; electrical safety, insurance, maintenance, management fees and the like." She shrugged. "We are actually not stiffing Eddie. If he can't afford to pay, I guarantee we'll have a family in here paying that per month, within three weeks of taking possession.""Eddie can't afford that," Lucy observed, without satisfaction. "Even if he stopped drinking and gambling, he'd barely be able to cover the rent. He'd just about have pennies left to live on.""That's as may be," Megan replied, acerbically. "But much of my professional life has been spent dealing with people who ignored the consequences of their actions." She listed some examples on her fingers. "Drunk drivers, offspring contesting their parents' wills after years of ignoring them, vandals, shoplifters, idiots who thought it was okay to defraud insurance companies and, yes, cheating spouses." She shook her head in despair. "Nobody made them act that way; they made choices, just like Eddie. He could have managed his money instead of blowing it on booze and horses. He could have treated his wife with respect. He did neither; he made his choice, so he gets to own whatever that brings."We were contemplating her words when one of the movers knocked on the kitchen door and announced that they were finished. He suggested that Lucy go through each room before they left, to confirm that the guys had collected everything that she wanted taken. It was a somber moment as we five checked each room in turn."Is there anything of yours in the garage?" I enquired, remembering that Lucy sometimes sculpted in metal.She smiled and shook her head. "I moved my welding gear to Megan's last week. They had room in their garage and I knew that Eddie would never notice that it was gone." She took one more slow look around the living room. "No. That's it. This is Alison's house now. I've lost two husbands here. I won't say that the wrong one died; but I'm close. Fuck it. Let's go."We followed her out and watched as she locked up and gave her keys to Megan. We stood and waved as the two of them got into their cars to follow the van to Lucy's new home. I think we all realized that this day had been long coming, but even knowing that, we still knew that Lucy had to be hurting inside.We three went home. Lucy, Charles and Megan needed time together to reach some sort of accommodation about, well, Lucy's accommodation. Our presence wasn't required. We grabbed a light lunch and I turned the TV on. Dear God! There were adverts on already for Christmas. I turned to my wife to see if she found it as irritating as I did, only to pause at the thoughtful expression on her face."Angie," she said. Our fiancée looked up. "You like stately homes, don't you?" Angie agreed this was, in fact, the case. "Well how do you feel about a trip to Derbyshire?""Because?" Angie prompted."Because I think you'd love Chatsworth," Marie suggested. "And in November there's a Christmas market in the grounds and the house will be beautifully seasonally decorated." My wife turned her attention to me. "Geoffrey?""Sounds good to me," I agreed. "I'll book three tickets.""I'll book us somewhere to stay," Angie offered. "Somewhere nice."So that was agreed. Finishing our lunch, we decided that we ought to get some fresh air, so we went for a stroll together. Marie assumed her place holding my right hand and Angie holding my left. Without really intending to, our return path took us past the pub. We decided that, as we were obviously people of low moral standards, we might as well go in.Tony, the landlord knew us well enough; Marie and her friends are there every other Friday after all. We chatted as he pulled my pint and poured the girls' white wines. I remembered there was a function room upstairs and asked to see it. It didn't take long. It was just a large rectangular room. On the plus side, it had a small, raised stage at the far end and there was a bar near the door. On the other hand, it was a bit tired.Tony saw my expression. "I know," he acknowledged. "It desperately needs repainting, but since Covid, it's been a Catch22. We need new business but we don't have the cash to invest to attract it."I paced out the room and we went back to the lounge. "If the walls were just white," I suggested. "Then you could mount a projection system on the ceiling and have an almost infinite selection of décor for any occasion."My girls listened to our conversation with interest. Tony considered my idea. "So, instead of choosing a color scheme for the room, I just paint it plain white and project whatever the customer wants for their occasion," he mused."Exactly," I agreed. Gender reveals, weddings, kids' themed parties or Goth Halloweens; hit enter on the computer and the room's personalized.""Or Star Wars weddings," Angie contributed. "Nice thinking Geoff."I bowed, modestly. "Peter works in IT," I reminded the girls. "This isn't directly his field but he may know someone who could advise us." I turned back to our host. "Would you be interested if I could find out what an installation like that would entail?"Apparently, he would and, after discussing the practicalities of hosting our celebration there, we resumed our walk home in a rather more excited mood. We were still talking about the logistics when Colin arrived, with Mia in tow, and asked what we were arguing about. We'd moved onto the timing by then. Angie favored March but Marie was concerned that our student friends needed more time to design and create our growing collection of outfits. My wife thought a summer wedding would be nicer, possibly even outdoors. I was on the fence.Colin looked at us with a mixture of surprise and, it hurts me to admit this, disappointment. "Surely you know the date. There's only one day it can be." He looked sadly at our blank stares. "For goodness sake grandpeople. Star Wars Day! May the Fourth."I confess: I hung my head in shame. I glanced at Angie. She was shaking her head, muttering, "So damn obvious that a child could see it. What's wrong with me?"Marie was bemused. "What's going on? What do you mean; Star Wars Day? Is that a thing? Do people send cards?"Mia took pity on her in the face of Colin's despairing silence. "May the Fourth sounds like the Jedi blessing, you know, May the Force be with you," she explained patiently. "May the Fourth; May the Force."Marie 'got it' then. "So if there's one day in the year to do Jedi stuff, it's May the Fourth." She gave a deep sigh. "God! But nerds are weird." She looked fondly at Angie and me. "And I'm stuck with two of them."It was Marie's turn to cook and Colin asked if Mia could eat with us as her mum was working late. Of course, she was welcome and Angie volunteered to help in the kitchen. The two women left us, with Marie making very clear who was in charge as they went.That left me with the two teens. "Homework?" I asked."Did it at lunchtime," answered Colin."Me too," Mia added."Right then. Go amuse yourselves. You can have the TV if you want.""Well Grandad. The thing is; We were talking about 'The Talk', and we have some questions.""Oh you do, do you?" This wasn't quite how I'd visualized this going. "To be honest, I don't think it would be appropriate for me to have that particular discussion with Mia." I turned to address my comments directly to her. "Mia, sweetheart, this is a conversation that you should really be having with your mum. Even if it makes her too uncomfortable and there are no aunts or older female cousins to ask, it should still be a woman you talk to rather than me.""But why?" She asked."Because if anyone found that a man had been discussing sex with a young woman not related to him, they might think that he was grooming her. Can you imagine how being accused of that would change all of our lives?""I suppose so," she conceded."How about this?" I suggested. "You ask your mum the same questions that Colin has for me and you can compare notes. But," I put on my laboratory manager voice. "No personal research!" They nodded, grinning, and I told them to clear off: I'd deal with that problem later. I sloped off to read my book; I felt as though I'd not has a minute to myself in ages.Marie and Angie had excelled themselves. When Linda arrived, we sat down to a dish of roast Mediterranean vegetables served with potato wedges, fetta, pitta bread and smoked garlic mayonnaise. I hadn't heard a single cross word from the kitchen either. The kids demolished their meals and asked for second helpings. Marie made sure that there was some left for Wendy, who was coming to collect Mia on her way h

Send us a text2025 saw WRN hold our first ever Women's festival in Derby.  Organised by local WRN members in Derbyshire and Staffordshire, it attracted a large audience from across the UK.  The Festival theme was Celebrating Grassroots Activism and we welcomed speakers and guests from England, Ireland , Scotland and Wales to give presentations on their local activities and tactics.  Sorcha Nic Lochlainn is a Director of and Sports Spokeswoman for "The Countess Didn't Fight for This" a voluntary, non-partisan group - with members from all corners of Ireland - dedicated to defending women's rights and child safeguarding.  Sorcha explained how the group became established in Ireland. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to hear more, go to womensrights.network/wrn-podcast to listen, download and subscribe to more of our episodes. And if you'd like to join our conversations, go to womensrights.network/join-wrn

It's summer, and Elizabeth and her aunt and uncle Gardiner have set off on their long-awaited trip. They're enjoying a visit to Derbyshire, and have decided to include a visit to Pemberley - having been assured, of course, that Mr. Darcy is nowhere near his home. While there, Elizabeth is astonished at how different the accounts of Mr. Darcy seem, compared to his behavior in Hertfordshire. But the biggest astonishment of all is the appearance of the man himself, arrived back a day earlier than was planned. And not only that - he's civil, and even friendly, to Elizabeth and her aunt and uncle. This week's Friday Favorites is the moment when everything begins to change for Elizabeth, and as it does, let the familiar story fill you with calm as you drift into a night of deep and restorative sleep.-----Welcome to the Jane Austen Bedtime Stories podcast! Each episode is a section of a classic Jane Austen novel, read in soothing tones and set to calming music to help you fall asleep.With everything that is going on in the world, we find comfort in the familiar. For so many of us, Jane Austen's works are like a warm hug. So snuggle up under the covers and let the comforting words of Jane Austen lull you into sleep.-----Show your appreciation for the pod! Support the podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bedtimestoriespodcast.net/support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -----Follow us on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/janeaustenbedtimepod/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠-----Music ["Reverie"] by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. – www.scottbuckley.com.au

Join us at Bradgate Park in Leicester with Jules Acton, author, former podcast guest and Trust ambassador, while our regular host Adam enjoys a summer holiday. We meet senior park ranger Matt who gives us a tour as he explains his role in caring for the site and its amazing trees. We've come to the park to see one in particular: a magnificent 830-year-old oak. It's in the running for Tree of the Year 2025. This year's contest celebrates our cultural connections with trees, shining a light on those that are local landmarks, sources of passion, inspiration and creativity. Find out what makes Bradgate Park's oldest oak special and vote for your favourite by 19 September.   Don't forget to rate us and subscribe! Learn more about the Woodland Trust at woodlandtrust.org.uk Transcript You are listening to Woodland Walks, a podcast for the Woodland Trust. We protect and plant trees for people to enjoy, to fight climate change and to help wildlife thrive.  Jules: Good morning. I'm Jules Acton. I'm an ambassador for the Woodland Trust. I've been in this job for 10 years this month and it's been a fantastic 10 years. I've loved every day because I get to meet some amazing trees and woods and even more than that, I also get to meet lots of amazing people who love trees and woods and who are inspired by them. So Woodland Trust members, other supporters, staff and volunteers. And I think one of the reasons people love trees so much is not just for the fact they provide all the wonderful services they they store our carbon, they provide fresh air, they can help filter pollution. But they're also absolutely entwined in our culture. And that's been taking place over hundreds and thousands of years. So our, particularly our native tree species tree species are absolutely embedded in our culture, and every old tree has a story to tell. Now, the reason we're here today is that we're going to talk about Tree of the Year and the theme of the Tree of the Year is culture and the way trees are embedded in culture. Ten magnificent trees have been chosen by a panel of experts. Each has a wonderful story to tell, and members of the public can go and vote for their favourite tree on the Woodland Trust website.  We are here in Bradgate Park car park. It is a golden morning and we're surrounded by trees. I can see oak trees, hawthorns, birches, hazels. It's absolutely gorgeous with the dappled sunlight falling down on us through the leaves. We're here to meet a particularly special tree. It's Bradgate Park's oldest oak tree, and it's about 20 minutes walk from the car park. So I see my colleague Natasha. She's over there waiting at the edge of the car park, waiting for Matt. Hello Natasha.  Natasha: Hello. Ohh hi!  Jules: Can you tell us a bit about your role, Natasha and what you do at the Woodland Trust?  Natasha: Yeah, I'm a social media officer, so I just help create and schedule all social media content, jump on whenever there's an opportunity like today.  Jules: And today you're going to be helping with the recording.  Natasha: Yeah, getting a few clips behind the scenes of how we record the podcast so we can share that and a few bits for our website as well and YouTube.  Jules: Thanks Natasha. Now I think we have just seen somebody drive up who might well be Matt. He's he's appeared in a very groovy looking buggy. And here we go. I believe this is Matt. Hello.   Matt: Good morning, Jules.   Jules: Hello, Matt, hi, lovely to meet you.  Matt: Nice to meet you. Welcome to Bradgate Park.  Jules: Thank you. Can you tell us a little bit about your role, Matt?  Matt: So yeah so I've I've worked at Bradgate Park for just over 20 years now and main sort of roles on on the site are woodland management and caring for the ancient trees that we've got that that are of European importance. And I also get quite involved with the drystone walls and repairing them. I lead a a group of volunteers on a Thursday and as we go across the site, I'm sure I can show you some of the work that we've been doing.  Jules: Oh brilliant, and you're going to particularly show us a very special tree, I believe.  Matt: Yes, I believe we might be able to find that. Yeah, the tree is approximately 830 years old. It predates the Magna Carta and I'd certainly like to take you to the tree and tell you a bit more about it.  Jules: All right. We're just getting ready to go and all around us are people enjoying the park, there are some people walking up hills. There are lots of dogs. There's one very cute little brown dog that's having a little dip in, in a little stream, a little brook, really at the edge of the park and it's already quite a warm day, so I think it's having a nice little cool down.  We're back en route towards the special tree with the beautiful drystone wall to our right and across to the left are, well there's a tree, there's a plantation, and then there's also a sort of a bit of a wood pasture environment would you call it Matt, with some native trees dotted around in the landscape?  Matt: Yeah, very much so. So this is Hallgates Valley. We're looking across to Dale Spinney. The park itself is 830 acres, of which spinneys represent about 10% of the parkland area, so it's quite a large proportion. All the spinneys were planted on the, on the hilltops across the park, that's that's not just by chance. And they were created around about 1830s-40s by the 6th early of Stamford and and now we see the spinneys that we've got here today so you've got quite a mature, mature standard trees. Quite a lot are softwood, but then we've got a mixture of hardwoods in there. We certainly replant hardwoods in the spinneys.  Jules: How would you define a spinney as opposed to, you know, other kinds of woods?  Matt: Nice easy question *laughs*. I would I would say you've obviously got different names of woodlands and you know we're, we're, we're in Charnwood Forest, but a a forest isn't just trees, it's clearings. And I would say a copse is a small woodland. I would say the spinney is is probably like slightly larger than that and then you go up towards a wood. I could be totally wrong! *both laugh*  Jules: I like it though. So Matt you say, you've you've been here 20 years.   Matt: Yeah, 22.  Jules: 22. So you obviously love it. And what is it that keeps you here?  Matt: I was born in Leicester and came here as a young child playing and you know to end up working here as a job, it's certainly a nice place to be coming to and huge, beautiful surroundings, fresh air and and then I've I've just got a real passion for particularly the a lot of the heritage crafts that we keep alive on the estate. So yes, we go down and we manage the woodlands, but we're actually carrying out coppicing operations and that, they go back to the Stone Age and and then other work on the site for instance drystone walling, which we're approaching a gap now that we've been repairing and is obviously another heritage craft, and for me, I I just think it's really important that we're passing on these skills, heritage crafts on to the next sort of generation.  Jules: That that's brilliant. And do you do you train sort of volunteers or or is it staff members in in this kind of thing?  Matt: I've trained up to Level 2 in walling. That's something I I went up to Derbyshire to do. We've actually got another chap on site now, Leon. He's, he was in the armed forces and and and Leon is doing his levels in walling as well. I believe he's already got Level 1 and 2. He's working towards his 3, we might be able to pop and see him in a bit, but I guess the focus should be trees today *laughs*.  Jules: Yeah, well if we have time, that'd be great. See how we go.  Matt: This is certainly a large gap of wall that we've been doing on the estate. We've got 17 miles of drystone wall to maintain. The deer park itself goes back to 1241, but it's, the boundaries changed slightly over over the years and the largest extent of the deer park was probably around about 1550 and that would have, certain parts of the boundary are drystone wall and and that's obviously what what we're left with today and we need to maintain that. Not only does it keep the deer inside the park, which is obviously beneficial for a deer park, it's fantastic habitat for various, you know, sort of reptiles to live in and adders, grass snakes, things like that.  Jules: Fantastic, so we're looking at at one of the drystone walls and it's I'd say about shoulder height, would you say and it's a grey sort of almost sort of slaty looking stone actually, do you, can you tell us what kind of the stone it is?  Matt: Yeah so on on this side of the park, it's it's it's it's a little bit more slaty towards Newtown Linford, that's that's more of a granite, the walling that we do on the, that we we do on the park is is called random coursed walling. So yes, as we build the wall up, you start with the larger stones at the bottom and as the as the wall tapers up, it angles in, that's called the batter of the wall, you can see the frame we've got and that that we're working to, we've got the building lines in. So this one is 80 centimetres at the bottom, tapering up to 40 centimetres at the top. Originally this was actually a lime mortar wall and a lot of walls on the park are lime mortar, but it is possible to rebuild dry, but we do a mix a mixture of both on the estate.  Jules: That's great and it's just lovely to see these heritage practices being kept alive and you mentioned the coppicing as well, which is absolutely very much part of woodland culture going back centuries. I believe it goes back to the Vikings, maybe even earlier, I don't know if you know anything about the history of it, Matt?  Matt: Yeah, well, certainly the Stone Age coppicing going back, going back to the Stone Age, it's the process of cutting the tree down to ground level. Not all trees will coppice, certainly oak will. That's where Copt Oak gets the name from, coppiced oak. Hazel is the primary tree species that we are coppicing, certainly in Swithland Woods and we've got a management plan in place. We've we've just come to the end of a 10-year management plan that was supported by, there's a lady called Liz Sharkey who comes up with a great plan for us. We're just starting in, in November will be the next 10-year plan and the intention of that is to create the most diverse habitat that Swithland Woods is and it will create a mosaic of habitats, different age stands within the structure of the woodland and and part of that will be coppicing rotation and that will open up and the the the floor of the woodland, let light in and that will benefit bluebells and wood anemone and all the related bird species and invertebrates.  Jules: This is all music to our Woodland Trust ears. Thank you, Matt. Shall we continue on our little tour?  Matt: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I will turn this very loud... *banging*  Jules: *laughs* I'm not actually sure how to get out the car, but ohh, OK, yeah, yeah. Natasha's on it. Thanks Natasha. OK, so we are walking up to not the tree we're here to see, but we couldn't resist this one because it's really special and it's a gnarly oak tree, kind of growing out of what looks like a big craggy load of rocks. Yeah, Matt, could you tell us a bit more about this tree?  Matt: Yes, I can. So it's English oak and some of the, it's growing out of granite and some of the rocks on the park are actually some of the oldest rocks, certainly in Britain and and the world, 560-million-year-old rocks that we've got on the park and it's all part part of the designation, actually, of the park, it's a SSSI, geological interest in the park and also the veteran trees are also part of that designation and we have just become a National Nature Reserve as well, Bradgate Park.  Jules: Well, congratulations! Could you just explain the SSSI to us just so people understand what the abbreviation means?  Matt: It's a Site of Special Scientific Interest, so there's many layers to Bradgate Park, people might just want to come have a nice walk, enjoy the views, and people that might be more interested in the geology of the park, so we get a lot of people that are coming out and looking at the rocks and looking for fossils and they're able to from that age, the rocks on the park and then other designations that we've got are related to the ancient trees and and that all forms a a bigger picture that makes the park so important that it has to be protected.  Jules: Fantastic. And one of the things that I've just noticed on both this very old oak tree and also on the rocks are, there's a lot of lichens. They're gorgeous. So they're sort of just splattered with them, some of them just look like, like, little sort of paint splats, don't they? They are different colours, we've got white ones, green ones on the rocks, I'm looking at, sort of greyish ones. Some are crusty, some are very flat, which is I think the nature of lichens. Do you know much about the lichens?  Matt: I certainly know that we need to keep the lichens exposed to the sunlight, so we have to clear bracken so they're not getting shaded out. They take a long time to form and I certainly know that they need good clean air. So that is a good sign, if you're seeing lichens, you're in a good place as a human being.  Jules: Yeah, absolutely. And and one of the things about oak trees as well is because they, they're long-lived trees, they provide particularly important habitat for lichens, cause some, many lichens are really, really slow growing, so they need a very slow, you know, stable habitat, so whether it be the rocks or or the very old tree and you'll get different species associated with the different environments as well.  Matt: Yeah, exactly right. And and you can see as well as the being lichens on the rock, you look up into the oak tree and in to the, up the, into the crown of the tree and we are seeing lichens on on the oak tree.  Jules: Yeah. Aed one of the other things about lichens is that they are also embedded in our culture as well, so we use them to to make dyes, some people cook with them, so again, a bit like bit like the oak trees and and other native trees, they're really entwined in our cultural history. This isn't the tree we're here to see, but it's absolutely marvellous! So I, gosh, I hope this becomes, goes on the Tree of the Year shortlist at some point because it deserves it!  Matt: Well, it's nice to have more than one entry.   Jules: Yeah, that would be good, wouldn't it?  Matt: I guess it would in in increase the chances of winning, but seeing as it's the first time you've come to the park, Jules, I thought you may as well see this.  Jules: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I love it. It looks quite elephantine from this, elephantine I should say, from this angle with this sort of like this great, long limb sticking out, it's almost like a trunk isn't it and up into the into the blue.  Matt: It certainly is, and I think that's certainly going to be the word of the day. I'm not, I'm not certainly going to try and trump that!   Jules: OK, yeah, let's, let's, let's try and use it again, in the next stop! *both laugh* OK. We're going back to the car now the the buggy, the T, TVA. No, the, what is it?  Matt: The ATV *both laugh* As we go back towards the ATV, we can see a absolutely stunning tower on a hill. It's gorgeous. It's kind of like, well it looks like it's in a fairytale to me. Could you tell us a bit about that?  Matt: So Old John Tower was, they started building it 1784 and and it is a folly and it was somewhere that the Greys, the owners, the Earls of Stamford could entertain guests and around the base of the tower, the rear is the remnants of an old racetrack, at the side of the tower, there's an old stable block and the Greys were certainly great horse fanciers and they entered racehorses into various events and along the the the old racetrack there's still remnants of old furlong markers and they were able to entertain the guests, stand up on the the roof of the of the tower and get an idea of of how good the how well the horses were performing.  Jules: Brilliant. And and the the Greys being the family of Lady Jane Grey, is that right?   Matt: Yes, that's right yeah.  Jules: OK. So it's it's absolutely stunning. It looks like the sort of, yeah, if you're drawing a scene in a fairytale, you'd be drawing a little turrety round tower on top of a hill, wouldn't you? And there'd be probably Rapunzel at the top, letting down her hair. On this occasion we've got a, on this occasion we've got a a very fit looking person who's just run a ring around the bottom of the tower and is now running towards us, obviously making use of this wonderful environment to to keep up their fantastic fitness. Right. OK. Now we are going back to the vehicle. And I think is next stop the the tree, our destination?  Matt: Yes it certainly is.  Jules: OK, OK, brilliant. I think I've actually worked out how to get in this time, which is ohh no, Matt's letting me in, thank you, what a gent, thank you. Right, we are now out of the vehicle and we are walking towards the special tree. And how long, how much of a walk is it from here?  Matt: So I can see it already and I'd say we're only about 200 yards away from it.  Jules: *laughs* Ohh, I still haven't seen it!  Matt: I'm I'm I'm deliberately walking in a way that it's going to appear.  Jules: Oh he's hiding it from us.   Matt: Yeah. There we go, fallow deer.  Jules: Ohh, there's ohh my goodness two fallow deer. The beautiful spotty backs, sort of trotting away. And then they've stopped and have given, they're looking at us. They're not too shy, actually are they?  Matt: No, no, they're not.  Jules: They look just like double Bambi. They're very beautiful.  Matt: You'll you'll you'll notice on all the trees, and there's about a dozen smaller oak trees that we planted, and these are about 30 years old now. Again, you can see how we've we've literally topped the smaller trees and and that's because we don't want to leave these trees just to get huge a. and maidens and straight and tall. So we want these to be stunted and more open grown. And so we've cut the tops off and and thinned them slightly. And then, again, we're hoping that that will make them longer lived.  Jules: Yeah, yeah. And of course, the oak trees love a lot of light, don't they? And these have got quite a lot of light and space around them.   Matt: Yes.   Jules: Ohh, I can see it now. Oh my goodness. What a beast. How fantastic. So it does, so it's the Bradgate Park's oldest oak, isn't it, so does it have a name, another name beyond that?  Matt: I think people people give it various names but it's just ‘the oldest tree in the park' *laughs*  Jules: Yeah, yeah.  Matt: Trying, I suppose for many years we've tried to keep it a bit bit sort of secret. That's probably for the benefit of the tree and certainly, the fact that it's within a spinney, people aren't walking up to it, and that's helped the tree. I feel that it's in a, it's obviously found some good growing conditions and despite the general habitat of the park being poor, upland soil, shallow, it's found some incredible growing conditions here it's been sheltered so that it's not being exposed to too much, too much wind force. And also it's it's nice and open so as the, as you know sort of from midday to right through into the evening, it's gonna get plenty of light as well. So there's I think there's been a number of factors that have certainly helped to prolong the life of the tree.  Jules: Yes, absolutely. Wow, it is a stunner. So just to try and describe this tree, it it's immensely tall. It's probably about the size of a, what about the height of a house would you say?   Matt: Yeah it's a good, good 45 feet.  Jules: Yeah. And it's got a very gnarly bole. I call it a bole rather than a trunk because it's really big, broad, and it's kind of split into two, kind of more than two. And it's got some dead branches coming out the middle. It's got one gorgeous, great, long, twisted limb reaching out. And it's that that's they're they're propped up, but it's kind of snaking, isn't it, ooh, it's elephantine that's what it is! Yeah, let's use our favourite word of the day.  Matt: I'd I'd say it's definitely elephantine *both laugh*  Jules: Yeah. And you can see kind of, it looks like there's faces everywhere, aren't there? It's like in that they've dead bit of branch there, you can see like a sort of twisted sort of face and a great long nose. And ohh it's, what a beautiful beast. So Matt, could you tell us a bit about its cultural connection to human beings?  Matt: Well, it certainly, it it was aged back in 2014 by a tree consultancy called Bosky and we we obtained a grant funding to tag and map many, many trees across the estate of this, being one of them, and it was it was aged at 818 back then, which puts us at around about the 830 mark now. In terms of relations to humans, it predates the Magna Carta and one of the most notable former residents of Bradgate Park obviously being Lady Jane, when she was a child living on the park, the tree would have already been quite a mighty oak of about 300 years.  Jules: Gosh, so, so Lady Jane Grey would have known this tree.   Matt: Yes, yeah.  Jules: She would probably sat underneath it.  Matt: Which is somewhat remarkable.  Jules: Yeah. Maybe had a little picnic under here. *Matt laughs* That's what I would have done. Fantastic. And it's wonderful that you're protecting it and actually, despite this sort of really craggy bole, it's it's looking in pretty good health, isn't it, it's got loads of leaves all around. Are you feeling sort of confident about its its future given given how it is?  Matt: Well, certainly, yeah you you've you've pointed out the props and these props have been in place supporting certainly this this limb. If we walk around the other side of the tree, you can you can get a bit more of an impression as to what the props are actually achieving for the tree and in due course, and I believe we'll we'll probably upgrade these props, which are basically telegraph posts with Land Rover tyres that have been cut, which is certainly an effective way of doing things, but we have evolved the propping techniques that are now, you can see the tree in the distance over there by the compound that's called the Pheasant Garden. And there's a there's an oak tree there that supported by a prop and that is manufactured using metal, sort of steel work and then there's a cup section that's manufactured and then that that's a more sympathetic way of actually supporting that bough.  Jules: Yeah, yes.  Matt: Regarding, you know the actual cover of the foliage, like you say, totally agree that it's it's still got reasonable foliage cover, certainly certain things that we do have to watch out for is shade. And that is partly why we've cut the tops off the trees around it. But also you can see where we've got a bit of interference here with this Scots pine at the back.  Jules: Oh yes, it's actually actually touching I think, almost touching.  Matt: So that is something that we would look to keep keep in check. So this Scots pine, as as lovely as it is, that Scots pine is more like 70 years old, and we wouldn't want that to be shading out so that's something we'll we'll probably climb up there and just cut that, cut the limb off off the Scots pine and stop that, because you can see if we just leave that doing what it's doing, it's going to start shading out and it's really important that we keep the living mass of this tree, so there's a balance there between the living mass and the dead mass of the tree, the static mass. And it's that balance as a ratio for the tree, you know, if you, if you look at a younger tree there, you can say that almost almost 100% of of the of the crown of that tree is alive. Whereas you look at this tree and you start thinking maybe 50%. So the closer that ratio between the living mass and the dead mass is, the closer that gets more like to a one to one, then the the tree will will then gradually just just just be going into decline. So you know, the tree will not live forever but I'm pretty confident it's going to outlive us guys *laughs*  Jules: Yes. It's an amazing thought, isn't it? And it's obviously very loved and and and I think the importance is is not just about the tree itself, is it? So really ancient oaks like this, they support enormous numbers of species, some of which only live on ancient oaks. So that's why we need to protect this tree as much as we possibly can and also bring on those veteran oaks of the future that you you, you're, you're that you're you're doing just that, aren't you, here in the park. Absolutely vital.   Matt: Yeah, very much so, very much so. As we've driven across the park, we've seen various planting that's been supported by the Tree Council. And like you say, that has, that certainly has been planting more oak trees, but then also other nectar bearing species, rowan, blackthorn, hawthorn, gorse. And these are all important, like you say for the deadwood insects that, that, that live within the ancient oak tree and and then as the tree gets older it then develops more veteran features and those crags, holes are very important roosting habitats for, certainly for owls and bats.  Jules: Yeah. And so oak trees in the UK collectively support more than 2,300 species, some of which are completely reliant on oak trees. They couldn't survive without oak trees, and one of the things we were talking about earlier as we drove up was the fact that there are, you know, some, some beetles, for example, some longhorn beetles, for example, they spend their lives as larvae living in deadwood. But then the adults, they need nectar when they grow up, so again, it's really important to have those nectar sources nearby isn't it?  Matt: Yeah. So very, very much is. Yeah. And that's what we're looking to do on the park we are we are planting those, those supporting plants.  Jules: Fantastic. Wonderful. This incredible tree that we're standing in front of is one of the ten contenders in this year's Tree of the Year competition and the theme of this year's competition is culture and the the the the history and culture associated with trees in our world. Ancient oaks are absolutely threaded in our culture. I'm particularly interested in them, I wrote a book about about oak trees called Oaklore, and one of the things that I talked about was the way that the oak tree intertwines with our lives with with lots of different species, but also with human lives and with our culture. There were so many stories associated with the oak tree. One of my favourites is the story of Charles II and the Boscobel Oak. So before Charles II was, became king he was fighting the parliamentarians and he took a terrible drubbing at a battle. And he needed to escape. And he escaped to Boscobel House. And he was with this soldier called Colonel Careless, and this soldier suggested that they hide in the oak tree overnight rather than the house. And they did. And even though the parliamentarian troops were were wandering nearby, they didn't find the king and his soldiers, and they escaped. And eventually they returned and that led to the restoration of the monarchy. The thing I like about this story is the cultural links then go on and on. Because at that point, a day of national celebration was declared throughout the land, and that was 29 May and that became Oak Apple Day and everybody would party and if the best people at the party, the coolest people at the party, they waved oak branches and wore oak leaves and and if you were super cool, you had lots of oak apples on your, so little galls on your oak branches. And if you didn't have little symbols of oaks, then others were apparently within their rights to take a bunch of nettles and and and attacked you with nettles, which wasn't so nice. So it was also called Nettle Day. It was also known as Pinch Bum Day and Maids Ruin Day. The story goes on, but the other sort of fun cultural connection to that is it also came, it also brought about lots of pubs called the Royal Oak, and the last time I looked there were about 400 oak trees, 400 sorry pubs called the Royal Oak throughout the land, so the cultural tales just go on and on. And that's just the oak tree. But all of our native trees have some fantastic stories associated with them in. In fact every old tree has a story to tell. It's like us, like every older person, we've all got a story, a history to tell. Yeah. OK.  Matt: So yeah, we're just walking back from the oldest tree now, and we're just sort of musing over just that connection that human, humans have got to trees. I think it's the fact that an oak tree can sort of live centuries and really, that puts our lifetimes somewhat in perspective. And the fact that an oak tree can just go from the tiniest of acorns to a huge mass of of timber and that is just really fantastic, how you could you could cut open a tree and see all those different tree rings, those years of growth and then just sort of put that in context, what was happening was, was it Dick Whittington that was the Lord Mayor of London for the last time, was it was it the Battle of Agincourt, was it the Magna Carta? And and it's for people like you that actually write books about it, Jules, that can say it a lot better than me *both laugh*  Jules: No that was brilliant and we're not gonna cut this one in half though are we, Matt?   Matt: No, we're certainly not. And the fact that it's hollow, we just can't see those rings anymore.  Jules: No. Thank you. Brilliant. Right. This is our final leg on our walk and we're now in a polytunnel and it's really warm because the sun's beating down outside and it smells gorgeous and and we are surrounded by lots of little trees. Matt, can you tell us a little bit about these?  Matt: So the polytunnel was funded by the Tree Council and it's just very important that we're growing on oaks for the future from acorns that have been collected on site. So they've got the genetic continuity of the long-lived oak trees and hopefully they'll grow and carry on into long into the future.  Jules: And are they, is it a a mix of acorns from all different trees in in here or is it, or is, are you, are you taking them from specific trees?  Matt: It's yeah, it's a bit of a mix. Sometimes, you know, where where we can and where they're viable, if we if we get to the acorns from a veteran tree before the deer, then that's certainly something that we we're looking to grow on. So generally that's what we're that's that's where we'll try and harvest them from that, we've put a frame down before with a bit of a grill, so we can collect the acorns, but then they don't get eaten and that's certainly quite a good technique. And and then we we we grow on from the old trees where we can, yes.  Jules: They're really lovely. So we've got really tiny little trees with, some of them have got like, you know, about 5 or 6 leaves. And then they go up to sort of above our just above our heads. And I think what always strikes me is the, the the diversity in in leaf shape and colour that you that you see all around you. So even the same place within within oak trees, it's incredible, the different shapes and sizes you get, isn't it?  Matt: Yeah, it really is. And you know, look, looking some of the some of the oaks have been collected from Swithland Woods as well. And and where you've got a stalked leaf, that is a sessile oak.   Jules: Ah yes.  Matt: And and where you've got a a leaf that's coming off that isn't stalked, that is an English oak, but but that will have a stalked acorn.  Jules: Yes. So that's the the key way to tell the difference isn't. Yeah, brilliant. Thank you. I love it. The Bradgate Park oak is one of ten iconic trees across the UK in the running for the Tree of the Year competition. Other examples include the Tree of Peace and Unity in County Antrim. That's an iconic lime tree, I say a lime tree, it's actually two lime trees which are fused together so that the trunk has become bound as one and it's, they've become inseparable and as such they've become a symbol of harmony and hope. So newly married couples sit beneath that tree for a blessing and it became a particular symbol of peace and reconciliation when Tony Blair, David Trimble and John Hume met here in 1998 at the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. Another example is the Argyle Street Ash in Glasgow. This tree is growing right next to some historic flats and it's seen as a symbol of local resilience. It has survived all kinds of things, including Victorian industry, the Clydeside Blitz, recent development and so far, ash dieback. One of its cultural connections is that it was featured in a 1935 book by James Cowan. The book was called From Glasgow's Treasure Chest and in it he describes the tree as ‘quite the most graceful ash I have seen'. Well, that's enough of me. Meanwhile, thank you so much to Matt and Natasha. It's been great fun talking trees with you.  Thank you for listening to the Woodland Trust Woodland Walks. Don't forget to subscribe to the series on iTunes or wherever you're listening to us and do give us a review and a rating. And why not send us a recording of your favourite woodland walk to be included in a future podcast? Keep it to a maximum of five minutes and please tell us what makes your woodland walk special or send us an e-mail with details of your favourite walk and what makes it special to you. Send any audio files to podcast@woodlandtrust.org.uk. We look forward to hearing from you. 

The transfer window has closed on Nottingham Forest and we'll review all the summer business including the last minute signing of Oleksandr Zinchenko. We'll also look at who will miss out on a place in both the Premier League and Europa League squads as Forest have too many for both. Matt Davies is joined by Paul Morley and TNT Sports' Adam Summerton to discuss how Nuno will manage such a high quality squad if he keeps his job after those controversial comments before the awful West Ham defeat. Finally we look at who misses out on the 25 man squads for the Premier League and Europa League. #nffc #nottinghamforest

Seán's guest is fresh from his recent victory at the World Toe Wrestling Championships in Derbyshire, but how do you win this esteemed competition?Ben “Toe Tal Destruction” Woodroffe joins to discuss!

Send us a text2025 saw WRN hold our first ever Women's festival in Derby.  Organised by local WRN members in Derbyshire and Staffordshire, it attracted a large audience from across the UK.  The Festival theme was Celebrating Grassroots Activism and we welcomed speakers and guests from England, Ireland , Scotland and Wales to give presentations on their local activities and tactics.  Mary Howden is a former Head of Education and Workforce Development at the Scottish Social Services, Director of WRN, and Coordinator for WRN Scotland   She talked about the journey taken by WRN Scotland to establish a grassroots women's movement. From small beginnings with 14 women working together to get their message out,  to how they grew their membership to cover the whole of Scotland.If you enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to hear more, go to womensrights.network/wrn-podcast to listen, download and subscribe to more of our episodes. And if you'd like to join our conversations, go to womensrights.network/join-wrn

Seán's guest is fresh from his recent victory at the World Toe Wrestling Championships in Derbyshire, but how do you win this esteemed competition?Ben “Toe Tal Destruction” Woodroffe joins to discuss!

My guest today is Mark Dawson, food historian, specialising in the food of the Tudor period, but also the food of Derbyshire. We met up at Mark's home in Derbyshire to talk all things Derbyshire oatcakes. Mark and I talk about the oatcakes of Britain, doshens and sprittles, the usefulness of probate inventories, oatcakes as penance, and oatcake goblins – amongst many other thingsThose listening to the secret podcast can hear about other Derbyshire foods made from oats; a discussion about why oatcake is better than porridge; and I grill Mark on one very important matter: just what is the difference between a Derbyshire and a Staffordshire oatcake.Follow Mark on Instagram @drdobbaMark's book Lumpy Tums: Derbyshire's Food & Drink will be published by Amberley in April 2026Mark's previous book Plenti and Grase (2009) is published by Prospect BooksMark Dawson's Food History Pages Mark's SpeakerNet profileRemember: Fruit Pig are sponsoring the 9th season of the podcast and Grant and Matthew are very kindly giving listeners to the podcast a unique special offer 10% off your order until the end of October 2025 – use the offer code Foodhis in the checkout at their online shop, www.fruitpig.co.uk.If you can, support the podcast and blogs by becoming a £3 monthly subscriber, and unlock lots of premium content, including bonus blog posts and recipes, access to the easter eggs and the secret podcast, or treat me to a one-off virtual pint or coffee: click here.This episode was mixed and engineered by Thomas Ntinas of the Delicious Legacy podcast.Things mentioned in today's episodeServe it Forth websiteServe it Forth Eventbrite pageFind out more about Joan ThirskGeneral View of the Agriculture and Minerals of Derbyshire by John Farey (1811)Some of Mark's research on oatcakes can be found in Farmers, Consumers, Innovators: The World of Joan Thirsk (2016)Neil's blogs and YouTube channel:‘British Food: a History' The British Food History Channel‘Neil Cooks Grigson'...

Nottingham Forest are set to sign Juventus defender Nicolo Savona for around 16m euros according to reports from Italy. Fabrizio Romano says the 22-year-old is poised to have a medical ahead of the transfer window closing on Monday evening. Savona is a right-back who can also play centre back and he has been called up to the Italy squad once. We tell you more about him while TNT Sports commentator Adam Summerton provides expert insight. #nffc #nottinghamforest

Nottingham Forest will look to continue their promising start to the Premier League season and heap more misery on West Ham United when the two sides meet at the City Ground on Sunday. We'll preview the game in full and pick our starting XIs, as well as addressing the latest transfer news. Names on the agenda include Ibrahim Sangare, Dilane Bakwa, Joaquin Seys (Club Brugge), Victor Kristiansen (Leicester City), Lutsharel Geetruida (RB Leipzig) and Nicolo Savona (Juventus).

Nottingham Forest midfielder Ibrahim Sangare could make a surprise move to West Ham late in the transfer window after a loan bid was reportedly lodged. We'll discuss that news in full and the latest transfer stories as Forest are linked with numerous full-backs - Joaquin Seys (Club Brugge), Victor Kristiansen (Leicester City), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Lutsharel Geetruida (RB Leipzig) and Nicolo Savona (Juventus). Also on the agenda is West Ham plunging further into crisis as Matt Davies is joined by Emily Anderson and Matt Davies-Adams. #nffc #nottinghamforest

The Town head to the Pirelli Stadium for the third time ever on Saturday afternoon and will be hoping to come away with their first points from the Derbyshire venue. Kev is joined by The Lutonian journalist James Cunliffe to look ahead to what is suddenly a huge match for the Town. Will there be a bounce back after defeat at home to Cardiff and, if so, how much of one? Will there be a different formation and if so who could come into the side for it? The boys give their impressions of what to expect from Burton based on their results and statistics and point out what they want to see from the Hatters. All this, including score predictions, and so much more on the longest-running, award-winning Luton Town podcast! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks to the team at Marsh House for our new podcast studio. Find out more about them and this wonderful creative space in Luton, at: https://www.marshhousestudio.com/ & https://www.facebook.com/marshhousestudioluton/?locale=en_GB Find us at: https://www.lutontownsupporterstrust.com  Find all the latest Luton Town news at The Lutonian at: https://thelutonian.com. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Like our logo? Check out Ed Smith Creative at: https://www.edsmithcreative.co.uk  Like our theme tune? It's by Seán Grant and the Wolfgang who have a new album called Divide the Light, By The Darkness, out now via Luton label Vandalism Begins at Home Records. Stream it on your favourite platform at: https://vbah.co.uk/SGWG/DTLBTD

From smashing personal bests to stepping onto the global stage — Seamus Derbyshire is one of the brightest rising stars in British athletics. In 2025 alone, the 25-year-old has: Clocked 48.47s in the 400m hurdles — the sixth-fastest time ever by a UK runner Won bronze at the British Championships Represented Team GB in the 4x400m relay at the European Indoors Hitting the qualification time for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo

Matt Davies is joined by French and English football expert Tom Williams to give us the lowdown on Arnauld Kalimuendo after his £26m move from Rennes to Nottingham Forest. Tom tells us about what he offers Forest and why he cost much less than Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike and Manchester United's Benjamin Sesko despite having a very similar record last season to two strikers who are of a similar age. Tom also tells more about other Forest targets Dilane Bakwa and Soungoutou Magassa before we discuss Forest's chances in the Premier League this season and the signing of Douglas Luiz from Juventus. #nffc #nottinghamforest

Nottingham Forest fans were shocked this morning to read a report from Italy saying Evangelos Marinakis was considering sacking manager Nuno Espirito Santo. Those reports were dismissed by the club but Nuno than sparked further concerns when he said his relationship with Marinakis had changed in his pre-match press conference before the Premier League game at Crystal Palace. Ange Postecoglu has already been touted as his replacement. Matt Davies is joined by Michael Temple, Paul Morley and the i paper's chief football writer Daniel Storey. #nffc #nottinghamforest

Matt Davies is joined by the i paper's chief football writer Daniel Storey and Harrogate Town goalkeeper James Belshaw to discuss the latest Nottingham Forest transfer news on Douglas Luiz, Arnaud Kalimuendo, Omari Hutchinson and James McAtee. James also breaks down two of the goals from Sunday's 3-1 win over Brentford, plus we look at Forest's increased possession stats and ask if that is going to be the way the team plays now. James also discusses his time playing alongside Elliot Anderson at Bristol Rovers as they went from the lower reaches of League Two to winning promotion with Anderson their outstanding player. James explains why he would have Anderson ahead of Morgan Gibbs-White if he could only pick one player. We also discuss the possibility of Luiz joining from Juventus and ask if it is a risky deal for Forest. Finally, we discuss the aborted minute's silence for Diogo Jota and his brother before the Brentford game thanks to the pretty disgraceful actions of one Forest fan. #nffc #nottinghamforest

Send us a textEpisode 294 - The Fly Fishing DuoI meet up with Ewan and Millie to fish the River Wye in Derbyshire and talk about what fly fishing means to them.They are young and hugely passionate about our pastime and spend their working hours dreaming about going to the river.I get the chance to see fly fishing through their eyes and how it looks to them.They are both skilled anglers who catch some fish while we are talking.I often worry we live in a world that is dominated by social media and the lengths some will go to for a Like or the dream of sponsorship but they aren't interested in any of this. All they want to do is to try and introduce people of their age group to something that means so much to them.

Matt Davies is joined by Seb Hutchinson as he prepares to commentate on Nottingham Forest's Premier League opener against Brentford on Sunday for Sky Sports. We'll preview that game and discuss the CAS verdict which saw Nottingham Forest play in the Europa League at the expense of Crystal Palace. We also talk transfers as Forest look set to sign James McAtee from Manchester City and assess the state of the squad as Dan Ndoye replaces Anthony Elanga while Morgan Gibbs-White is staying and not going on strike, unlike Alexander Isak, which we also mention. #NFFC #nottinghamforest

Welcome back to The Rams review podcast, 2nd pod of the week on the build up to the new season.Cory & Jack are joined by expert Gab Sutton to discuss The Championship season 2025/26. Who will get promoted? Who is a dark horse? Who is destined for relegation? We discuss this & more.Then Jack & Nigel sat down with Derbyshire live reporter Leigh Curtis to discuss all the major talking points & preview the upcoming season for The Rams. Which signings have impressed the most? Who could leave? Is investment on the horizon. Thankyou for listening, we would love to hear from you soplease follow us & join in on socials,Facebook Rams Review PodcastX RamsReview1Email Ramsreview@hotmail.comDon't forget we also have a YouTube channel The Rams ReviewPodcast please like & subscribe.Thanks again & Up The Rams!

Nottingham Forest take on Serie A side Fiorentina at the City Ground tonight in their penultimate pre-season friendly. We'll discuss the game in full as well as reported interest in RB Salzburg midfielder Mads Bidstrup and new shirt sponsor, casino firm Bally's. Matt Davies is joined by Greg Mitchell, Pete Blackburn and former Reds midfielder Lewis McGugan. #nffc #nottinghamforest

It's the turn of Karen in Mawsley and Rosi in Derbyshire to give it a go!

In this episode, we examine the case of Tania Moore, a 26-year-old riding instructor from the Derbyshire village of Alkmonton. After the end of a relationship, she became the target of a sustained campaign of harassment and intimidation. Despite repeated warnings, the response from police left her increasingly exposed. Join us as we explore the failures that left her without protection and the tragedy that followed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we open the creaking doors of the courtroom to the world of the supernatural. From Adele's eerily unsellable former home to 16th-century French tenants suing over ghostly disturbances, we explore how hauntings have—quite literally—made their case in court. Why do ghost stories grip us so tightly? Perhaps it's because they invade our safest spaces—our homes—and then, to make sense of the chaos, we drag them before the law.We delve into notorious legal disputes where phantoms played leading roles—from 19th-century mediums manipulating wills, to infamous murder houses cloaked in silence, to the one time New York's highest court ruled that a house was legally haunted. Whether it's a spectral milkmaid in Derbyshire or a ghost with pig-like eyes, the courtroom becomes the ultimate ghost story arena—where belief, fear, and justice meet.So grab your gavel (and your sage) as we ask: Can a ghost reduce your rent? Should sellers disclose hauntings? And most chillingly—what happens when the law declares a haunting... real?My Special Guest Is Naomi Ryan  Naomi Ryan is a criminal barrister and lover of all things macabre. After qualifying with a Masters in Law from St Catherine's College, Oxford, she taught criminal law to undergraduates at St Hilda's College Oxford and University College London before embarking on her career as a criminal barrister, where she both prosecuted and defended. She later moved into the Civil Service, where she has advised an array of senior government and legal figures on matters of constitutional, public and criminal law. She continues to work as an advisory lawyer whilst regularly giving talks about the darker side of legal history.In this episode, you will be able to: 1. Uncover real-life legal battles involving haunted houses—from 16th-century France to modern-day England and the US2. Explore how courts have ruled on ghostly claims, from rent reductions to cancelled house salesIf you value this podcast and want to enjoy more episodes please come and find us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/Haunted_History_Chronicles⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠to ⁠support the podcast, gain a wealth of additional exclusive podcasts, writing and other content.Links to all Haunted History Chronicles Social Media Pages, Published Materials and more:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/hauntedhistorychronicles?fbclid=IwAR15rJF2m9nJ0HTXm27HZ3QQ2Llz46E0UpdWv-zePVn9Oj9Q8rdYaZsR74I⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NEW Podcast Shop:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.teepublic.com/user/haunted-history-chronicles⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy Me A Coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/hauntedhistorychronicles⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Guest Links⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram:⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/spooky_barrister?igsh=MXIzOTFzd2NhbmFzaQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr⁠

Nottingham Forest drew 0-0 with Estoril in their latest pre-season friendly. We discuss the game in full as well the news that Forest will not know which European competition they will be in until August 11, just a week before the season starts, after the Court for Arbitration in Sport announced when a date for Crystal Palace's appeal. Finally we talk about the imminent arrival of Dan Ndoye, the possible arrival of Adama Traore and whether to up the bid for James McAtee. Matt Davies is joined by Chris Aylmer, Greg Mitchell and Paul Morley. #nffc

My guest this week is Stephen Willoughby, who studied Theology at Lampeter between 1984 and 1987. After university, Stephen's path took a technical turn – he became a computer operator and later completed an MSc in Computer Science at Aberystwyth, a journey that reflects a broadening of Stephen's skills. Stephen now works in quality assurance and holds a PhD in a related field. Originally from Orpington in Kent, he now lives in Derbyshire. Stephen has had a lifelong passion for radio, sparked on his 7th birthday when he received his first radio set. He was captivated early on by classical music and Radio 3, but it was Radio 2 in the 1980s that gave him a window into the wider world. He's steeped in the station's history and recalls listening to Alan Dell on Sunday afternoons, including the public reaction when there was talk of Dell leaving the airwaves. We discuss the magic of live radio, the days when Radios 1 and 2 shared the FM frequency, and the role of DJs like David Hamilton—who used to include the pop charts in his Tuesday afternoon Radio 2 shows. Stephen also shares which stations he listens to today, including Boom Radio, and reflects on whether he's more of a looking back or a forward-looking person.

Send us a textIn the heart of the Derbyshire countryside - in the picturesque market town of Belper - there's a bizarre story unfolding in the run-up to the annual Pride parade.First established in 2019, Pride in Belper now boasts that it's the largest Pride celebration n the county, attracting around 11,000 people.  The event committee have a strong community presence - their mantra is inclusivity and diversity - and many local schools and businesses are involved in decking the town in rainbows.So you'd expect Pride in Belper would be the perfect event to promote a social group for local lesbians, gay and bisexual people. Apparently not - Pride in Belper have banned the local LGB Alliance Friend's group from having a stall at this year's Pride celebration. We sat down with Michelle to find out why….If you enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to hear more, go to womensrights.network/wrn-podcast to listen, download and subscribe to more of our episodes. And if you'd like to join our conversations, go to womensrights.network/join-wrn

Matt Davies is joined by BBC Radio Nottingham's David Jackson to discuss the latest Nottingham Forest news. We discuss their pursuit of Dan Ndoye as Napoli lodge a bid for the Bologna forward. We also address the challenges Forest face in landing their targets, the state of the squad, Morgan Gibbs-White, Crystal Palace and stair lifts. #nffc #nottinghamforest

Peter in Derbyshire and Ade in Manchester go head-to-head in the mighty quiz!

Emma Derbyshire & Brittany Jarman — Agency vs. In-House: Why Communication Wins Every Time Agency or in-house? Oh, here we go again. A debate that refuses to die, fueled by LinkedIn posts, bad experiences, and the occasional horror story. But here's the truth: it's not versus. It's not a fight. It's a partnership. Poor communication kills partnerships. Lack of trust kills growth. Bad vibes? They'll sink you. Emma & Britt take over the podcast this week to show you how to make agency + in-house collaboration thrive. Emma Derbyshire & Brittany Jarman Agency vs. in-house marketing. In this episode, Emma and Britt-two of eCom@One's star strategists-take us through one of the most hotly debated topics in eCommerce and shine a light on what really drives successful growth: clear communication, collaboration, and knowing which model fits your stage of business. Fresh from a panel at IRX where Emma faced three senior eCom managers, they share what surprised them most: not one of the retailers had a true horror story with an agency. Instead, they all agreed that strong communication was the biggest factor in success. They explore the pros and cons of in-house, agency, freelancer, and hybrid models, and explain why hybrid often hits the sweet spot for growth. Along the way, they bust myths about cost, control, and the “us vs. them” mentality, and show why agencies that share knowledge with their clients are the ones you want to work with. Whether you're scaling fast, feeling burned by a bad experience, or just figuring out what comes next, this episode is packed with honest insights and practical advice to help you choose the right path and build better partnerships. Listen to the full episode now, and don't forget to vote on who wore the outfit best. Topics Covered 00:04 — Introduction: Why agency vs. in-house is still a hot debate 01:32 — Panel recap: Communication comes up as the #1 success factor 04:52 — Why communication must go both ways — brands have to share too 06:15 — Busting the myth of endless “agency horror stories” 08:39 — How good agencies upskill in-house teams instead of gatekeeping 11:39 — How brands really choose agencies: trust, word-of-mouth, and good vibes 15:10 — The three models explained: freelancers, full in-house, hybrid — and when to use each 26:31 — Myth-busting: agencies are too expensive, in-house equals more control, and why it's not “us vs. them” 37:44 — Key takeaways: communication, collaboration, and choosing the right model for your growth phase 39:13 — Emma's advice for ambitious brands looking to scale

We're back with The Return of the Seven, as the lads find themselves foreigners in their own country, renovating a stately home in Derbyshire before heading off to another dodgy job in sunny Spain. Series 2 brings us brilliant new characters like the crooked Ally Fraser and the unforgettable Arthur 'Tiger' Pringle. We spotlight Oz's finest moments, celebrate Tim Spall's standout performance as Barry, and revisit some of the series' most memorable scenes.

Matt Davies is joined by one of the people most synonymous with Nottingham Forest this century in Andy Reid. We discuss his early days with Forest, coaching, his current role, next season and finish with some quick fire questions. #nffc #nottinghamforest

A bright April day has dawned in Derbyshire earlier in the spring. The air is unusually still for this time of year and this upland location. At just under a thousand feet barely a breeze is ruffling the trees surrounding the mics. These are the same trees that can be heard so powerfully in episode 250 - Moorland trees in mid-winter gales.  Far across the valley, stretching from far left to far right of scene, a country road threads its way over the moors. It links the small Derbyshire town of Whaley Bridge to the busier Cheshire town of Macclesfield about seven miles away. Due to a major land slip and road closure on the next valley, there is less traffic, though you can hear occasional cars threading the tarmac way through the landscape from time to time.   Mid left down the field, a woodpecker. In the same copse, a song thrush. From different points in the mid-distance seesawing great tits. Wrens too, and wood pigeons, and a chif chaf, and a pheasant.  Deep in the valley, geese can be heard over the reservoir. What made this segment of the overnight recording feel special though was the blackbird.  As time passes the blackbird lands on a branch of the apple tree directly above the Lento box, and sings so sonorously. And then does it again, as if it knows how special it is to witness a singing blackbird so close. 

fWotD Episode 2990: Holkham Hall Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Saturday, 12 July 2025, is Holkham Hall.Holkham Hall ( or ) is an 18th-century country house near the village of Holkham, Norfolk, England, constructed in the Neo-Palladian style for Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester (of the fifth creation of the title). The hall was designed by the architect William Kent, with contributions from Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, the Norfolk architect and surveyor, Matthew Brettingham and Thomas Coke himself.Holkham is one of England's finest examples of the Palladian revival style of architecture, and the severity of its design is closer to Andrea Palladio's ideals than many of the other numerous Palladian style houses of the period. The exterior consists of a central block, of two storeys and constructed of brick, and four flanking wings. The interior of the hall is opulent, but by the standards of the day, simply decorated and furnished. Ornament is used with such restraint that it was possible to decorate both private and state rooms in the same style, without oppressing the former. The principal entrance is through the Marble Hall, which is in fact made of pink Derbyshire alabaster; this leads to the piano nobile, or the first floor, and state rooms. The most impressive of these rooms is the Saloon, which has walls lined with red velvet. Each of the major state rooms is symmetrical in its layout and design; in some rooms, false doors are necessary to fully achieve this balanced effect. The four pavilions at each corner of the central block provide space for private, family accommodation, a guest wing, a chapel and the kitchens. The question of who designed Holkham has challenged architectural historians, and contemporaries, almost since the time of the hall's construction. The clerk-of-works, Matthew Brettingham, claimed authorship when he published The Plans, Elevations and Sections, of Holkham in Norfolk in 1761. This claim was immediately challenged by Horace Walpole, who attributed the designs to William Kent. Brettingham's son, Matthew the Younger, acknowledged in a later addition of his father's work that, "the general idea [for Holkham] was first struck out by the Earls of Leicester and Burlington, assisted by Mr. William Kent". Later historians have debated the exact contributions of Burlington, and of Coke himself, with those writing in the early 20th century generally downplaying the roles of both, while those writing later in the 20th and in the 21st centuries have found evidence of greater involvement, at least of Coke. The exact role Brettingham played in the origination, rather than the execution, of the design remains uncertain. The Holkham estate was built up by Sir Edward Coke, a lawyer in the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I and VI and the founder of his family's fortune. It remains the ancestral home of the Coke family, who became Earls of Leicester. The house is a Grade I listed building, and its park is listed, also at Grade I, on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:45 UTC on Saturday, 12 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Holkham Hall on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Aditi.

Anthony Elanga is set to leave Nottingham Forest for Newcastle United (although this podcast was recorded before that news broke so you might want to skip from 6mins 30secs to 12mins or so). When he does go they will need a top quality replacement and at least one more winger with Ramon Sosa on the brink of joining Palmerias. With that in mind, Pete Blackburn and Dan Cook have picked out eight possible new arrivals. Johan Bakayoko and Malick Fofana are on the list and have already been linked but we have some alternatives who haven't been considered at all. We also discuss the news former Arsenal man Edu has officially joined Nottingham Forest and the wider group under Evangelos Marinakis. #nffc

Aaron Derbyshire was a 22 year old from Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. He was an engineer who everyone viewed as a really good guy. On Sept. 29, 2005, Aaron went out with co-workers to a club. While there, they lost contact with Aaron. He was never seen again. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068020390034 Website: https://theunfoundpodcast.com/2025/07/02/aaron-derbyshire-how-can-it-be/ Article: https://www.kelownacapnews.com/local-news/kelowna-parents-still-searching-for-son-who-vanished-nearly-20-years-ago-7595581 If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Aaron Derbyshire, please contact the RCMP at  250-762-3300. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

‘…I opened my eyes….I used to think it was all hocus-pocus, but not anymore!!!'Lud's Church, Derbyshire, Great Britain – episode 18 season 1 To help support the channel & get exclusive videos every week sign up to Neil Oliver on Patreon.comhttps://www.patreon.com/neiloliver To Donate, go to Neil's Website:https://www.neiloliver.com Shop:https://neil-oliver.creator-spring.com YouTube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@Neil-Oliver Rumble site – Neil Oliver Official:https://rumble.com/c/c-6293844 Instagram - NeilOliverLoveLetter:https://www.instagram.com/neiloliverloveletter Podcasts:Season 1: Neil Oliver's Love Letter To The British IslesSeason 2: Neil Oliver's Love Letter To The WorldAvailable on all the usual providershttps://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/neil-olivers-love-letter-to-the-british-isles #NeilOliver #Lud'sChurch #Derbyshire #persecution #Lollards #Angels #England #Britishisles #ghosts #hauntings #history #neiloliverGBNews #travel #culture #ancient #historyfact #explore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Davies is joined by Henry Winter after he covered England Under-21s European Championship win in Slovakia. We discuss Elliot Anderson in depth after Henry was hugely impressed with the Nottingham Forest midfielder. We also touch on how next season's Premier League will look as clubs start to make transfers. #nffc #nottinghamforest

Hello there everyone! Exciting news: the ninth season of the British Food History Podcast will return on 9th July 2025.I have been busy collecting an eclectic range conversations for a baker's dozen of episodes on topics such as bread and bakers, black and white pudding, Irish beer, Derbyshire oatcakes, dining and porcelain, and Bronze Age food and foodways.If you have any comments questions or queries regarding any episode please contact me or leave a message on social media. There will be a postbag episode at the end of season, so please contact me: email me at neil@britishfoodhistory.com, or message me on on twitter and BlueSky @neilbuttery, or Instagram and Threads dr_neil_buttery. My DMs are open. You can also join the British Food: a History Facebook discussion page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/britishfoodhistory

Nottingham Forest have rejected a £45m bid from Newcastle United as they reportedly value the winger at £60m. Matt Davies is joined by Forest fan and Nottinghamshire cricket legend Samit Patel for a different interview than the one planned as we also discuss Forest's reported interest in Jordan Henderson and the wider transfer plan, plus the news Neco Williams is set to sign a new deal until 2029. Meanwhile, Lyon have been relegated to Ligue 2 by the French Football Federation. That could have a big impact on Forest as they planned to sell Danilo and Matt Turner to the debt ridden French giants. #nffc #nottinghamforest

We're on a break at the moment to plan, research, and write all sorts of things, but, to fill the gap, this is the first of two new compilation episodes containing a trio of stories from across our earlier series. We have entitled this episode “Three Monsters” because these are tales about seemingly inhuman creatures from English folklore with decidedly ill-intent. They are our second-lap Derbyshire story, Crooker, and our recent Wiltshire story, The Old Creature, and our recent Lincolnshire story, Nanny Rutt – and much love to Dr Rory Waterman, whose own take on Nanny Rutt appears in his recent poetry collection Come Here To This Gate which Martin and I both heartily recommend.We really hope you enjoy them, and will be back on Monday with our next Lang Fairy Tale! The Three Ravens is an English Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on one of England's 39 historic counties, exploring the history, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, the pair take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.With a range of exclusive content on Patreon, too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Davies is joined by soon to be former Nottingham Forest defender Harry Toffolo to discuss the highs and lows of his three years at the club, what Forest means to him, missing out on the Champions League and what is next for him. #nffc #nottinghamforest

In this second episode of our Witches, Cunning Folk & Magic theme, I'm talking to Willow Winsham, an author and historian specialising in folklore, and the history of the English witch trials. Her books include the highly popular Treasury of Folklore series from Batsford Books, and Accused: British Witches Throughout History from Pen and Sword Books. Her passion for uncovering fascinating topics and dedication to impeccable research guarantees an accessible and engaging read, whatever the subject. Willow is also co-founder of #FolkloreThursday, the popular website and social media phenomenon dedicated to sharing folklore, fairytales and traditions from across the globe. When not writing, Willow spends her time crocheting, delving into family history research, and indulging an ever-growing board game habit. She lives in Derbyshire with her three children and two British Shorthair cats. In this chat, we talk about how witches appear in history, why there is such an ongoing fascination with the witch, and Helen Duncan, the last woman tried under the 1735 Witchcraft Act! Order The Story of Witches: Folklore, History and Superstition: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/12992/9781849949064 Find Willow on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/willowwinsham.bsky.social Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

In the year 1795, in the secluded Derbyshire town of Barford, a stranger settles into the old White House. He renovates it handsomely, pays every bill on time, and quickly wins the friendship of the local squire and his daughter. Among the hunting gentry, he seems to fit right in. But this is a story of the hunting gentry—and the secrets they don't know, and the things people do when no one is looking. The Squire's Story is a Gothic tale by Elizabeth Gaskell, first published in Household Words in 1853. Known for Cranford and North and South, Gaskell here turns her subtle realism to darker terrain.

Matt Davies is joined by the BBC's chief football commentator Guy Mowbray on today's show. We discuss Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner being on the brink of a move to Lyon, Morgan Gibbs-White being linked with a transfer to the Saudi Pro League and Forest reportedly writing to UEFA over with regards to Crystal Palace's place in the Europa League. #NFFC #nottinghamforest

It's fair to say I've developed something of an obsession with Theakston's Old Peculier. Ever since deputy ed. Katie Mather and I sat down and had a couple of pints in Manchester's The Salisbury a year or so ago, it's become a cornerstone of my drinking habits. Katie went on to write a very fine profile of this majestic beer, and following that the brewery reached out and invited me to the brewery for a tour. Politely, I asked if, while there, I'd be able to record an interview with its former managing director, now chair, Simon Theakston. His wing of the family acquired the brewery from previous owners Heineken in 2003, bringing it back under family control for the first time since 1987. Simon and his brothers share the same grandfather as would-be heir, Paul Theakston, who in 1993, seemingly in defiance at his family brewery's loss of independence, founded Black Sheep Brewery (which has now entered its own tumultuous phase.)To my delight, they agreed, but getting to the brewery itself was an issue. I don't drive, and the market town of Masham, North Yorkshire, where the brewery is located, is a fair way from the nearest train station. Thankfully the brewery found a solution. Current MD Richard Bradbury offered to pick me up from Sheffield station, as he commuted to work from his home in Derbyshire. This gave me a great opportunity to chat to Richard about his own background—how his career started at Bank's in his home of Wolverhampton, and how he worked on various Heineken brands before landing the role at Theakstons—during the drive over. Richard also kindly agreed to sit in on the podcast, and he shares some useful perspective within.What was most interesting about meeting and chatting to Simon himself, was explaining to him my aims and intent, and what Pellicle is all about. He seemed genuinely thrilled that our young magazine is so dedicated towards the coverage of cask beer, and afterwards kindly allowed me to ask questions at will—including, yes, about beer duty and the Small Brewers Duty Reform Coalition (SBDRC). Simon also gave me an in depth tour of the brewery, including a look at its vintage (and that's an understatement) grain mill, and the famous Steel's masher that helps contribute towards the unique character of Theakston's ales. My favourite part of the tour—other than when Simon poured me a pint of Old Peculier from the wood—was the fermentation room. Here in this corridor lined with open Yorkshire squares, the unmistakable aroma of Old Peculier was at its most potent. I also got to have a peek inside the cooperage, where in house journeyman cooper Euan Findlay builds the very casks that dispense this hallowed beer. During the interview we get into all the good stuff, including the history of the brewery, and its current objectives as an old brewery in a very different market. We also dig into a bit of beer politics. It's a very satisfying conversation, and one I hope you enjoy as much as I have done cutting it together. If you do enjoy this episode, do consider leaving the podcast a rating or review in the app you use to stream it, and sharing it with any friends who you think might find it interesting. We're able to produce The Pellicle Podcast directly thanks to our Patreon subscribers, and our sponsors Loughran Brewers Select. If you're enjoying this podcast, or the weekly articles we publish, please consider taking out a monthly subscription for less than the price of a pint a month.

Hello dearest ear-owners and welcome to Front End Chatter, source of the most significant soundwaves in British motorcycling since the feral howl of a raging Norton rotary haunted the quiet coastal village of Kirk Michael, or since the words "Go on then, I'll 'ave it" slipped breathlessly from the lips of a Derbyshire-born property developer attending the auction of a defunct motorcycle factory. In this aural delight of an episode, Simon and Mufga regale themselves with a recap of the spectacularly special Highland Fling tours (so good they did them twice), along with: • Loadsa goss about Triumph's Tiger Sport 800 and BMW's R1300GS Adventure having covered 3000 miles apiece • Why MotoGP might be getting interesting again, and why the TT continues to fascinate every corner of the country for more than a century • The forced-induction fabulousness that was the Bennetts Supercharged Showdown, where 50-plus Kawasaki H2 owners took over an empty runway • Simon gets a taste of Ducati's £16,000 Streetfighter V2S • Martin gets a taste of Voge's £6,000(ish) DS625X • The latest facts, news, rumours and baseless speculation regarding Bajaj's takeover of KTM, and what it might mean for the future • FECsack correspondence covering classic sports-tourers for young riders, the dubious bargains of Facebook Marketplace, how media gets hold of the bikes they test, bikes with undeserved reputations, the best British five-day biking tour, and more… Thank you, one and all, for continuing to allow us to tickle your tympanic membranes - and enormously gigantical appreciations to Bennetts, Britain's best bike insurers. Be sure to get a quote direct from Bennetts the next time you need motorcycle insurance, and be even more sure to check out bikesocial.co.uk for all the best bike news and product reviews on the interwebs. Continue to catch him and the other one on the socials (@simonhbikes & @mufga or something like that), and let us know where to take future FEC tours on anything@frontendchatter.com Until next time!

In this thought-provoking episode, we delve into the controversy surrounding the name Lucifer, as chosen by Dan and Mandy Sheldon for their newborn son. The couple from Chesterfield, Derbyshire, faced unexpected resistance when a registrar at Derbyshire County Council attempted to dissuade them from registering the name, citing its association with the Devil and potential future challenges for their child. Despite the registrar's objections, the Sheldons stood firm, emphasizing that in Greek, Lucifer means "light-bringer" or "morning star," and they were not motivated by religious connotations.Watch Dan's Interview on “This Morning”Hexoskin Smart ShirtThis Week's Featured Hashtag#WhatsMusicToMyEarsSend a text to The Ebone Zone! Support the showIf you have questions or comments email ebonezonepodcast@yahoo.com Follow the Ebone Zone on Twitter: https://twitter.com/OfficialEBZLike the Ebone Zone on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ebonezoneofficial/Visit www.ebonezone.com for more content!

In this cozy, creative episode, I'm joined by the magical Laura Derbyshire — witch, writer, and creator of The Handmade Grimoire — to talk all things paper, spellcraft, and sacred storytelling. Together, we explore: ✨ What makes a grimoire truly yours