Podcasts about Highclere

Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your hosts are Paul Marden and Oz Austwick.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website rubbercheese.com/podcast.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned in this podcast.Competition ends on 25th September 2024. The winner will be contacted via Twitter. Show references: https://www.monkey-forest.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-torlop-261a10119/ Josh is a passionate marketer and PR professional currently working at Trentham Monkey Forest in Staffordshire. As the sole member of the Marketing & PR team, he manages, oversees, and delivers all communication strategies for one of the UK's most fascinating woodlands. This unique role requires him to wear many hats, as he strives to create best-in-class campaigns across multiple fronts.Trentham Monkey Forest is unlike any other place in the UK. It's a 60-acre woodland where 140 Barbary macaques live freely, mirroring their natural habitat. This distinct feature is the heart of the attraction, and Josh is driven to share this "sparkle" with as many people as possible, all while working within a modest budget. A visit to the forest, which Josh first experienced with his aunt in 2007 as a child, left a lasting impression on him. Now, he aims to ensure that visitors create similarly special and lasting memories at this remarkable destination, all for an affordable entry fee—an essential element of his marketing strategy.In 2024, Monkey Forest reached a record-breaking year for footfall, and as the year draws to a close, Josh has been collaborating with Oz on creating 'out of the box' campaigns that break the 'fourth wall' between the brand and the consumer. Reflecting on a PR stunt he strategized and executed in 2022, which went globally viral and reached hundreds of millions worldwide, Josh considers it a personal career highlight. His enthusiasm for being a one-man marketing team at such a unique destination continues to fuel his innovative and ambitious approach. Transcription:  Paul Marden: Welcome to Skip the Queue, a podcast for people working in and working with visitor attractions. I'm your host, Paul Marden. So welcome to Season 6. Oz Austwick: Yeah, welcome back. Paul Marden: How are we back already? Because it feels like only yesterday were recording the tail end of season five. So where's my summer break? It just seems to have gone. Oz Austwick: It does seem a little bit like we've not really had much time off. We must have. Must have had a bit of a break. Paul Marden: Yes, absolutely. Because I've got a list. As long as you are, of all the places that I've been over the summer holidays, where have you been? Oz Austwick: Like you? Lots of places. Lots of castles, a few stately homes and one or two more unusual places. But I think if I had to pick one, I went to Highclere. Oz Austwick: Okay. I love it. I'm a massive Downton Abbey fan. I tried so hard not to like Downton Abbey and just utterly failed and got sucked into this wonderful world of 1920s stately home. The lives going on upstairs and down. And you know what? It's just such a good series and to go and experience the place and see all these wonderful familiar areas with my 15 year old daughter, who is even more of a fan than me, was just amazing. Paul Marden: Brilliant. Oz Austwick: We might just have been blaring theme music out of the car on the way down the drive. How about you? Paul Marden: So where have I been? We went to We The Curious back in Bristol, which has just reopened after two years of being closed. And that was just amazing. I took my daughter there with two of her friends and we had a whale of time wandering around there. We've been to the Roman Baths down in Bath. That was quite fun. That was a very hot day, but we had a lovely time just wandering around in the baths. We really enjoyed that. The one standout thing that I did that does not come around very often, where it comes around once every four years. We went to the Olympics, so went and experienced handball of all games. Never watched a handball game in my life, but it was amazing. It was just so much fun. Oz Austwick: I don't think I know anything about handball. Paul Marden: Well, I was expecting something a bit like basketball or netball. No, not at all. No. This was full on contact sport. It's like rugby, but inside and throwing people around. It was awesome. It was so fast paced. We saw it was France v Germany, so it was absolutely stacked in the stadium. But they captured the spirit of London 2012. It felt just like the part, the atmosphere that we felt when went to the main stadium, the athletic stadium during 2012 but with a french twist. Oz Austwick: Not your first Olympics, then? Paul Marden: No, not my first. But I didn't see Usain Bolt this time. I did see him 2012. He was only about a spec on the other side of the stadium at the time, but no, we had a great time and there was just so much about the way that they organised it. It's a feat of human engineering, isn't it, to put that on for two weeks stint. But they organised it so well and yeah, it was thoroughly enjoyable. Oz Austwick: So, speaking of events, we're going to one pretty soon, aren't we? I mean, it's not quite on the scale of the Olympics, but it's going to be glorious all the same. Paul Marden: Yes. So this will be my third National Theme Park Awards. I promise this year not to scream quite so loudly if I actually go one of the roller coasters whilst we're there. Oz Austwick: Well, I'm going with you, so I will record it. Paul Marden: I promise you. I screamed like a marine last year. Oz Austwick: Yeah. So we'll be there. We're there officially as Rubber Cheese, aren't we? So, yes, if you're there, come over and say hi, we've got a stall, I think a stand and we might have some freebies. We'll definitely have some chocolates because it's a good excuse to have some chocolates. So come and find us and have some chocolates with us. Paul Marden: Yeah, absolutely. But, you know, it's an in real life experience, so come over and talk to us, give us your ideas. What can we do this season and what would you like us to talk about? Can we come to see ewing at your theme park? Oz Austwick: Yeah, because we're doing a bit of that this season, aren't we? We've got a few lined up. Paul Marden: We do. We do. It was something that you said last at the end of Season 5 that you wanted to do differently, that we work in this attraction sector which is all about going and doing experiences and we spend the whole of the podcast sat in a square room with nothing much going on and without actually meeting people in real life. And wouldn't it be wonderful if we could actually record in real life with people? Oz Austwick: It's crazy not to. We're talking to people at these amazing places and I just get to sit in my own dodgy little converted office. But not this time. No. So you met a chap a little while ago at a conference, didn't you? Paul Marden: Yeah, I met Josh from Trentham Monkey Forest, and he was presenting. I think if I'm right in saying this, it was the first time h. e's done a presentation at conference before, but I was blown away by him and his presentation, and he's a one man marketing machine for Trentham from his own slide. He tells this story about being the CMO and the social media executive and the website editor and all of these different hats that. That you have to wear when you're running marquee in a small business. That's Josh, and I just loved it. And I was really impressed with the way he was talking about the outcomes of what he had achieved as a result of the work that he was doing. It wasn't just about the activities that he was doing. Paul Marden: It was what difference that made to the organization as a result of him doing it, which I found really impressive. So I really wanted him on the podcast, and I jumped on a call with him and. And his first idea was, why don't you come and record it in the Monkey Forest? So here we are at the start of Season 6, and you've had a chance to go up there, haven't you? Oz Austwick: Yeah. I mean, it is a little ironic that my favorite podcast. Sorry, my second favourite podcast, because obviously this is my favourite. My second favourite podcast is the Infinite Monkey Cage. So to get to go and record in what is essentially a cage with monkeys in itheme seemed like way too good an opportunity to pass up on. It was an amazing day. I try not to say too much about it because we've got the whole interview to come. Paul Marden: Absolutely. But I'm assuming that everything went slickly and it was a well oiled machine and it's got the same production values as we would normally expect. Oz Austwick: No, not at all. I mean, I realised that there was potentially an issue when we. I got there and I found the place really easily. It was great. It was nicely signposted. I found the right place. The people in the car parks were hugely helpful. They sent me there. I parked up, a lovely lady took me to Josh. We got all the gear. We walked quite a long way into a forest full of monkeys, and then I realised I didn't have a camera with me. And of course, it's not an easy thing to go because we couldn't just leave all the gear with the monkeys and both walk back. But because I wasn't wearing official Trentham Monkey Forest clothing, they didn't want people to see me walking around in the woods off the path. So it became quite. Oz Austwick: So we figured it out, got the camera, got back, started setting everything up, and of course, because we're not sitting at desks I've got a lovely microphone that I wanted to put out in front of us, but you can't string a cable across a large open area where there are monkeys. Paul Marden: Health and safety issues with monkeys. Oz Austwick: Yeah, well, absolutely. The fact is, I mean, we could have done it, but the monkeys would have probably just taken the microphone away. So there is, if I'm being honest, a little bit of wind noise because the microphone's slightly further from us than I hoped it would be. I've got Josh miked up, so it's only me that you struggle to hear. But that being said, I mean, what an amazing experience if you haven't been to Trentham Monkey Forest, go. We've talked about this a little before, but there's this kind of period, 100, 120 years ago when all of the great historic homes, these are amazing estates, suddenly started having to find other ways of making money. And you can look around and some of them have survived and some of them haven't. Some of them have just gone completely. Oz Austwick: Some were turned into flats and one was turned into a monkey forest, which just feels a little bit random. But, yeah, I mean, Josh is a really smart guy, very switched on, very articulate and very knowledgeable, and he's got his own monkey army. So. Paul Marden: I've got nothing to say to that other than we desperately got to listen to the rest of this interview. It's going to be so interesting. Oz Austwick: Yeah, well, absolutely. But before we do, if you're listening and you have a thing going on and you'd like us to come and be part of it and record there, please do get in touch and let us know if you're doing something interesting in the visitor attraction sector. We'd love to talk to you. Or if there's just a pressing issue that you think isn't getting the exposure that it should be, then, yeah, let us know, because this isn't really about us, it's about the sector. And if we can help, then that would be amazing. Paul Marden: Yeah. So we've got lined up for this season. We're going to do some in real life at conferences. So we're going to go to ASDC conference and do some in real life interviews there. We've been invited to some attractions already. So, you know, if you've got a conference and you'd love us to come along and do something in real life for the podcast, let us know if you'd like us to come to your attraction because you're running an event for Halloween or Christmas or whatever it is then let us know. We will chuckle the gear in the back of a car. We promise we will better prepared if we meet monkeys again. Can't promise that we'll better prepared for other animals or small children or whatever, but, you know, we'll do our best. Oz Austwick: Yeah, I mean, I'd be hesitant and promising I'd be more prepared, to be honest with you, but, you know, we'll do our best and we'll come up. Oz Austwick: With something on at the end of it, I'm sure. Paul Marden: Yeah, exactly. So, without any further ado, shall we get on to listening to the interview that you did with. With Josh athlete at Trenton Monkey forest? Oz Austwick: So welcome, Josh. Thanks very much for joining us. Regular listeners will probably be aware of a bit of wind noise on this one because for the first time, we're recording on location in a monkey forest. Josh Torlop: Yeah, it's the first time for me to be honest, because I'm just looking across our forest here and we've got three or four monkeys surrounding us. Oz Austwick: Yeah, I must admit it's a little bit odd, if I'm being honest. I'm used to sitting in an office, at a desk, and today I'm leaning on a tree surrounded by monkeys. Josh Torlop: It's giving me a little bit of power here. I'm not the host and I'm making you feel uncomfortable with these monkeys around us, but no, yeah, we're perfectly fine. The monkeys have their natural weariness intact of humans, so they won't bother us too much. They will simply live their monkey life around us. Oz Austwick: If you're listening to this on Spotify or through iTunes or anything like that, then please check out the YouTube video and you'll be able to see some of the monkeys that are currently watching us. So, as always, we tend to start with a couple of icebreaker questions. And now we're in Season 6, that's not going to change anytime soon. So I've got a couple of kind off the wall questions for you. Josh Torlop: Oh, here we go. Oz Austwick: What's the biggest animal that you think you could carry up a flight of stairs? Josh Torlop: Oh, that's a good question. So, when I was younger, I had a Labrador called Tommy who had a bit of a gut. Oz Austwick: Okay. Josh Torlop: So I'd say I'd carry Tommy, and that might be a very boring answer, but he could eat anything. We had two labradors, one called Blake and one called Tommy. And Tommy used to finish his food and eat Blake's food, so I would say Tommy. Oz Austwick: Okay, cool. Yeah, I reckon. I think you could carry a labrador. The next one is what film should be remade by the Muppets. Josh Torlop: Oh, that's an interesting one, isn't it? Oz Austwick: Yeah. Josh Torlop: The Wolf of Wall Street. I'd love to see Kim the frog take on Wall street. How good would that be? Oz Austwick: That would be amazing. Josh Torlop: Yeah, that would be perfect. Because Margot Robbie's blonde. Miss Piggy was blonde. Not to say that Margot Robbie looks at all like Miss Piggy, but that's. Yeah, that'd work. Oz Austwick: I doubt she's a listener, if I can. So one of the things I really want to talk to you about, other than that this venue, which is quite unique, at least in the UK, is the challenges of being a one man marketing team. Oz Austwick: Let's start off. Just tell me a little bit about the monkey forest and how it became a thing. Josh Torlop: Yeah, certainly. So, Trentham Monkey Forest is one of four parks protecting Barbary macaques. That is a highly endangered species of primate. So there's less than 8000 in the wild. So we have two parks in France, one in Germany and one here in Staffordshire. Stokend Trentham Monkey Forest. And it started all the way back in 1969 in Kinzheim in the Alsace region. Listeners might remember Beauty and the Beast. That's where the town was famously sort of depicted. Oh, yeah, there we go. Yeah. Back to the Muppets. Well, yeah. But in terms of our journey, if you will, it was two french chaps, one called Jack Trinau and one called Gilbert de turquine, that basically sought this mission to protect this incredible species, monkey called Barbary macaques. Josh Torlop: So they wanted to create this fantastic concept where around 100 monkeys, 100 to 150, could simply be themselves in a forest completely, no interference from humans, in a way where it would be able to preserve the natural behaviours in order to facilitate possible reintroduction. Oz Austwick: Okay. Josh Torlop: So it was an incredible forward thinking concept. And you fast forward 40 years, they had to basically have to open two parks, another one in France in Rocamadour, and then another one in Germany in the sort of Lake Constance area, basically, because they sort of made the mistakes before us, basically. So they realised that once you have a lot of monkeys in a forest living how they would. They'd mate and they'd make. You'd end up with more monkeys. So they had to open more parks came this incredible conservation project for this one species, which makes us incredibly different, because their passion was engaging people with this primate in particular, by letting visitors to the area marvel at the incredible behaviours right in front of them from 2 meters away. Josh Torlop: But also, the monkeys having this, you know, this separation between human and primate, so their natural behaviours weren't deteriorated. So it was an incredible concept that here we are, 2005, we'll say we opened in Trentham, Stoke, and here we are, 2024, 19 years later, thriving, surviving, and I'm doing the marketing for it, which is incredible. Oz Austwick: Absolutely. So how do you end up as the marketing and pr manager of a monkey forest? Josh Torlop: So what you do is the year was, what, 2021? And I was looking for a role in marketing and I was scrolling through LinkedIn and Indeed, as you do when you're searching for a job. And I saw an advertisement for a marketing and PR officer at Trentham Monkey Forest. And it brought me back to when I was seven years old, my auntie and my mum coming to visit Monkey Forest for the first time and being absolutely amazed at the fact that there was a primate right in front of me, acting as if I wasn't there and it was just being a monkey, I thought it was magnificent. And that visit always stuck with me. And for me, as a visitor attraction, I always talk about, now I'm marketing at a visitor attraction. Is the sparkle what excites your visitors to come to you? Josh Torlop: And that is it. That moment of thinking, wow, that's incredible, there's a monkey right there acting exactly how it would in the wild. That's always stuck with me. And that inspired me to apply for that role because I wanted to share that sort of memory maker with thousands of people to visit the park and have that same experience. And thankfully, we're doing that quite well. We're hitting all the right noises on TikTok. Oz Austwick: Absolutely, yeah, you're doing a great job. Does it ever get normal? Because I have to say, it's really weird to be stood here in a perfectly normal british bit of woodland. And, yeah, there are monkeys. Josh Torlop: Well, if you look to your left, you'll see a statue of a man in the distance. So that man is the Duke of Sutherland. He once owned this land, a bit like lion king, you know, everywhere the light touches, I own. Basically, in the victorian times, he owned the Trentham estate. So everywhere we're looking now, that was Duke Sutherland's land. And people of that time actually enjoyed this forest for leisure. So not much has really changed because people still enjoy it. It's just there's monkeys here, which I love to imagine if we just brought him back for just a day and I would be like, what do you think of this use for your land, mister Duke, Sir Duke? Oz Austwick: I think it's fascinating. And one of the things that we see a lot, because we talk to and work with a lot of old historic estates and the kind of, I guess maybe 100 years ago or so, there was a real issue where they had to suddenly start doing something to survive. They couldn't just have the land and keep it, they had to actually make some use of it or lose it. And it's really interesting how some places in their safari parks or golf courses or hotels and spas, and there we have a load of monkeys. Josh Torlop: Yeah, I mean, 60 acres, about the equivalent of 40 football pitches. For any football fans listening, that's a lot of space. And the visitors see a very small proportion of that, which is nice in a way. I'd love for visitors to see all our forest, but for the monkeys, they have such a huge, vast amount of forest space to live exactly how they would in the wild, to a point. That's incredible. So we invited last year, for example, a David Attenborough producer called Rosie Thomas to do a members evening. We obviously have members, and she had literally just been filming in the Algeria, Morocco, a region where these monkeys are native to. Josh Torlop: And she was absolutely bowled over by the fact that it was bringing her back to filming with David Attenborough, which was crazy to think, but so rewarding, in a sense, for us, as an organisation, to think we're doing the right things. And, yeah, that was probably a moment where I thought, wow. Well, I always think, wow. But that, for me, sums up Monkey Forest. To see that a David Attenborough producer could be amazed, and the environment. Oz Austwick: So, yeah, so how do you market it? Josh Torlop: How do I market it? Oz Austwick: It's not like there's a playbook that already. Josh Torlop: That's probably the beauty of it. But is there a playbook for marketing? I mean, TikTok, I feel like if you ever see the Royal Society Protection of Birds, RSPB, they're amazing. They are so hilarious with TikTok. But for us, I think we stick to our unique. Oh, gosh, USP Unique Selling Point of, you walk amongst the monkeys. We have a little bit of fun with it, but also, we know our audience quite well, in a sense, that we know which channels suit certain content types. Pr. We do a lot of story pushing, storytelling features, like a huge part of our marketing activity. We tend to go viral quite often with user generated content. Josh Torlop: So we try and, you know, push that to make sure that visitors want to take a TikTok here, get excited about that, because it could go viral, it could blow up. Anyone can make content nowadays, so we tap into that. But, yeah, I think the key in everything is knowing your audience, knowing what we are and what we do best, which is the walking amongst the monkeys and the conservation behind it. And also being organic. I think I'm being authentic. I think some brands tend to forget that their audiences are human and they don't want to be sold to. They want to see organic content, digest it, consume it, otherwise they're going to swipe up or they're going to swipe across. Josh Torlop: So for us, it's all about having that tongue in cheek element, hitting all noises, having those serious conservation messaging, whether it's a blog or whatever, but marrying that up with some funny content. I mean, do you remember the Aurora, the Northern Lights? One silly thing I did on social media was I superimposed a monkey, transparent monkey in the sky here, and we said, "Oh, the Aurora looked a bit different and still contract", and that got a bit of traction. But, yeah, things like that, you know, showing a bit of personality. I mean, Ryanair do it, a lot of brands are starting to do it now. Curries. I find them hilarious when they chuck a chicken into a air fryer, like from a viral meme video. I don't know if you've seen, Oz, but that's hilarious. Yeah, that's brilliant. Oz Austwick: I mean, there are some companies that are really smashing social media. I'm a huge fan of Gregg's social media. And there's one of the big London department stores that does a world famous Christmas display in their windows every year. And there's a Gregg's opposite the road, opposite them, on the other side of the road. And they literally, they reversed their sign so that every time somebody took a picture of the Christmas display, it said Gregg's. Josh Torlop: Oh, brilliant. Oz Austwick: What a fantastic thing. Josh Torlop: You're making me hungry for a cheese and onion pasta. I love it. Gregg's. There is a drive through one in Stoke by Trent Bale. Oz Austwick: I might check that out. Josh Torlop: For me, I think TikTok in particular, I think every marketer's worked out that each post you do on TikTok you're following is the lowest percentage of who will see that. So it's always a new audience for every post that you do on TikTok. So for us coming in three years ago, we didn't have a TikTok, which I found incredible. We should have TikTok was my answer in my job interview, and that's probably what landed me the job because, you know, three years on we've got 12.7 thousand followers, which is quite a good growth. Josh Torlop: I'm always my biggest critic, so I'd want more, but I think every marketer or PR would say that. But in terms of the TikTok content that we put out is just making sure that we're doing it on a consistent basis, because we know that organic nature of the organic post, reaching a new audience each time, that's probably not going to be there forever. So it's sort of using that now to our advantage because, say, if we do ten posts a week and yeah, all those ten posts didn't get a million views, but if each one of those got a thousand views, that's 10,000 people that wouldn't have seen our content. And also that our unique element will be embedded in that content, or it'll be me in a monkey costume dancing to It's Raining Men. That wasn't me, by the way. Josh Torlop: I've just, I'm just like, that slipper wasn't me. Lots of fun. Oz Austwick: I'll see if I can get a link for that and pop it in the show notes. I mean, I think it's really interesting that social media kind of gives us this really odd view when it comes to numbers. And you say you've got what, say, twelve and a half thousand followers. Josh Torlop: Yeah, I think it's 12.7 now. 12.7 thousand. Oz Austwick: And those people who are really into social media will look at that and think, oh, that's not very many. Josh Torlop: No. Oz Austwick: But put them all in a room. Josh Torlop: Well, that's quite an awful lot for a small organisation. But also zero pounds spent. Oz Austwick: Absolutely. Oz Austwick: If you got twelve and a half thousand people through the gates, that wouldn't come through the gates otherwise, then that's a massive step. Josh Torlop: Yeah. Well, absolutely. I think for us, we have a quite high awareness campaign yearly campaign. We just want to drive awareness to us. Because I live and die by you put this in front of eyes. Feet are going to certainly follow because of how incredible it is. So that's what molds our strategy. But that's obviously one small element is social media. I mean, we did a PR stunt in 2022 that went globally viral. It reached 900 million people. So we're talking about 12.7 thousand not being the biggest, but that's huge. Yeah. James Corden was talking about little old Trent and monkey forest a few years ago. Because you'll love this, we hired a Marvin Gaye impersonator to serenade our monkeys, saying, "Let's get it on." Oz Austwick: I saw. Josh Torlop: Yeah. Oz Austwick: And that was a Valentine's Day thing. Josh Torlop: It was a Valentine's Day PR stunt, yeah. And it went absolutely viral. I dine out on it every week now at dinner, because I don't think I'm ever going to live that down. Oz Austwick: So, I mean, did it work? Do you have baby monkeys now? Josh Torlop: We had twelve that year, I believe. I think twelve. So. Oz Austwick: So, from a conservation point of view, getting Marvin Gaye involved was a good move. Josh Torlop: Well, that's it, yeah. We aim between six and seven babies, so if we have twelve that year, then it's work. Oz Austwick: I'm impressed. Josh Torlop: Yeah. Oz Austwick: So what are some of the challenges? Because obviously it's just you that does all of this and I've worked in house as a marketer and you've got to do everything, which inevitably means that you've just got to decide which bits you're going to do and which bits you're not. Oz Austwick: How's that work in the visitor attraction industry? Josh Torlop: For me, I hate the saying jack of all trades. I prefer swiss army knife because each part of a swift army knife is very useful and that's each part of the communication strategy f For me, every bit of it is vital for the success of your marketing and pr strategy. And one of the challenges is, obviously, managing time. Not to be boring, but it is. For example, this morning I've had a BBC radio stoke interview come straight speak to you. But, yeah, it's a case of making sure that you don't bite off more than you can chew, not having a skatcon approach, having quite a strategic straight line, knowing what you wanted to achieve. or me. Every bit of it is vital for the success of your marketing and pr strategy. So, yeah, that feeds into our strategy, really. Josh Torlop: It's not biting off more than we can chew, but also being as impactful as we can with the resource given. So I take all the photography that many people probably don't know, and Monkey Forest, we don't outsource photography, I take it. So I feel like, yes, it can be taxing having just one person to do all these roles, but then ensures consistency, because if it's wrong, it's the wrong consistency. But I like to think I'm doing quite well here. So in terms of what we're doing and what we're putting out, it's all consistent, we're brand cohesive because we haven't got a lot of chefs in the room giving off opinions, which can be good, can be useful, but still, I think that's why we get stuff done quite quickly. Josh Torlop: Say, if I want bit of content, I take my camera in and get the content, whatever it needs to be. But I do say, "Oh, yeah, it's a marketing team of one", but I have a great support network around me. For example, the director, Mark, best boss you'll ever work for. He is such a good guy and he trusts me to execute the pr and marketing strategy well. And then we've got Lisa, the part manager, who helps me a lot as well with radio interviews. They're all superb in front of the camera. Not a lot of people would say that, but media training wise, everyone is fantastic here in front of media, which is great. So everyone was willing to muck in. Josh Torlop: The Marvin Gaye PR event, for example, that was a roaring success because the guides were on board, they knew what, even though it sounded ridiculous. And all of our guides have science based, of course, being Barbary macaque experts. And they thought, what the earth is Josh playing at here? They saw the impact of raising the profile of the endangered species and they were really with me on that. But that was because we did a team brief. We explained the strategy behind it, what we wanted to achieve. The reason I actually said, the reason why I like to do this high awareness campaign is because I go into the pub with my mates to celebrate getting this job and I'm from a little town called Norfolk in Cheshire, which is probably on the sort of cross county border of Staffordshire. Josh Torlop: And I said, "Oh, I've got a job at transome monkey forest." And they went, "Oh, part of my transom gardens." " No", that's not the case. So we didn't have that profile in place. That was only the people that knew about us, by the way. So half the table didn't even know what Transponkey forest was, which I found baffling 20 minutes up the road. Oz Austwick: Absolutely. So, yeah, so, I mean, you get quite a lot of user generated content, your social media, obviously full of monkeys, but most people's isn't. So when they come, it's quite special being to put that out. But you mentioned earlier when were chatting about the fact that your most recent success has been TripAdvisor. Josh Torlop: Yeah, it's quite the timing, to be fair. So we've gone viral again this week because someone did a review on Tripadvisor and this sums up our marketing strategy to a team because obviously we try and be as lighthearted as possible and resonate with our audiences. So someone did a review about Monkey Forest and they were upset that we had monkeys. So, yeah, primarily it was monkeys. So we responded. I respond to every review because I find the feedback so useful, because we have the luxury that a lot of businesses who are listening or people are from organisations going to be jealous of this. We're closed over winter, so November to February. We have a strategic analysis of the business for me as well, marketing activity. I do all my strategy over winter, implement it spring and summer. Josh Torlop: So anyway, we love our feedback, we love receiving the feedback. And this week, it's the first time in nearly four years where I've been stumped for words. I didn't know what to say to this person because we have got monkeys. So our response went viral. We said something along the lines of, "Yes, we're a monkey forest. So primarily there are monkeys. Sorry, don't know how to answer this." Oz Austwick: It just leaves me wondering how they found you. Josh Torlop: Yeah, because if you. Oz Austwick: Our SEO must be formed pictures of monkey and the website site is covered in pictures of monkeys and it's called monkey forest. Josh Torlop: Can't please everyone. Right. I'm not sure, to be fair, I'd love for him to reach out because, yeah, it has gone viral. I feel bad for the chap who's done the review because he must be a bit upset with all the attention he's got from a review because he's a paying visitor at the end of the day and he probably had a great time, but. Oz Austwick: You'd hope so, but not if you don't like monkeys, I guess. Josh Torlop: Yeah. So. But, yeah, it was in the mail, the Daily Mail, the Daily Mirror, all the national news pretty much this week. So it kept me on my toes and busy. And that's when it's hard as a team of one, is to manage things that go viral. Oz Austwick: I guess at that point you're getting a lot of people trying to contact you and get comments from you for their articles. So what they're putting out is a little bit different. Josh Torlop: Well, no, to be fair, everything's been consistent so far, but it is a lot of marketing, and PR is controlling narratives and making sure that the content or whatever's being put out is in line with what you're trying to achieve. And obviously PR has that challenge and I like to think that PR is sort of my bag. So I love to do PR. It's something that I've always been interested in. I did a journalism degree at university, so I love the PR element of the job and storytelling. So from that, I'm sure fellow PRs that are listening will understand. When something goes viral, it's a little dreaded demon in the back of your mind where you're like, "Oh, God, it's gone viral." Oz Austwick: It's probably good. Josh Torlop: Probably good. But I've got a lot of answers to come up with. But, yeah, it's great for the business and we're a lovely bunch here. So if anyone does something great, people do tell you, and it's really nice, and it's such a wonderful place to work. Even the head guides, they have a bit of bands with me. I like to call them Anton Deck, the two head guides. So it's Aliya, the Venice, and it's daydream. 20 years. Well, 19 years, but yeah. So Aliyah gave me a lot of banter. Scene. What has he done now? He's made it busy for bank holiday. We're gonna be knackered. But, yeah, it's all good fun. It's all good banter. Oz Austwick: So what's next? Where do we go at Trentham Monkey Forest? What's the future look like? Josh Torlop: I want to do another Valentine's Day PR stunts. I want to do Netflix and chill, so I want to set up play screen for the monkeys. May play a bit of Titanic or love, actually. But, yeah, I just want to carry on going, getting as much awareness of the park as possible, hitting the right noises, bringing a load of visitors in who have a great time and do more things like this, because this is brilliant and I've really appreciated you coming in, having a chat. Oz Austwick: It's a joy. It feels a little bit like it's not work. I'm feeling very lucky today, so thank you very much for having me. Josh Torlop: Thank you. I think I've bored the monkeys because they've all gone. They've all legged it. Oz Austwick: I am wondering where they've gone. Before we wrap it up, we try and finish every episode with a book recommendation. Josh Torlop: Brilliant. I think I need to be on brand here, even though there are monkeys here and they're not apes, but I'm gonna recommend the Chimp Paradox. Can't remember who it's by, but it's a great book. It's all about controlling your inner chimp as a human and controlling your emotions and making sure you don't react emotionally too much to things. Because I like to think I wear my heart on my sleeve and it's good to make sure that you're keeping control of your emotions and making sure that you know, if anything happens, you're doing a great job, everything's going well in life. Chill out. And not being too hard on yourself. Oz Austwick: Amazing. Well, if you'd like a copy, head over to X and retweet us and say that you would like Josh's book. Josh Torlop: I didn't write it. Josh's book. Josh's book. Oz Austwick: We call it Josh's book. Yeah. Thanks so much. I really appreciate having you on board.  And for letting me come and hang out with your monkeys. Josh Torlop: There you go. Thanks very much. Appreciate you coming down. Paul Marden: Thanks for listening to Skip the Queue. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review. It really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned. Skip The Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. You can find show notes and transcriptions from this episode and more over on our website, rubbercheese.com/podcast. The 2024 Visitor Attraction Website Survey is now LIVE! Help the entire sector:Dive into groundbreaking benchmarks for the industryGain a better understanding of how to achieve the highest conversion ratesExplore the "why" behind visitor attraction site performanceLearn the impact of website optimisation and visitor engagement on conversion ratesUncover key steps to enhance user experience for greater conversionsFill in your data now (opens in new tab)

#BettingPeople: Rolf Johnson has worked directly under and knew and been balled out by Phil Bull, Ryan Price, David Elsworth and Toby Balding as well as working at The Scout at the Daily Express writes for Highclere and various publications worldwide. In this interview he talks about his life in racing and beyond which has seen him work with the greats and travel the globe.

In the midst of filming for the third Downton Abbey movie I was pleased to welcome John Tye to Highclere. John is an inspirational character who flew the record-breaking supersonic airliner Concorde. Starting life in an orphanage he made it to the edge of space in one of the world's most advanced flying machines. He's just published his story in a new book called 'Life of a Concorde Pilot'.This is John's second appearance on my podcast! You can also hear him in episode 23 when he was one of the three Concorde pilots I had the pleasure of talking to. You can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month.

In this first part of a two-part episode, Geoff, Conor and Ben discuss Highclere Castle in the broader context of Country Houses featured in films and television shows. 

What an amazing year it has been. In this episode we wrap up on the year and give you some insider knowledge on what we loved and what we would do differently next time. We also give you an idea of what you can expect in 2024. So pick your seats and let's get started as we Journey through 2023. Some links are affiliate links. See our disclosure. This year we visited 7 countries, Melissa checked off 4 new countries which were Ecuador, Slovakia, Jamaica and Grand Cayman Scott checked off 3 because he had to Ecuador before We launched the podcast on April 11th and released 39 podcast episodes this year. Even though we had been to Mexico before we visited Cozumel for the 1st time and although not a country, we went to Puerto Rico for the 1st time. We checked off 3 Bucket List destinations Galápagos Islands Grand Canyon - Melissa had been before but it was on our list to do together New Orleans But we also had some experiences that were on our bucket list too going inside Gilded churches in Quito had been on Scott's list Highclere castle - filming location for Downton Abbey was closed when he had tried to go before so our dear friend Ali scored us tickets during our last visit VIP tour at Disney + stay at Grand Floridian Staying at Atlantis in the Bahamas and took a ride on the iconic leap of Faith water slide - if you aren't familiar with it it is almost vertical drop from 60 feet high into a pool of sharks Melissa crossed the Equator for the 1st time Our very first episode is about Creating a Travel Bucket List. It's actually the 2nd most popular episode so if you haven't heard it yet it will give you some great inspiration. You can listen to it here. Here's a recap of the year including links to the episodes: January Since we are only 3 hours from WDW and have annual passes we wanted to take advantage of it and Melissa also wanted to stay at as many different hotels o hadn't stayed at getting AP or Florida resident or last minute Disney Vacation Club rooms at a discount. Check for discounted rooms here. February The Galapagos Islands was our big bucket list trip for the year. In Episode 2 we talk about our experiences in the Galapagos and in Episode 3, Quito and visiting the Equator. March Pittsburgh We should record an episode on this because there are so great things to see in Pittsburg and some our friends had never been too. We highly recommend the Aviery, the Andy Warhol museum and the Botanical Gardens. Link to blog post for all our food recommendations and pictures here. April Slovakia and London We love London and have been several times and so in Episode 5 we bring you an Ultimate London Travel Guide with what to do if you never been or if you ever been a lot like we and hear about our Travel Disruption and how we made the best of it. We also have a London packing list for you on the blog. May We visited Puerto Rico for the first time and tell you all the details on Episode 8. There's also a 4 days in Puerto Rico Blog Post here. From there we flew Jet Blue to Saint John, USVI. This episode about Saint John is actually our 3rd most popular episode. There's also a packing list for Saint John here. August Episode 14 is a Local's Guide to Amelia Island and there's also a blog post where you can print a guide too. September We rounded out our Trips to Disney for the Year so be sure not to miss our tips on Disney: Episode 15 - Planning a trip to Disney with Kids Episode 16 - Planning an Adults Trip to Disney World Epiosode 17 - Navigating Disney with Senior Adults October We finally visited New Orleans together which was on our original chalkboard bucket list. Hear all about it in episode 30. We ended the month with a last minutes trip to the Bahamas thanks to status matching our Marriott to Caesar's then to Atlantis. See how to status match at Atlantis here. November We also went on a Holland America cruise that was planned short notice with the status matching. How to match with Holland America. Hear all about Cruising the Caribbean in Episode 36 here. As we look forward to 2024, what's on the list? Aruba and Curaçao Europe with our daughter and her family UK Germany Greece Kenya for Safari Maybe adding in Morocco at the beginning and South Africa at the end We are curious, where are you going in 2024? And we are already starting to talk about a 2025 trip to Antarctica. Who's wants to go with us? Sign up for free travel deals and exclusive content here. Read more about this and other travel destinations on our BLOG Follow our travels on Facebook Follow our travels on Instagram here Save our travel ideas on Pinterest See our travel videos on You Tube Music Credit Music by OYStudio from Pixabay

December is traditionally the month for giving so it's perhaps apt that my guest this month is the founder of a wonderful charity Starlight.Starlight raises funds for children's play in healthcare, supporting children to experience the power of play to boost their wellbeing and resilience during illness.We've supported Starlight here at Highclere for at least 20 years so it was a great pleasure to welcome actress Emma Samms to tell me about how the charity started and the work they do to support sick children. You can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month.

Often the starting point for one of my books on the history of Highclere Castle is a conversation with David Rymill. David is our archivist and there's not much he doesn't know about the family history thanks to the extensive archive of documents and letters dating back to when the family first acquired the house in the 17th century. I find the archive here at Highclere fascinating so I was grateful to David for sitting down with me to discuss his work. You can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month.

Se acaba de cumplir el centenario de la muerte de Lord Carnarvon, concretamente el pasado 5 de abril, y en Cuarto Milenio queremos hablar de un aspecto poco conocido de su vida: su interés por el espiritismo. En efecto, el arqueólogo era un gran aficionado a esta temática y llegó a practicar sesiones en su castillo de Highclere con una médium muy conocida de su época: Lady Cunliffe-Owen. ¿Qué ocurrió en dichas sesiones? ¿Fueron algo extraordinario? ¿Lograron sorprender al famoso arqueólogo? Esta noche nos lo cuenta el historiador y arqueólogo Nacho Ares Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

Jane Austen is one of England's most celebrated and greatest novelists and Hampshire - the county where Highclere Castle is situated -  played an important part in her life, not just as the place she lived but as inspiration to many of her novels.Jane Austen is one of my favourite authors so I was thrilled to sit down with Lizzie Dunford - Director of Jane Austen's House - one of the most treasured Austen sites in the world.The cottage, in a village to the south-east of Highclere called Chawton, is where Jane Austen lived for the last eight years of her life. Here her genius flourished and she wrote, revised and had published all six of her globally beloved novels: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion.You can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month.

We're back after a month away to recharge our podcast batteries! My guest for March is someone very familiar to British TV audiences - weather presenter Laura Tobin. Laura has just written a book called 'Everyday Ways To Save Our Planet' - and so I invited her to come along to Highclere and share some of her tips with me! 

Nick is joined by Daily Mirror journalist David Yates to discuss the latest news and developments from around the racing world today. With the return of Galopin Des Champs now in the rear-view, the Gold Cup favourite's trainer Willie Mullins joins the show to share his thoughts on the horse and the performance, plus those of his other winners yesterday. He also offers some interesting insight on Vauban and his other two mile hurdlers. Nick and Dave chew over the new "glamping" pods at Cheltenham, the retirement of one time star apprentice Adam McNamara, plus the busy Christmas period, for which Barney Clifford gives an update on conditions at Kempton Park. Emily Scott joins the show to discuss her new role as Director of Racing at Highclere, while Haras de Montaigu's Sybille Gibson is this week's Weatherbys Bloodstock Guest.

Nick is joined by Daily Mirror journalist David Yates to discuss the latest news and developments from around the racing world today. With the return of Galopin Des Champs now in the rear-view, the Gold Cup favourite's trainer Willie Mullins joins the show to share his thoughts on the horse and the performance, plus those of his other winners yesterday. He also offers some interesting insight on Vauban and his other two mile hurdlers. Nick and Dave chew over the new "glamping" pods at Cheltenham, the retirement of one time star apprentice Adam McNamara, plus the busy Christmas period, for which Barney Clifford gives an update on conditions at Kempton Park. Emily Scott joins the show to discuss her new role as Director of Racing at Highclere, while Haras de Montaigu's Sybille Gibson is this week's Weatherbys Bloodstock Guest.

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world's leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Countress of Carnarvon, author of The Earl and the Pharaoh: From the Real Downton Abbey to the Discovery of Tutankhamun. Fiona, The Countess of Carnarvon, lives at Highclere Castle, best-known to millions worldwide as the setting for the popular television show Downton Abbey. As an author, Lady Carnarvon has written several bestselling books, including Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey; Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey; and Seasons at Highclere. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is  Kelly Molson, Founder of Rubber Cheese.Download the Rubber Cheese 2022 Visitor Attraction Website Report - the first digital benchmark statistics for the attractions sector.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website rubbercheese.com/podcast.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned in this podcastCompetition ends January 31st 2023. The winner will be contacted via Twitter. Show references: https://www.castlehoward.co.uk/https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbi-ollive-411509171/https://www.channel4.com/programmes/castle-howard-through-the-seasonsCastle Howard's love story with China - as told by Abbigail Ollive Transcriptions: Kelly Molson: Welcome to Skip the Queue, a podcast for people working in, or working with, visitor attractions. I'm your host, Kelly Molson.In today's episode, I speak with my very first returning guest, Abbigail Ollive, Head of Marketing, Sales, and Programming at Castle Howard, the stately home and visitor attraction in North Yorkshire. Abbi takes us on a journey through the seasons at Castle Howard as she explains just what it's like to film a TV production at a visitor attraction as she shares her advice for other attractions that are thinking about doing the same.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on all the user channels by searching Skip the Queue.I am very excited to have Abbigail Ollive back on the podcast today.Abbigail Ollive: To be the first returner. It mustn't have put you off too much first time round.Kelly Molson: Well, I think it's more like I didn't put you off, because you were episode six of season one, which was all the way back in 2019. And I didn't ask people icebreaker questions then, so you might regret this after this. Who knows? First one, what is the strangest or worst gift that you've ever received?Abbigail Ollive: Last Christmas, my partner basically took Christmas as an opportunity to solve anything I'd been moaning about. So my Christmas presents were things like those little hand warmers, because I'd obviously been complaining that my hands were cold. And I'd been complaining about my drive to work here at Castle Howard in rural North Yorkshire sometimes being a little bit hairy. So my Christmas present was winter tires and a four by four driving experience to try, which at the time I was like, I really would've loved a baking experience or a pizza making course or something, and I was pretty grumpy about going.But it actually turned out to be a really excellent gift and I had a fab time. I feel like I'm qualified now to drive people through a field or through a stream if they need, and I know how to use my ridiculous rural vehicle. So I was a bit grumpy about it, because I was like, it's very kind but it feels like you really wanted to come and do this.Kelly Molson: It's quite thoughtful though, isn't it? That's quite a well thought out gift.Abbigail Ollive: I guess so.Kelly Molson: He's been listening. He's just interpreted it in a slightly more original way than you were expecting.Abbigail Ollive: See, that sounds very ungrateful, doesn't it? And I did have a fab time, but I have dropped some hints this year about... I guess I've decided to complain about different stuff. In case that gets resolved in a different way.Kelly Molson: I'm running out of mascara.Abbigail Ollive: My shoulders are really tense. I think a massage might really help me this year.Kelly Molson: Like it. Yeah, I'm running out of mascara, if anyone's listening. I need some of that on my shopping list. Spa day would be excellent. My shoulders feel tense too. I like this subtle hint dropping.If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be?Abbigail Ollive: Whenever people ask me like, what's your taste in music? It's just very eclectic. And at the minute I am listening on repeat to Self Esteem, who I think is just amazing. I don't know if you are at all familiar with her. She's called Rebecca, she's from Rotherham, where my dad is from. I don't think many pop stars have come out of Rotherham, South Yorkshire. But give her album a listen.We saw her at a festival when she was quite up and coming, and she's just done Jools Holland and is now on a bigger tour next year. We booked again to see her. And it's just hugely empowering. I think for younger women, teenagers kind of finding their way through what can be quite a complex time, I just think her lyrics and her whole approach to empowerment is really, really inspiring.I don't know whether that'd be the one I'd listened to forever, but it is on repeat in my car on my journey to work constantly at the moment. And that's my top tip I think. Give her a listen. She's very cool.Kelly Molson: Did you combine that album with the off-road driving as well at the weekend to give you a little bit of an extra boost?Abbigail Ollive: No, I think maybe empowerment but, yes. Women driving through fields in pickups.Kelly Molson: Awesome. Good response. Okay, final one. If you could bring back any fashion trend, what would it be?Abbigail Ollive: I think I was meant to be in the 1950s. I think that kind of grease styling is... I'd love to just look like that every day, really, if I could get away with it and if I had time to properly do my hair in rollers and all of that jazz. I think that's the period I'd probably go back to and I think be quite into, that sort of retro 50s. Really bright. I like the bright, vibrant... I'd happily drive an American pink Cadillac through the country roads of North Yorkshire.Kelly Molson: I remember this about you. You're all about colour. I do remember this about you when we met in person. You love a colour and you love a patterned dress, an excellently patterned dress.Abbigail Ollive: Yeah, I do. And I wish I could suit a hat better. Some people are like... My brother's always in a very cool hat, but I just don't suit it. I think it's the fringe. The fringe, glasses, hat combo is one I can't pull off.Kelly Molson: Fringe with a wooly hat is really difficult, isn't it? Because it just pushes it down into your eyes. I'd like to be a hat person as well. I feel like people that wear hats, they just exude confidence. Do you know what I mean? Just have that... They walk with confidence. They walk high with a hat on. I'd quite like that too.That's good choices. All right, what about your unpopular opinion, Abbi, because we've never had one of these from you.Abbigail Ollive: No, we haven't. And I'm sure I've got plenty I could share, I mean, my initial instinct with this was, I would never be upset if I didn't ever hear an Oasis song again, but that's not the one I'm going to go with. Sorry.It's a podcast related one. I thought I'd be topical. I really hate comedians on podcasts. I just can't be doing with all the trying to be funny and all the chat in between what it is they're actually meant to be talking about. I love the foodie podcast, but I just want them to cut to the chase and I want to hear somebody talk about something they're knowledgeable about. Maybe I just don't really comedians in general, but on a podcast that's my unpopular opinion.Kelly Molson: Do you think it's because they're trying a bit too hard because that's their job and they're trying to... If a supplier comes on and they're trying to plug their thing, they're trying to plug their I'm funny, really?Abbigail Ollive: I think it's just like... I was going to try and not name names, but I'm quite a foodie and I like a foodie podcast and I think maybe I've realized that actually I want to hear about the food and not all the chat that surrounds it. So yeah, comedians on podcasts.Kelly Molson: All right, good one. Glad I'm not funny or I'd be right [inaudible 00:06:53].Abbigail Ollive: Well, I'm not either, so we'll have no comedy. We'll just get the questions.Kelly Molson: That's it. We're done now. We're done with anything humorous for the rest of the episode. Excellent. Thanks for setting the tone.Abbi, just for our listeners that don't know of you, I'm sure there's not many, tell us a little bit about who you are, what you do.Abbigail Ollive: I at the moment am very fortunate to be kind of running the visitor attraction side of things at Castle Howard. So anybody who hasn't heard of Castle Howard, Castle Howard is a stately home in North Yorkshire. It was designed by Sir John Vanbrugh in 1699, so it's a historic house open as a visitor attraction, but also sits within a 9,000 acre estate. It's still home to the Howard family, they are directly my line managers, and Castle Howard's opened 364 days a year as an attraction.But I think it's also a really interesting place. I arrived here knowing that I was coming to be involved in a visitor attraction, but I think maybe it was more of a pleasant surprise that we're actually foresters and farmers and we have a holiday park and holiday cottages and a farm shop and a garden centre and all the catering and retail outlets as well.I think in total it's nine different businesses, and my role kind of heads up marketing and events and programming and sales and that kind of visitor experience side of things. I'm not actually being asked to be responsible for the farming and forestry, you'll be relieved to hear, but it's also just unlocks so many stories that as a marketer at heart, I guess, is really exciting on a daily basis.We're not a charity, so all the income generated by footfall and visitors paying for an admission ticket goes directly into the restoration and heritage of the building and the listed landscape.I've been here for just over five years, so I'm just in the middle of Christmas number six. It's a joyous time to be at a place like Castle Howard, when it's all decked out for Christmas and we're welcoming literally thousands of visitors a day over this festive season.Big day today. It's a kind of rainy, North Yorkshire, midweek day, but we've got 11 coaches here and they're all having a fabulous time. And I've just had a message saying, can someone come and help with the Queues in the bauble emporium? So that's the kind of thing that can occur on an hourly basis.But yeah, I'm Yorkshire, so I haven't actually moved very far. Not deliberately, but just because stuff's come up here, and it's a gorgeous place in the world to be. I've got a little boy, so living in the countryside and having quite an outdoorsy life really suits us. My background's in theatre, but theatre marketing and comms, so did 10 years in theater before moving across into visitor attractions, which is just a theatre of a different kind, I think.Kelly Molson: It is. It's a show, isn't it? You're creating a theatre for people that come and visit. And that leads us a little bit to what we're going to talk about today, really, a show of a slightly different kind.I think there's been a bit of a run of programs like this. I'm talking about programs like the Secret Life of the Zoo at Chester Zoo, Inside the Zoo, Edinburgh Zoo. There's been quite a lot of zoo related TV programs on recently that give you a bit of a snapshot of behind the scenes. I think One Zoo Three was the other one from Paradise Wildlife Park. But you have been involved in shooting TV programs for Channel 4, called Castle Howard: Through the Seasons. Tell us a little bit about what the TV series is, and then tell us what on earth made you decide to be part of a TV program.Abbigail Ollive: I suppose dialing back a little bit from the TV show we've just been making this year is... I guess Castle Howard's one of the original screen tourism destinations and has been in some pretty iconic period dramas. It's very well known as Brideshead Revisited, both the 1981 Granada TV show and then the later movie in 2008. And we had our Bridgerton moment, so series one, episode six, or episode sex, as most people know it in Bridgerton, was all films here at Castle Howard. And I could definitely tell you plenty of stories from that few weeks of my life that I'll never forget.But I think we're kind of used to being a location, and Castle Howard plays its own part in a period drama. It's almost a character in its own rights, and we've been in plenty of them. And we've also filmed the Arctic Monkeys music video here from their most recent album, and we've also played host to an American TV reality show, which was... I describe it as kind of Love Island with a Regency twist, which recently someone said should be the name of a cocktail, which I [inaudible 00:11:57]. That was an American reality TV show.But I think it's the first time then that we've actually considered seriously and gone ahead with us being the subject of what is being filmed, and I think that's the big difference really for us with an observational documentary or, ob doc, as it's known in the business.There were a few things really that made us decide to go ahead with that, and you've mentioned already a couple of those really reassuring series that happened, mostly zoo related, that made us feel like actually there's a real warmth and positivity to how they're not trying to stitch you up, they're trying to tell a really positive story about your people and your attraction.I think that's maybe changed over the last few years. So we'd seen Chatsworth go first really, they opened their doors and did a year in the life at Chatsworth, and that actually ended up being during the pandemic, so it was a very unusual year in the life of Chatsworth, in that a lot of the time it was during lockdown. But even through that challenging period of time, when we watched it as viewers, we could see that that team had really taken a lot of care to tell Chatsworth stories and to be really respectful and positive about the whole estate.I think that that was a huge reassurance for us. I think in the past I've had loads of filming inquiries over my time here and we've really avoided the sort of fly on the wall documentaries. I think there's been a general perception and nervousness that they want to stitch you up. And also, for me, the format only really works if you have the buy-in and the involvement of Nick and Vicky Howard, who are the custodians of this place, and have them authentically involved. And I think they had seen in years gone by maybe some not so positive examples and that had put them off the idea.I think we started talking to the ITN team who'd been working with Chatsworth during the pandemic, and it was a real slow burn. It was about building that relationship and having meetings with them, them getting to know me and the Howards, and talking really about what the stories were that we wanted to tell.They came to us originally as part of their Christmas series they were doing, so last year when we had Narnia as our Christmas theme, they made a four part series across four different houses and we were one of those, so it was a more intensive Christmas at Castle Howard experience first off, and that's been quite different to then them coming back and being here all year.But I think it's definitely, I'd say, we said no quite a lot before eventually we said maybe, and then over the course of probably a year of meetings and building trust and really bottoming out what we all want to get out of it, we eventually said yes. And I think in that time as well we'd seen things released like Secret Life at the Zoo.I think our other main concern or nervousness about saying yes was we were sort of waiting for a vintage year at Castle Howard. We knew that coming out of the pandemic, everything's been challenging and difficult and we felt like, maybe next year or in a couple years time we'll be doing a really big significant bit of restoration to a monument or we've got plans to reinstate some of our burnt out rooms after the fire that Castle Howard suffered during the war.I think we felt like there's going to be a big story to tell, and we better hold off for that moment in Castle Howard's history before we let the TV cameras in. And I think actually what changed that was the pandemic and thinking, well, actually, in any kind of normal or abnormal year we have amazing people, we have amazing stories to tell. Sometimes it's those smaller stories of truly getting under the skin of the life in a country estate like this that viewers will ultimately really enjoy. So we stopped holding off for that perfect moment and went for it.Kelly Molson: It's interesting though, because you're thinking about, I guess, once you agree to go ahead with something like this, you are thinking constantly about, how entertaining is this actually going to be? Is just our day to day stuff that goes on all the time, is that enough for people? Are they going to actually tune in and watch it? And how is that going to... I guess there's a thought all the time about how we're going to be portrayed and how will that come across. So if you hold out for this room needs renovation or looking after, that gives you a focus that will detract from just some of the normal stuff that would be happening.Abbigail Ollive: We actually started with ITN and Channel 4 in 2020, and we were trying to pull off a Christmas in the middle of COVID. When the tiering system and all that business came in, we couldn't go ahead, like many attractions and houses. So we started making a TV program about... I was billed on this... I was definitely shown as head of saving Christmas, and then we had to cancel it, so we canceled the whole thing and we took the difficult decision actually that it wasn't going to be the show we wanted it to be. We mutually agreed, really, to pull out of that, because we didn't want a show about trying to make a big Christmas happen and then the government saying, "You're in the wrong tier, you can't open," and a show of about how disappointing that was. So we took that decision.Actually, that was a gamble at the time because I thought maybe that would be that done, really, but they agreed to come back the following year and make Christmas in Narnia as a documentary. I think it's definitely had its ups and downs over quite a period of time. So, again, that build of trust and them getting to know us during the year that didn't happen. I think they saw enough potential to think, actually, we'll come back and go again. But all of that's really challenging when they and us have put budget and resource into a whole period of filming that we then pull the plug on.Kelly Molson: Yeah, of course. And by no fault of your own. Actually, there was nothing that you really could do about it. You made the right decision at the time.I guess I just want to step back a little bit, because you said that you... I can't remember if you said that you were approached by them or if you approached them to talk about it, and how do you work out what the focus of the TV show will be about?Abbigail Ollive: I'd been approached by quite a number of observational documentary companies, and I'd met with quite a few, and it was this exec producer who'd been working with Chatsworth, and we'd seen a bit of what they'd done at Chatsworth, that made us agree and further that conversation with this particular production company, which is ITN for Channel 4.We've been approached a lot, and continue to be, actually, and I think, like you said, at the beginning, there's a real rise, isn't there, in these sort of observational documentaries at places within the visitor attractions sector. So we didn't actively go out to try and do this, I suppose we were courted and approached and took a little bit of persuading.Kelly Molson: I guess everyone that's going to be part of this has to be really comfortable with being on camera, right, because they're going to be recording for a whole year at your venue, so you've got to get used to people being around, you've got to be able to run your events around while all this filming is happening as well. So it's not a quick decision to make at all by any means.Abbigail Ollive: No, there's a lot to think about, actually. And I think we made sure we'd properly thought about that and met and bashed a lot of that out internally before we started. I think the things that made us most nervous were around control and editorial control and how much of that you just have to relinquish and how much we would be allowed to input into the storytelling and storyboarding. I think there was that, but also the ability for us to resource it.Like you've said, it's no small thing to take on. We're quite a small team, we're still doing everything we need to do in a normal year, pulling off big events and big projects, and having a film crew with you three to four days a week every week of pretty much a year, is quite intense.I think what we tried to do to overcome that was before anybody had a camera put in front of them, we tried to do a really good amount of kickoff meetings with all stakeholders, with the producers. We were really, really clear with them about our ambitions and the key messages we wanted to communicate by having a year in the life at Castle Howard filmed. It was an opportunity for us to communicate that real conservation aim and the fact we have a conservation deficit, we're not a charity, it was a really good opportunity for us to communicate where visitors' admission fees go.It's really powerful to actually see somebody restoring a chimney or repainting windows, and understand what resource has to go into that. And that's across the board, across the whole estate. So I think sometimes that's hard to communicate, actually, with visitors, but having this mass market platform to do that.We were really, really clear about what we wanted to get out of it and what actually goes into running a rural estate and managing that in the 21st century coming out of the pandemic with all the wider world landscape going on as well around us. That was really important, actually, that we felt respected and like the TV crew and their producers understood what we wanted to get out of it. I think that's really helped throughout the whole year, that they can go, "This scene that we're filming now, that really relates and helps tell that story from your objectives." So yeah, that was certainly helpful.Kelly Molson: That's great, isn't it? That they're so aligned with your objectives that they're actually highlighting things that reference back to them as you're shooting. Because sometimes you might think that gets discussed at the top and then it gets parked and then we might not think about that again until it gets to editing stage and by that point there's so much content, how are they going to really get the message across that we want them to? And I guess that comes forward to one of the questions about that content and the editing process and how much of that were you involved in as you go through the filming.You've had those initial conversations about objectives, but were there any times where something was happening and they were shooting, and in your head you're watching this thing unfold in front of you going, "This cannot go out on telly, and they're really going to want this to go out on telly and that's not going to happen at all"?Abbigail Ollive: That has changed throughout the year. We've all learned a lot as the year has progressed. We started very structured and I planned out everything to within an inch of it's life. For last Christmas I kind of diarised everything the film crew were going to be attending, made sure we had pre-meetings with everybody involved, made sure departments were all on board and had key messages and understood what we were trying to get out of every scene. I pretty much storyboarded the whole episode, and I remember the producer saying to me, "We don't normally get quite this level of input from the team on the ground."I think I'm just a bit of a control freak, because I can't have people just wandering around with a camera, who knows what they'll discover. But actually I think what I quickly discovered is that that doesn't always make the best TV, and they're experts, they're really good at what they do, and I just needed to learn to trust that we were all actually aiming for the same outcome. They weren't trying to sneak around and find stuff that I didn't want to be filmed.Actually, as the year's gone on, I think by the time we got to the Christmas episode, which they only left last week and are busy editing that now to turn it around, they knew the Castle Howard team so well and our team knew the Channel 4 team so well and are so used to them being around, it just has needed a lot less input from me and my team. They really had a sense of workflows around who's responsible for what. They felt like an extension of our team as the year has gone on and we've really built that trust, so I had no issue then with them kind of going off and filming something happening without me being present, because I'd learned to really trust them. I can't really do this chat without mentioning Peacockgate.Kelly Molson: Please.Abbigail Ollive: I think that's an example really early on where it was a day where on my schedule we were having a historic paint specialist scraping off layers of the paint on Castle Howard's windows to try and discover what the original amber colour would be, because we're now in the process of repainting all of the external woodwork, which needed doing, and white paint didn't actually exist then and so was never the colour that Castle Howard would've been painted on the windows and woodwork.We had this amazing guy doing his historical paint scraping, which is what I had the Channel 4 crew focused on, because I thought that would make a very interesting restoration story. And then got the call from World War III that appeared to be kicking off in the car park because it was breeding season for our peacocks. We've got about 20 peacocks on the estate and, well, we think there was a male interloper to our peacock gang. I don't know where he came from, but this male peacock was very rowdy and very randy, and was seeing his reflection in cars, so in the visitor car park. Any kind of car, especially if it was a dark colour or blue and was clean. So luckily my car was always very safe, it's never clean. It was seeing its reflection and trying to attack what it thought was a rival peacock.I've got the person who looks after our security on high alert trying to basically chase a peacock out of the car park, and people very concerned that both staff cars and visitor cars were going to get damaged. So this was all kicking off and I was like, "Right, everybody keep the Channel 4 team focused on the windows. Do not let them come anywhere near what's occurring up here." Because I could see our head garden running around with what can only be described as a giant butterfly net, like something a Victorian explorer, trying to literally catch and net a peacock.Anyway, it escalated fairly quickly and the peacock got onto one of our staff cars and smashed in the back windscreen. So it became actually not that funny quite quickly, because then we were suddenly into a really difficult scenario. The person involved was very upset, as you can imagine, and from an animal welfare point of view we didn't want to do anything to the peacock that... This is during visitor opening hours and, of course, on the day where we had the Rolls Royce Society coming on a trip. So we then suddenly had to pull off people from various parts of the attraction to go and be Rolls Royce security. They didn't even notice the peacock, they thought we were giving them such an amazing service, they were delighted. They couldn't believe the amount of security we have in our car park.So, all this was kicking off, and we had a couple of emergency senior management meetings assembled that day to decide what ultimately the different options were. And in this meeting we discussed what should we do about the Channel 4 film crew, and everybody's instinct was, we're now involved with insurers, the insurers are saying, "It's a wild animal, so we can't really help you." But we'd just put on social media in National Gardening Week the week before that the head gardener has names for all the peacocks and has hand reared them, so there was kind of an insurance argument going on.We love the peacocks, and visitors absolutely love the peacocks, and they make Castle Howard really unique, so it's really difficult when you've told that story.It was like Jurassic Park, I'm not joking. It was absolutely carnage. All the peacocks then got wind of the fact that someone was trying to catch one of the crew and they started... There's a video from inside the main house, which Nick Howard took, of them all lined up on the windows pecking the glass. And I was thinking, they're now going to actually smash in the windows. They just went feral.But in this meeting we had this big debate then. This is all quite unusual, I guess, maybe not on a Tuesday in whatever it was, April, May. And I brought it up in this meeting, I said, "What are we going to do about Channel 4? We're not going to be able to keep this secret, really. We have to decide whether it's something where happy to let them film and cover, what's it's reality, it's what's going on."And Vicky Howard, to her credit, she said, "I think it's going to make excellent TV. If you're doing a year in the life at Castle Howard, you want to show some of the slightly more quirky things that go on." And it was reality, it was what happening. So we made the call to their exec producer and explained what was going on, and then obviously you won't be surprised to hear in episode one, which was aired week before last, the historic restoration of the windows does not make the cut, but the whole story of the peacock, which went from the sublime to the ridiculous over the next few days, does make the cut, and we've now got peacock merchandise in the gift shop for Christmas, and he's famous.Kelly Molson: You capitalised on every element. I love it.Abbigail Ollive: Yeah, we have. I think that's a good example. You've asked how... At the point where we go, I think we need to relinquish control. I can't storyboard this within an inch of its life. I can't actually control everything I want them to film. And this is going to make great TV.Kelly Molson: I mean, it makes great TV, but it also makes a great talk. I'm not going to lie listeners, I have heard this story before and I had to go on to speak after Abbi shared this with the room, so you can imagine just how my talk bummed the room. Outdone by a peacock. Thank you.Abbigail Ollive: I didn't think we were doing Secret life of the Zoo here, but as it turned out.Kelly Molson: Who knew? It's a brilliant story. I think what you said is, you just at some point have to relinquish control, because it is going to make good telly. It's a bonkers thing that happened that day, you had no way of... There was no part of planning that that was going to happen. It wasn't a normal thing that happens every day. Yes, you've got peacocks, but they don't normally go feral and start smashing up cars. What could have made for a better TV moment than that?Other than Peacockgate, is there anything else that surprised you about the process of the filming?Abbigail Ollive: Maybe that the people you think are going to be great characters sometimes aren't, and those who are really reluctant to feature and would naturally run a mile if you try to put them in front of a TV camera, often make the best TV. I think finding your stars and the really authentic people who are incredibly passionate about what they do. And in a place like Castle Howard those are people around every corner, people who are been working here for four generations and have amazing passion and connection with the place. And then those people who have really unusual skills, like my paint specialist, or people who are just doing incredibly niche things.I think it's not hard to find the stories, but I think it was that, really. There were people who I was trying to navigate the cameras away from and then there was really willing people who... I put myself in that category, I didn't mind at all being on film, but I think I just come across as a Blue Peter presenter, and actually there are funnier, more authentic, lovely people shining through on the series that we had to coerce a little bit more into being involved.I think that, again, it all comes back to the thing I said earlier about building trust. Our producers had a really good instinct for that. I think they managed really skillfully to get under the skin of the organisation, and by relinquishing control a bit and letting them do what they do really well and trusting their judgment, they ended up putting some of our people and scenarios and stories on TV that I definitely wouldn't have storyboarded, I don't think.Kelly Molson: I guess we talked about editing and control and stuff and relinquishing that a little bit earlier, but the series is out now, we'll give everyone the dates and we'll tell them where they can find it in a little while, but did you get the opportunity to watch it before it's been out live for people?Abbigail Ollive: It was a really small team of us who had a low res proof and we were allowed to, within the contract, check all of the facts and also have an opinion and push back on anything we thought might be reputationally damaging. And actually we changed a few facts and corrected people on some stuff. But I think we've been really pleased, actually, with the way in which it was edited and we haven't pushed back all that much.I think being able to watch it and absorb it a couple of times before giving the sign off, has been a really helpful layer. There were no massive surprises then when it's aired to a million people on TV, because there's already been a layer of fact checking. For me, that's about making sure people's job titles are correct or they're referred to in the right way. I don't want someone to have put a lot of time and effort into a filming sequence and then be called the wrong thing or credited in the wrong way, so I had that layer of editorial input. But ultimately what ends up in and what ends up not in is totally up to them.I think that's just one of the learnings, really. It's about managing people's expectations. The dog festival we do every year is a good example. We spent a whole weekend, and actually the weeks leading up to it, covering that as a story and lots of filming, lots of people being asked to do bits on camera and the various suppliers and providers we had at that big event, and it didn't make the cut at all. It's just because if they're here for the whole year, they decide, probably because of the peacock, actually, but they decide what flows in terms of their narrative, and we have to just manage people's expectations in that. Helpful for me to see it, so I can also do that, because I don't want everyone sat at home on a Saturday night watching for their bit and me knowing it's not in there.Kelly Molson: God, can you imagine? So you imagine that your paint history guy ready for his big moment, and then the peacock takes over. Yeah, that's an awful.Abbigail Ollive: I think internal communication, and I'm sort spending a lot of time, or have spent a lot of time, persuading people to be involved in filming, and then I have to do the bit of time explaining to people that, thanks for going above and beyond to organise that thing so we could film it, actually it's now not in the show.But I think one of the other things that it's maybe, I don't know if it's a surprise or not, but Castle Howard and a year in the life here is a microcosm for what's happening in the real world. And one of the other things we discussed quite a bit off camera as a senior team was how much we sugarcoat our narrative and want to look amazing and brilliant and positive, and in the end we decided it's better to be really transparent. You see our senior management team then in meetings with the cameras in the room, talking about how visitor numbers haven't been what we forecasted over the summer and cost of living crisis and the things that are happening in the real world.Because I think the risk was is that people would maybe watch this and think, "Well, they've got no grip on reality and what the challenges are that people are facing." So I think we had to just be very authentic and real.And we did debate that quite a lot, actually, because it's perhaps a slightly more exposing or brave thing to go, "Well, yeah, come into the senior management meeting, we're going to discuss the figures, we're going to discuss the reforecast. This is why we think numbers have perhaps dropped off. This is what we're going to do about it." And I think, hopefully, that gives viewers the sense of what goes into the running of the business.You see our, amazingly, they agreed to be filmed, you see our Ukrainian refugee family arriving in an estate cottage next week on the autumn episode, and it reflects what's happening on the estate here is what's happening in the rest of the world. And unbelievably as well, some of it's, like you said, some of it's luck and you couldn't plan exactly where the cameras were going to be at what point, but they were filming a senior management meeting at the moment where the announcement came through of the Queen's death, so they film the reaction to that as it's happening. And that could have happened at 10:00 at night when nobody was even in the building.Some of it is luck and a lot is planned, but it really is a reflection, I think, on the mood of the nation and what else is happening in the wider sector and political landscape and everything else. So I think, again, how I approached it was, we've got all these great stories to tell and this is who I want in it and what I want to feature, but actually as life happens and as the year progressed, you couldn't have planned half the things that have ended up in the show.Kelly Molson: No, not at all. But it does give it that authenticity about this is real, this is actually happening and this is our lives. It's not just a TV show.One thing that struck me, actually, was, when I was watching, there was a moment where one of the senior management teams said, "Look, I think we rule out the fact that overseas visitors are not coming. That's it." And it really made me think back about the last time you came on the podcast, which was in 2019, and when you came on then it was talking about the love affair that Castle Howard has with China and the amount of visitors that were driving through from a famous wedding that you'd had at the castle. And I just thought that is a complete and utter contrast, isn't it, to the things that we are now talking about now and that process and that experience that you've been through to get to this point.Abbigail Ollive: Because some of those foundations that we've really relied upon in terms of generating income, like our Chinese market, when that rug's pulled from under you, I think it's made us be maybe a bit more brave and risk taking in grasping opportunities that maybe we wouldn't have done in 2019. And I'd say this filming project is one of those, I absolutely put that in the category. We're in a position where we know some of those income streams aren't coming back, so putting ourselves in front of a huge audience and grasping that PR opportunity this year, I think is a direct result of how the world's changed in the last couple of years.Kelly Molson: Yeah, for sure. So, reflecting on the experience that you've been through, and it has literally just finished, you said that that they're now hastily editing the Christmas episode to go out soon, or winter episode, what advice would you give to other attractions that are thinking maybe we'll do it, maybe we'll start to have those conversations?Abbigail Ollive: Hopefully got a few nuggets. And also really happy to talk to anybody who is in the process of going into this, having now had some lived experience of it. But I think if you're open to filming in the first place, having clear contact details on the website. For location filming, and obviously this kind of thing as well, we produced a filming brochure, which is a PDF and a physical brochure, to kind of sell Castle Howard. Whilst this observational documentary obviously came to us as an opportunity, we're actively trying to sell ourselves as a filming location.I think reaching out to... If you've watched a program and you've really loved it, there's always credits at the end and you can kind of say, "Well, that's a really good example of something I'd love to replicate in my own workplace," and tracking down those people and setting up meetings and chats.Obviously we're part of the treasure houses group, there's 10 treasure houses that are privately owned stately homes in the country and we do a lot as a collective. We're attending a filming exhibition in London together called Focus in a couple of weeks time, and, as a group, making sure we're in those places, meeting the location managers, meeting the people in the industry, starting to form those relationships.The Christmas series this year that Channel 4 are doing, again, it features of the treasure houses and different ones to last year, so we're a repeat, I guess, in that it's winter for us, it's not necessarily just about Christmas. But then you'll see [inaudible 00:41:26] and Holkham as well. And Holkham were kind of going at it second time round, and Harewood for the first time.We've shared a lot of knowledge and talked a lot really about how we've approached it. And I've been a real advocate for it. I've encouraged those other houses, sorry, they might hate me for it now, to go for it, because we'd had such a positive experience last year with the team filming. I can vouch for the fact that they want to work with us and we're all pulling in the same direction.I think for us as well, my other bits of advice are, maximising the opportunity once it's happened. So making sure SEOs all working really hard for you. Making sure as soon as... We had to basically open all those doors to our website, because when a million people are watching you on Channel 4 on a Saturday night, we didn't want the website crashing. We wanted really clear calls to action about booking for Christmas and booking the cottages and campsite. Anything we can sell. When there's that opportunity of that many people Googling you, we wanted to make sure we were ready for it.We were also really aware that a lot of the people watching the TV show wouldn't necessarily be in the area or region and could just buy an admission ticket. We hope when the Christmas show goes out on the 3rd of December it will sell any final tickets remaining. It certainly did last year, but we've this year decided to do a virtual experience that people can buy, so we'll probably have that on sale to coordinate with the Christmas TV show going out. So for those people who are overseas or who can't get to Castle Howard this Christmas, there'll be a virtual tour, obviously inspired by places like London Transport Museum, who do their Hidden London tours, and plenty of theatre events do similar and do it really well.And then for us, maximising the press and PR opportunities that come out of the exposure. And then my other advice is the boring stuff, really. Making sure everything is covered from insurance and how we protect our assets. Having really clear guidelines for when the film crew's in the house, what they are and aren't permitted to do. Having all those access arrangements and risk assessments all agreed up front. So there's a leak on the roof, of course the film crew are going to want to be up on the roof at the moment when that happens, and you haven't got time to go through the whole process of doing a risk assessment and talking about insurance at that point. So it's kind of trying to think about all the scenarios up front and making sure all of that paperwork was done. So that's the boring stuff.And then communication, just communication, communication, you can't over communicate it. I found people get really grumpy if you turn up with a TV crew whilst they're busy in the middle of something highly important or some kind of high risk job, and I'm like, "Could we film you?" It generally doesn't go down brilliantly, so I've been an absolute stuck record in every meeting I've been in this year where I've been asking, "Can Channel 4 film it? Can Channel 4 film it?"And then making sure people are wearing something appropriate if I know people are going in to film them, like properly branded uniforms, and just giving people a heads up so they know that it's likely they're doing a thing as part of their day and I'm going to be along with a TV crew.But actually what's happened then is as the year has progressed, people have come forward more and more with opportunities. So people start letting me know, "We're doing a acorn picking," was one thing. I would never have known there was an acorn picking initiative going on in the forestry department. So people have been coming forward to me, and I've now got this brilliant content army of people letting me know what's going on in their week ahead, and they're actively thinking all the time, "This might make a great story for the TV." So I think you can't over communicate stuff.And then the final thing, which has been my mantra, it's absolutely obvious, but if you don't say it on camera, they can't put it on TV.Kelly Molson: Such simple advice.Abbigail Ollive: Simple advice.Kelly Molson: Abbi, this is going to be one of my favourite podcast episodes ever. You are always so generous with the advice that you give and the support that you give to the sector. So thank you for saying that you will help people and you're happy to talk to them. I think that's really amazing. We will put all of your details in the show notes so people can find out about you. But if you're not watching it already, how do we find out about the show? Where can we watch it?Abbigail Ollive: Yes, it's called Castle Howard: Through the Seasons. It's a Channel 4 production, so it's going out on Saturday nights, but more likely you'll be able to catch it with it on all four watch on demand. I'm sure it's something that will get repeated variously across the years, because that's great. They're busy repeating, I think, Chatsworth's documentary at the moment as well, and there's one happening at Highclere, and I think these things just kind of have quite a long shelf life actually, so hopefully you'll be able to watch it on demand way into the future, embarrassingly.Kelly Molson: For sure. Without a doubt. Abbi, we always ask our guests to share a book with us before they leave, something that they love or something that they've just enjoyed as part of their career or personal. What would you like to share with us?Abbigail Ollive: In my life outside of Castle Howard, I do a lot of baking and cooking. We have a little family business and cafe, so I'm a crazy baking lady some nights for that. But actually, it was difficult to choose, because I've got a whole amazing shelf of cookbooks that I use very regularly, but Sabrina Ghayour, who has recently released Persiana Everyday. I absolutely love Middle Eastern cooking, and I'm not really sure where this passion came from, but I think that particular book I've been using a lot recently, because it's good, quick recipes, they're really reliable, and they're brilliant midweek, not overly complex when you've got your store cupboard of ingredients sorted.But I actually chose this because it's something that... Our Channel 4 producer who's been with us for a year, Hannah, and I massively bonded over food, both being foodies, and I actually invited Sabrina to our press launch at Castle Howard because she's recently moved to the area, and funnily enough, I got a tweet, I got a DM tweet from Sabrina Ghayour saying, "You work at Castle Howard? I love Castle Howard." And I was like, "Oh my god, I mean, I love you. I've got your book and use it all the time. I can't believe you're trying to befriend me." So I invited her along to the press launch and she came, and Hannah, Channel 4 Hannah, and I had a proper fangirl moment of just basically going, "We really love your recipes." So it felt like a good, relevant, irrelevant one, although there were plenty I could have chosen.Kelly Molson: Oh my god, I am so with you on this. I have all of her bits except this one. Maybe I'll enter myself.Abbigail Ollive: Good Christmas present. Good Christmas-Kelly Molson: Yeah, there you go. They are the books I go to if we're having people over for dinner, or every New Year's Eve we cook a feast for the two of us, it would be three of us now, but we cook an absolute feast, and it's always lamb and it's always something incredibly delicious from one of her books. I think would've fangirled a little bit too.Abbigail Ollive: I know. And she uses our farm shop a lot, obviously, because we have estate tenant farmers, and I think it's really brilliant to champion that field to fork message. And if you're going to eat meat, it's brilliant that it's local. It's such a treat for me to be able to have a farm shop at work where I can and get that from. So yeah.Kelly Molson: Amazing. All right, well, look, listeners, as ever, if you want to be in with a chance of winning that book, if you go over to our Twitter account and you retweet this episode announcement with, "I want Abbi's books, book even", you will be in with a chance of winning it.This is the second cookbook that we've had on the podcast recently as well. There's a little trend here. I'm getting a little message [inaudible 00:49:33].Abbigail Ollive: The other one that I was close, is when I was on holiday recently, I read, I'm sure somebody must have recommended it, the Bob Iger book, The Ride of a Lifetime, because he was the CEO of Disney for 15 years, and this week's just been announced that he's back at Disney after retirement. Not to go on as a prize, but for anybody working visitor attractions I found it a really inspiring read. The last paragraph of, well, sorry, the last chapter, really, is his bullet points of the kind of things he lived by whilst running Disney. I'm going to do the old school thing where I print it out and stick it on my wall. So that's just a top tip for the sector. I'm sure most people have read it and I'm, as usual, three years behind the trend.Kelly Molson: No, it not been recommended, though. It definitely has not come up on our... No, I will check our library list, but I am positive that that hasn't come up yet. But you can't win that one, it has to be Sabrina, because you will fully appreciate the cookbook. Trust me.Abbi, thanks so much for coming on. It's been an absolute pleasure.Abbigail Ollive: Thank you so much for having me. It's been a delight, as always, to talk to you, and I do feel so honoured to be second time round.Kelly Molson: My absolute pleasure. You're always such a treat when you come on, and I genuinely am so grateful for all the support and advice that you give to people. So thank you.Thanks for listening to Skip the Queue. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned.Kelly Molson: Skip The Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. You can find show notes and transcriptions from this episode and more over on our website, rubbercheese.com/podcast.. 

The theme of our recent Highclere Festival was the path to the discovery of  the tomb of Tutankhamun. It is an extraordinary tale of  two unconventional men, Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter, neither of whom had studied archaeology at university but both of whom, through experience and passion, found the most extraordinary tomb of a Pharaoh. It's the subject of my new book 'The Earl and the Pharaoh'. Joining us over the festival weekend to help further our understanding was egyptologist Professor Joann Fletcher - I couldn't resist luring her away to talk to her for my podcast! 

This week, Jo Mckinnon is joined by Andrew Hawkins of Highclere Racing, to review the success of Caulfield Cup winner Durston. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nick is joined by broadcaster Rishi Persad to discuss the latest news and developments around the racing world today. They begin with reflections on the entirely dominant display from the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Nostrum in Thursday's Tattersalls Stakes and ask where he now sits relative to other early season Classic contenders for 2023. They also examine the decision of Chelmsford City racecourse not to allow general admission for Thursday night's extra fixture in the company of the course's Commercial Director Nathan Holmes, and look ahead to the final two days of the Cambridgeshire fixture. Nick catches up with Team Valor's Barry Irwin who explains the decision to sell La Petite Coco at the Sceptre session at Tattersalls and gives his view on Green Up's chance in this weekend's Cotillion at Park. Harry Herbert talks about HIghclere's passing the £1m mark this season and looks ahead to this afternoon's Rockfel and potential Melbourne Cup runners, while trainer Ed Bethell is excited about running Oviedo in the Goffs Million at the Curragh. Newmarket's Executive Chef Damian Adams and Wine Tipster Neil Phillips provide refreshments.

Nick is joined by broadcaster Rishi Persad to discuss the latest news and developments around the racing world today. They begin with reflections on the entirely dominant display from the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Nostrum in Thursday's Tattersalls Stakes and ask where he now sits relative to other early season Classic contenders for 2023. They also examine the decision of Chelmsford City racecourse not to allow general admission for Thursday night's extra fixture in the company of the course's Commercial Director Nathan Holmes, and look ahead to the final two days of the Cambridgeshire fixture. Nick catches up with Team Valor's Barry Irwin who explains the decision to sell La Petite Coco at the Sceptre session at Tattersalls and gives his view on Green Up's chance in this weekend's Cotillion at Park. Harry Herbert talks about HIghclere's passing the £1m mark this season and looks ahead to this afternoon's Rockfel and potential Melbourne Cup runners, while trainer Ed Bethell is excited about running Oviedo in the Goffs Million at the Curragh. Newmarket's Executive Chef Damian Adams and Wine Tipster Neil Phillips provide refreshments.

On this week's episode, Michelle San Miguel speaks with two individuals living with alopecia. Next, Pamela Watts profiles Lady Carnarvon who resides at Highclere castle - site of the hit series Downton Abbey. Finally, Judge Frank Caprio of "Caught in Providence" fame gives us his take on second chances. 

Fiona, 8th Countess of Carnarvon, is the wife of Geordie, 8th Earl of Carnarvon. They live at Highclere Castle, known to millions around the world as “Downton Abbey”. Lady Carnarvon is the best-selling author of 5 books, an historian, an international speaker and fundraiser in the UK and abroad. Lady Carnarvon, her husband and son live 'quietly' with seven dogs, a number of horses and ponies, a brood of chickens, several bee hives and some rare breed pigs, amongst the normal farm animals in the farm and landscape of Highclere Castle today.A love of travel and reading is part of Lady Carnarvon's DNA. Following a degree at St Andrew's University, she trained as a Chartered Accountant with what is now PWC. Highclere offers both an anchor to the past as well as seeking to innovate and play a part in a modern world, with social media such as Instagram, Lady Carnarvon's weekly blog, podcast and her latest exciting venture “Friends of Highclere”. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

The recent record high temperatures in the UK has brought climate change back into the headlines. Seasoned climatologists who knew we'd one day break through the 40C barrier have spoken about being stunned to see it happen so soon. Here at Highclere we're always thinking about what we can do to protect our fragile planet.  With that in mind my guest this month is very much on topic. Rod Rougelot is a good friend who has spent decades working in recycling and sustainability. I found our conversation both interesting and thought provoking - I hope you do too. 

Elissa Sussman's hilarious break out rom com, Funny You Should Ask, is a witty romance built around the whole question and dynamic of celebrity journalism. Ten years ago, Chani interviewed Hollywood star Gabe. He was at that time the next James Bond, and the story she wrote about him then has haunted her career ever since.  Hi there, I'm your host Jenny Wheeler, and in Binge Reading today Elissa talks about setting up her James Bond character in Funny You Should Ask, the particular challenges faced by women pursuing careers in Hollywood, and her own remarkable experiences managing big film animation projects including The Croods, Hotel Transylvania and Tangled for some of the top studios. In our free giveaway a group of author friends have got together for another historical romance book offer. Take your pick from a wide choice in historical romance for summer. GET FREE HISTORIC ROMANCE Links in the Binge Reading show notes for this episode, as for all of the other content of this episode. And don't forget, for the cost of less than a cup of coffee a month, you can get exclusive bonus content – like hearing Elissa's answers to the Five Quickfire Questions – by becoming a Binge Reading on Patreon supporter. We've got a new feature starting on Patreon this month, Encore, once a month short chats with authors who've already been on the show, talking about their latest exciting release.  support binge reading on patreon First up in the second week of June is popular international author Gill Paul talking about The Collector's Daughter, her new dual timeline novel about the fascinating life of Lady Evelyn Herbert. She was the English aristocrat who made history by being part of the first ever global media sensation – the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb – as well as enjoying the cachet having grown up at Highclere, the majestic manor house that is the location for the Downton Abbey TV series. (Editor note: - Sorry Gill will be next month – next week it's Deborah Challinor with The Leonard Sisters – a 1960 Vietnam War story about two sisters who both go to Vietnam  - one of them a war protestor, the other a military nurse on active duty.) Links for this episode Kate Spencer: In A New York Minute:  https://www.katespencerwrites.com/Julie Ann Long: Historical romance author: http://julieannelong.com/Bird of California by Katie Cotugno: https://www.amazon.com/Birds-California-Novel-Katie-Cotugno-ebook/dp/B09G6RJKH4Alisha Rai: http://www.alisharai.com/ Where to find Elissa Sussman: Website: https://elissasussman.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/elissa_sussman/What follows is a "near as" transcript of our conversation, not word for word but pretty close to it, with links to the show notes in The Joys of Binge Reading.com for important mentions.But now, here's Elissa. Introducing author Elissa Sussman Jenny Wheeler: Hello there, Elissa, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us today. Elissa Sussman: Thank you so much. I'm happy to be here. Jenny Wheeler: You wrote three teen novels, but then you got into what they are calling your breakout hit, your first adult novel, Funny You Should Ask. It's a witty romance built around the whole dynamic of celebrity journalism. How did you make that leap from the earlier teen novels to this adult novel that's being so widely acclaimed? Elissa Sussman: Thank you. It's funny because it feels like a very natural progression. In some ways I'm like, why did it take me so long to write a romance and an adult romance at that? I grew up reading romance, loving romance. Since middle school, I was a huge romance reader, getting books from the library constantly. Then during a lull in work, when I was writing YA fiction, I got an opportunity to ghost write adult romance books, and it reminded me of how much fun I had reading it as a teenager and how much I missed it. It was like getting paid to go to romance writing boot camp....

Ella Carey and her epic heartbreaking World War I story, The Girl From Paris, kick off the show this week, taking us from war-torn Paris of the First World War to the fabulous fashion scene of 1920s New York. Seamstress Vianne believes she's lost her sister in the war. She sees the rubble surrounding her and has the evidence of her own eyes, but when she gets to New York she's forced to face a new reality. Hi there, I'm your host Jenny Wheeler and in Binge Reading today Ella talks about the remarkable couturier scene in 1920s New York, her Daughters of New York series, and her lifelong passion for all things French. We've got another free giveaway. As you know, we do this every week. This week it's the Chocolate Magic Mystery Box series, seven cozy mysteries by author Olivia Swift. YES TO CHOCOLATE BOX MYSTERIES Create your own magical moment. Grab a coffee and some chocolate while you dive into seven cozy mysteries. Yes to Chocolate Box Mysteries And don't forget, for the cost of less than a cup of coffee a month you can get exclusive bonus content – like hearing Ella's answers to the five quickfire questions – by becoming a Binge Reading on Patreon supporter. We've got a new feature starting on Patreon this month, Encore, a monthly chat with authors who have already been on the show, talking about their latest exciting release. It's shorter than a normal episode, 15-20 minutes. First up in the second week of June is popular international author Gill Paul talking about The Collector's Daughter, her new dual timeline novel about the English aristocrat Lady Eve Herbert – famous not only because she was born and grew up in Highclere, the manor house that features in Downton Abbey, but she was also part of the first ever global media sensation, the uncovering of Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt in the 1920s. SUPPORT BINGE READING ON PATREON As usual, the links to everything we've talked about in this show can be found on the Binge Reading website. Links to this episode: Ella Carey Books:Paris Time Capsule: https://www.ellacarey.com/library/paris-time-capsule/House From The Lake: https://www.ellacarey.com/library/the-house-by-the-lake/From A Paris Balcony:  https://www.ellacarey.com/library/from-a-paris-balcony/ Daughters of New York series: https://www.ellacarey.com/library/a-new-york-secret/https://www.ellacarey.com/library/the-lost-girl-of-berlin/https://www.ellacarey.com/library/the-girl-from-paris/https://www.ellacarey.com/library/the-lost-sister-of-fifth-avenue/Maid by Nita Prose  https://www.amazon.com/Maid-Novel-Nita-Prose/dp/0593356152Belle Epoch artist Giovanni Boldini  https://www.wikiart.org/en/giovanni-boldiniBelle Epoch courtesan: Marthe de Florian https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marthe_de_FlorianThe Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman: https://www.amazon.com/A-Thursday-Murder-Club-Mystery-3-book-series/dp/B08RDVHNTBAlexander McCall Smith: https://www.alexandermccallsmith.co.uk/Rhys Bowen:  https://rhysbowen.com/(Enduring Storyteller - Rhys on Joys of Binge Reading)https://thejoysofbingereading.com/rhys-bowen-2/AND A (Royal) Wedding and Four Funerals:https://thejoysofbingereading.com/rhys-bowen/Fiona Valpy: https://www.fionavalpy.com/(French For Always- Fiona on Joys of Binge Reading) https://thejoysofbingereading.com/fiona-valpy-ww-ii-drama/ Encore over the next few weeks: The Collector's Daughter: from Gill Paul and The Leonard Girls: from Deborah Challinor Where to find Ella Carey Website: https://www.ellacarey.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellacareyauthor/Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ella_CareyPinterest: @ellacarey54Bookouture: https://www.bookouture.com/ What follows is a "near as" transcript of our conversation, not word for word but pretty close to it, with links to the show notes in The Joys of Binge Reading.com for important mentions. But that's enough of the housekeeping. Here's Ella.

After 36 months it's been a joy to welcome back the Highclere Show.  It's a festival and celebration of country life that is always great entertainment for the thousands that come here every May. In this month's podcast I sat down with the organiser Jerome Roberts - do have a listen and maybe we'll see you here next year! 

Epsiode 100In this episode we celebrate the milestone 100th episode remembering the cruise happenings of the past 2 years, plus welcome listener questions and celebrate the latest cruise news from around the world.Support the showListen, Like, Subscribe & Review on your favourite podcast directory.Share the podcast with someone you think will enjoy the showBuy Me A Coffee – This podcast is only possible thanks to our supporters, simply buying a coffee keeps us on air. It is just like shouting your mate a coffee, and we consider our listeners close mates. https://bit.ly/2T2FYGXSustainable Fashion – choose a TBCP design or design your own… all using organic cotton, green energy and zero plastic https://bit.ly/32G7RdhListener QuestionsSanti asks – Chris & Baz, looking at our first cruise. We are travelling for the first time to Europe and would like to do a Med cruise with a city or two pre/post-cruise. What cities do you recommend and how long is ideal before/after a cruise? Harry asks – Chris, I know you have answered this before (but I can't remember your answer). If taking a Transatlantic reposition cruise for the first time, do you recommend eastbound or westbound? Thanks in advance.Cruise NewsNew Zealand to re-welcome cruise shipsNew Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced that maritime borders will reopen after July 31, paving the way for international cruise ships to return in time for the upcoming season beginning in October.Many cruise lines have announced their support including Celebrity Cruises who is more than ready to welcome guests back on board. Setting sail from Sydney on 22 October for the 2022-23 season, the award-winning Celebrity Eclipse will be making her debut in the region with a series of curated 3-to13-night itineraries across Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.NCL Celebrates full relaunch of 17 ship fleet Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), is celebrating the completion of its Great Cruise Comeback with the sailing of Norwegian Spirit, the 17th and final ship in its fleet to return to service.NCL's return to service after a 500-day pause began with Norwegian Jade's 25 July 2021 sailing from Athens (Piraeus), Greece. Since then, the Brand has systematically relaunched its ships around the world, welcoming guests and crew members aboard its award-winning vessels.Norwegian Spirit, which is sporting an extensive bow-to-stern USD$100 million revitalization, departed 7 May 2022, and will be sailing through the deep blue South Pacific, visiting eight ports in 12 days, with departures commencing from Papeete on the beautiful Island of Tahiti.Norwegian Spirit will then debut in Australian waters for the very first time on 22 December 2022 for her inaugural local sailing season, visiting ports across Australia and New Zealand, marking NCL's return Down Under after an almost three-year interval.During her renovation, Norwegian Spirit now showcases 14 brand-new venues and is now quite unlike any other ship sailing in Australian waters. She boasts a doubled-in-size Mandara Spa complete with Thermal Suite including steam room, sauna, shower experience and luxurious heated-tile loungers; a luxe Ibiza-inspired adults-only pool retreat called Spice H20 that transforms into a cocktail lounge and open-air nightclub in the evenings; and an NCL guest-favourite, Bliss Ultra Lounge, where guests can enjoy a nightcap or dance the night away.A smaller ship at 268 metres long and 10 decks tall, Norwegian Spirit offers a unique intimate onboard atmosphere yet still provides all the amenities travellers know and love from NCL. Guests will find 14 dining options to choose from, each with no set dining times, tables or dress codes; from table top entertainment at Teppanyaki and fine French fare at Le Bistro to contemporary Italian at the all-new Onda by Scarpetta.Taste Testing time' on P&O Cruises Australia's Pacific ExplorerIt is ‘taste testing time' for the crew on P&O Cruises Australia's Pacific Explorer as the flagship is prepared for its return to cruising on May 31 with its four-night round trip cruise to Brisbane.And if guests are excited about the beautiful food that will be on offer, they can be assured that the crew love it too.With an array of new dishes on the menu, the restaurant teams are sampling the taste and, very importantly, the vibrant look of the culinary delights soon to be experienced on Pacific Explorer.In a busy ship's galley, instant recognition of new dishes is vital to a smooth operation and to get delicious meals to guests' tables as efficiently as possible.With the main restaurant Waterfront along with specialty restaurants such as Angelo's and Dragon Lady and The Pantry outlets serving thousands of meals each day, it is easy to imagine what a complex task it is.stralia's Pacific ExplorerViking Takes delivery of newest shipViking today announced it has taken delivery of the company's newest ocean ship, the Viking Mars. The delivery ceremony took place this morning when the ship was presented at Fincantieri's shipyard in Ancona, Italy. The Viking Mars will now make her way to Valletta, Malta, where she will be officially named on May 17, 2022—Norwegian Constitution Day—by her ceremonial godmother, Lady Fiona Carnarvon, the Countess of Carnarvon. The ship will then sail itineraries in the Mediterranean, Scandinavia and Northern Europe before repositioning at the end of the year for voyages around Australia and New Zealand.For years Viking has offered a variety of ways for its guests to experience life at Highclere Castle, which is the home of the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon. Highclere Castle is known as the filming location of Downton Abbey, and Viking became a household name during its sponsorship of the celebrated series MASTERPIECE through the years Downton Abbey aired. Viking Executive Vice President Karine Hagen worked closely with the Carnarvon family to develop Privileged Access Pre/Post Extensions that feature the estate, including the highly-rated Oxford & Highclere Castle and Great Homes, Gardens & Gin extensions, both of which are available for guests on select river and ocean voyages.Lady Carnarvon has also welcomed viewers to Highclere Castle on Viking's award-winning enrichment channel, Viking.TV. In her ongoing series, At Home at Highclere, Lady Carnarvon offers virtual Privileged Access to the historic home and its grounds. In the past two years, she has led more than 20 virtual tours and offered glimpses of life at her home. Additionally, Lady Carnarvon has served as godmother to a Viking Longship, the Viking Skadi, which sails Viking's popular itineraries on the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers.The delivery of the Viking Mars comes as Viking continues to mark its 25th anniversary. In January 2022, the company launched Viking Expeditions and its first purpose-built Polar Class vessel, the Viking Octantis; in March 2022, the company named eight new European river ships during a special event in Paris. By the end of the year, Viking will have also welcomed a second identical expedition ship, another identical ocean ship, and new purpose-built vessels for the Nile, Mekong and Mississippi rivers.The Viking Mars is the newest ship in Viking's award-winning ocean fleet of identical sister ships. Classified by Cruise Critic as “small ships,” Viking's ocean vessels have a gross tonnage of 47,800 tons, with 465 staterooms that can host 930 guests; the ships feature all veranda staterooms, Scandinavian design, light-filled public spaces and abundant al fresco dining options.Trailblazing Gymnast Will Officially Name Celebrity Cruises' Groundbreaking ShipCelebrity Cruises announced that Simone Biles, 19-time World Champion and seven-time Olympic Medalist, will add another very special title to her decorated career – Godmother for Celebrity Beyond.A long-standing and highly regarded tradition for new ships, the role of Godmother is to inspire all guests and crew who sail on the ship, and it is considered a lifetime title and honour. In her role as Godmother, Biles will name Celebrity Beyond – the gold standard ship and newest and most luxurious vessel in the Celebrity fleet – at the official ceremony in Fort Lauderdale on 4 November, 2022.For its groundbreaking Edge Series ships, Celebrity is selecting equally transformational and courageous Godmothers who are breaking barriers and championing change in their respective fields. Biles joins Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai and Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code and the Marshall Plan for Moms, who serve as godmothers of Beyond's sister ships Celebrity Edge and Celebrity Apex respectively.Celebrity Beyond began her inaugural season on 27 April, 2022 with a 10-night sailing from Southampton, England, to Barcelona, Spain, and will now spend the summer sailing nine-to-10-night itineraries in the Mediterranean. In November, Celebrity Beyond will make her way to Fort Lauderdale for the official naming ceremony and a winter season of five-to-nine-night Caribbean sailings.AIDAdiva and AIDAperla with numerous new products on boardFollowing her stay in the shipyard, AIDAdiva set sail on her first voyage from Warnemünde to the Norwegian fjords on Saturday, May 14, 2022. Over the past few weeks, the cruise ship has been undergoing an extensive beauty treatment at the Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven GmbH shipyard. From April 25 to May 12, 2022, several areas of the ship were redesigned in addition to regular class and maintenance work.A new attraction on board AIDAdiva is the restaurant “Almhütte”. With delicacies from the Alpine region and various beer specialties, there is plenty of fun to be had here in a cozy hut atmosphere.Wellness lovers can look forward to another novelty at the Body & Soul Spa: The entire wellness oasis has been expanded to include a spacious outdoor area where guests can relax and unwind with a view of the sea. In addition, the fitness equipment has been replaced by the latest generation of equipment and the cyberobics workouts with international star trainers make the hearts of fitness fans beat faster.With AIDAdiva, AIDA Cruises is offering voyages to Norway and Denmark as well as cruises to Baltic Sea metropolises such as Stockholm and Copenhagen from Warnemünde until October.Paradise for young and old: ice bar opens on AIDAperlaAIDAperla will end its three-week shipyard stay in Rotterdam on Saturday, May 14, 2022, and set off for Hamburg. The first guests will embark in the Hanseatic city on Monday, May 16, 2022, and will be able to discover numerous innovations on board during their voyage to Norway.In addition to technical updates and scheduled class and maintenance work, AIDAperla received a visual makeover. In the new ice cream bar, guests young and old can feast on the most delicious types of ice cream. The ice cream masters surprise with delicious ice cream creations from their own production and a wide selection of cakes.The Body & Soul Organic Spa also shines in new splendor. New on board is a Hypoxi Studio for figure shaping and, as a supplement to the extensive fitness offering, there are now also Cyberobics workouts with international star trainers. A special fashion accessories area for leather goods, handbags and sunglasses has been integrated into the shopping plaza, offering guests even greater shopping pleasure on their voyages.In the 2022 summer season, AIDAperla will go on 10-day voyages to Norway from Hamburg.MSC Revamps Loyalty Club MSC Cruises has re-vamped its MSC Voyagers Club loyalty programme with a range of new and attractive benefits.Voyagers Exclusives replaces Voyages Selection with greater incentives for members, all of whom will automatically benefit from a minimum five per cent discount for any cruise booked at any time. Previously, Voyages Selection was available for only a select number of MSC Cruises' global sailing schedule.In addition, the further in advance a guest books, the greater the benefits gained.Any sailing booked from at least six months prior to departure will result in a further five per cent discount. For all cruises booked from at least nine months ahead of the sailing will see Silver, Gold and Diamond tier members receive the five plus five per cent discount, plus either €50/$50 shipboard credit.All members who book any MSC Cruises' holiday at sea 12 months before departure will receive double reward points.The MSC Voyagers Club loyalty programme includes five membership levels- Welcome, Classic, Silver, Gold and Diamond – and all earn points.  As points grow, so do the benefits.Princess Cruises Introduces All-Inclusive Premier PackagePrincess Cruises today announced Princess Premier, a new premium add-on package that offers guests unlimited WiFi for up to 4 devices, premium/top-shelf beverages, photos, specialty dining, and crew gratuities/appreciation. For just $75 per person per day, the inclusive package builds off the popular Princess Plus add-on to offer a more comprehensive bundle and savings of more than 50 percent when the amenities of Princess Premier are purchased separately. In a unique promotion twist, Princess Premier guests also will be automatically entered into a new onboard promotion for a chance to win a cruise for two every year for a decade and up to $100,000 in cash prizes.Princess Premier goes on sale May 25, for voyages starting June 25 and beyond. The package is available for just $75 per person, per day, and includes:Unlimited MedallionNet WiFi – the best WiFi at sea – for up to four-devicesNew “Premier” Beverage Package – top-shelf spirits and cocktails up to $18 with bar service charge included, new selection of wines by the glass, 25 percent bottles of wine, specialty coffees, smoothies, and bottled waterTwo specialty dining meals per person including popular restaurants like Crown Grill and Sabatini's Italian TrattoriaDigital downloads of all photos taken by professional staff onboard, plus three prints of any size up to 8 x 10Entry into new Princess Prizes on board door portal promotionDaily Crew AppreciationThe addition of Princess Premier gives guests three package options when booking a Princess cruise vacation:Princess Standard cruise package, including the standard cruise farePrincess Plus ($40 per person, per day until May 25; $50 per person, per day starting May 25) – including unlimited WiFi for a single device; Plus Beverage package (covering drinks up to $12, 25 percent off bottles of wine, specialty coffees, smoothies and bottled water); and daily crew appreciationNEW! Princess Premier ($75 per person, per day), on sale beginning May 25Guests on voyages departing June 25 and beyond who previously purchased Princess Plus can upgrade to Princess Premier for an additional $25 per person, per day.Carnival Cruise Line breaks ground on new Cruise Port Destination With a strong showing of validation of the cruise industry's return and optimism, and reflecting a long-standing partnership between Carnival Cruise Line and The Bahamas, Carnival, in cooperation with the Grand Bahama Port Authority and the Government of The Bahamas, today held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new cruise port destination on Grand Bahama Island.The new Carnival Grand Bahama cruise port destination, expected to open in late 2024, is being developed on the south side of the island and will continue to serve as a gateway to Grand Bahama while also offering guests a uniquely Bahamian experience with many exciting features and amenities, along with business opportunities for the residents of Grand Bahama.The cruise port development includes a pier able to accommodate up to two Excel-class ships simultaneously welcoming guests to a stunning white-sand beach The Bahamas are known for. Guests will be able to explore and enjoy Grand Bahama by way of sea, via a dedicated shore excursion dock, or by land, via the dedicated ground transportation hub.  The cruise port itself will also feature an area designated as a nature reserve and an interior pool feature, along with many Bahamian-operated retail, food and beverage options for guests to enjoy.Holland America Line's Zaandam Returns to Service in Fort LauderdaleHolland America Line's Zaandam returned to service Thursday, May 12, 2022, at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, leaving just one more ship until the cruise line's full fleet is operational again. Zaandam embarked guests for a nine-day Atlantic Coast cruise to Montreal, Canada, that will position it in Canada/New England through October. Not only is this a return to service for Zaandam, but it also marks a return to cruising in the Canada/New England region after a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Following the repositioning cruise along the east coast of North America, Zaandam will spend the summer and early fall offering Canada and New England cruises between Boston, Massachusetts, and Montreal.Volendam currently is under charter by the government of the Netherlands, positioned alongside in Rotterdam accommodating Ukrainian families.Holland America Line will complete the restart of the fleet June 12 with Westerdam in Seattle, Washington.And moreJoin the show:If you have a cruise tip, burning question or want to record a cruise review get in touch with us via the website https://thebigcruisepodcast.com/join-the-show/ Guests: Chris Frame: https://bit.ly/3a4aBCg   Chris's Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChrisFrameOfficialPeter Kollar: https://www.cruising.org.au/Home Listen & Subscribe: Amazon Podcasts: https://amzn.to/3w40cDcApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2XvD7tF Audible: https://adbl.co/3nDvuNgCastbox: https://bit.ly/2xkGBEI Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/2RuY04u I heart Radio:  https://ihr.fm/3mVIEUASpotify: https://spoti.fi/3caCwl8 Stitcher: https://bit.ly/2JWE8Tz Pocket casts: https://bit.ly/2JY4J2M Tune in: https://bit.ly/2V0Jrrs Podcast Addict: https://bit.ly/2BF6LnE Hosted on Acast. 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XV. For fans of the great period television and film dramas Downton Abbey and Brideshead Revisited (among many others), one of the great pleasures is seeing the grand, sumptuous, imposing interiors of some of England's greatest homes used as stage sets in the drama.  This week's episode features Nick Dawes, master specialist and appraiser seen regularly on "Antiques Roadshow" who shares some insight into the decorative arts collections of some of these fictitious as well as some very real families.  Visit the Gilded Gentleman website for more information.

El castillo de Highclere, en el sureste de Inglaterra, se hizo mundialmente famoso como escenario de la serie de televisión británica Downton Abbey. Un recorrido permite a los aficionados conocer el rodaje y la vida real en el castillo.

MapableUSA.com: Fans of the TV series Downton Abbey certainly know of Highclere Castle. But did you know there's a crowdfund opportunity with gin made at those very grounds? In this podcast, Adam von Gootkin, the CEO and Co-Founder of Highclere Castle Gin, takes you through a journey of their crowdfunding process, including how he got started, why they chose Reg.CF crowdfunding to begin with, the steps involved in getting his deal listed on an investment portal, his marketing strategy, and the regulatory issues he faced throughout.

We are tenants for a lifetime and this castle is a wonderful lesson for us, because we are just here for a short lifetime, far shorter than the cedar trees or the oak trees. We're just trying not to muck it up! -Lady Fiona Carnarvon This week's story is steeped in history, including a certain castle named Highclere which you may have seen on the famous series, Downton Abbey. It is also a rare glimpse into the life of British royalty. Lady Fiona Carnarvon is the 8th Countess of Carnarvon and the accomplished author of many books including her latest: Seasons at Highclere. Originally built on this site 1200 years ago, the 5000 acre English estate includes ancient trees, an orangery, a working farm, horses and 7 dogs. Living here and preserving the history of the place is a passion and a calling for Lady Carnarvon and her husband, the Earl of Carnarvon who see themselves as stewards of the land. In this interview, she takes us through her early life, which was shaped for she and her sisters by the loss of their mother and father. Educated at St. Andrew's University, Lady Fiona Carnarvon has a degree in accounting. She takes us through meeting her husband, becoming a Countess and a stepmother, the birth of her son, Edward, and her philosophy around how to handle obstacles in life. In this episode Lady Fiona Carnarvon also tells the story about how she discovered a secret, handwritten recipe for gin which would become the award-winning Highclere Castle Gin, made from botanicals grown on the estate and distilled in England's oldest gin distillery. For a rare glimpse into the life of a British Countess, hit that download button as quick as you can. #downtonabbey #highclerecastle #highclerecastlegin

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart   Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee   Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter | Daily Gardener Community   Historical Events 1723 Birth of Sir William Chambers (books about this person), Swedish-Scottish architect, based in London.  William designed Somerset House on the Strand in central London. He also designed Great Pagoda at Kew (1761) as a gift for Princess Augusta. The Great Pagoda was built with grey brick and is ten stories tall. It took just six months to build. Initially, the various roofs of the Great Pagoda featured eighty golden dragons. But by 1784, the dragons were removed. And although they most likely deteriorated naturally from the elements, rumors swirled that they were sold to satisfy the Prince Regent's gambling debts (scandalous). William Chambers had a special admiration for Chinese gardens. He went to China on three occasions in the 1740s. He even published a Dissertation on Oriental Gardening. Here are a few of his takeaways from Of the Art of Laying Out Gardens Among the Chinese, Nature is their pattern, and their aim is to imitate her in all her beautiful irregularities. The Chinese are not fond of walking, we seldom meet with avenues or spacious walks. The Chinese artists, knowing how powerfully contrast operates on the mind, constantly practice sudden transitions, and a striking opposition of forms, colors, and shades.  Their rivers are seldom straight, but serpentine, and broken into many irregular points. When there is a sufficient suply of water, and proper ground, the Chinese never fail to form cascades in their gardens. The weeping willow is one of their favorite trees, and always among those that border their lakes and rivers... planted to have it's branches hanging over the water. Another of their artifices is to hide some part of a composition by trees, or other intermediate objects. This naturally excites the curiosity of the spectator to take a nearer view. The Chinese generally avoid straight lines; yet they do not absolutely reject them.    The Great Pagoda underwent a 12-year renovation period that began in 2006. On July 13, 2018, the grand reopening revealed a fully restored Great Pagoda complete with 80 chinoiserie dragons perched on the roofs. The dragons were back. And since the roofs would not have supported wooden dragons or other heavy materials, the dragons were ingeniously made of nylon with the help of a 3D printer. Only the bigger dragons on the lowest roof are made of cedar.   1856 On this day, Henry David Thoreau writes in his journal: 9 am to Fair Haven Pond upriver –  A still warmer day –  The snow is so solid that it still bears me – though we have had several warm suns on it.  I sit by a maple on a maple –  It wears the same shaggy coat of lichens summer & winter.   1863 On this day, John Lewis Russell, an American botanist and Unitarian minister, sent a letter to his adult nephew. By all accounts, John was a lovely man, a great conversationalist, and a font of wisdom regarding the natural world. John Lewis Russell was an expert in lichens and cryptograms. The fungus Boletellus russelli was named in his honor. His friends included Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. John's letter to his nephew illustrates his love of nature and personal charisma. When this reaches you spring will have commenced, and March winds... will have awakened some of the sleeping flowers of the western prairies, while we shall be still among the snow-drifts of [the] tardy departing winter.  As I have not learned to fly yet I shall not be able to ramble with you after the pasque flower ("pask"), or anemone, nor find the Erythronium albidum ("er-rith-THRONE-ee-um AL-bah-dum"), nor the tiny spring beauty, nor detect the minute green mosses which will so soon be rising out of the ground.  But I can sit by the Stewart's Coal Burner in our sitting room and... recall the days when ... when we gathered Andromeda buds from the frozen bushes and traversed the ice-covered bay securely in the bright sunshine of the winter's day.  I will not trouble you to write to me, but I should like a spring flower which you gather; any one will be precious from you to your feeble and sick Old uncle and friend, J.L.R.   Grow That Garden Library™ Book Recommendation Seasons at Highclere by The Countess of Carnarvon  This book came out late in 2021, and the subtitle is Gardening, Growing, and Cooking Through the Year at the Real Downton Abbey. If you are a lover of Downton Abbey and gardening, you must get a copy of this book. This book was written by the actual Lady of the Manor, Fiona- the Countess of Highclere, and she gives the reader complete access To the English Country House and the garden. As with the fictitious Downton Abbey, Highclere Castle is governed by the seasons, which provide the backdrop to country life on this incredible estate. Written by the Lady of the manor, this book gives complete access to the world-renowned historic country house and showcases the rhythm of the seasons at Highclere, focusing on gardening, harvesting, cooking, and entertaining. Imagine being a guest at Highclere and having the countess, Fiona, be your host. Well, this book gives you that opportunity. Fiona Carnarvon ("cah-NAR-vin") is a generous authority on the history and daily life of the castle. She gives us an in-depth tour of the gardens, the country folklore, the harvesting, the menus, the cooking (with the fantastic recipes - baked broccoli with parmesan eggs and pineapple cake with vanilla icing - OMG!), and the spectacular entertaining with all the little touches. As you might expect, the photographs are beautiful. They were commissioned specifically for this book. What is sure to charm about this book are the people of Highclere, Fiona and her staff, the incredible grounds, the traditions, the ideas, the sheer pure enjoyment of the seasons, and the love of English country life. This book is a big one - 321 pages - of Highclere - it's not stuffy, and it's not impractical - but it's something very special - authentic and unapologetically inviting. You can get a copy of Seasons at Highclere by The Countess of Carnarvon and support the show using the Amazon link in today's show notes for $25.   Botanic Spark 1879 Birth of Georges Bugnet ("Boon-yay"), French-Canadian plant breeder and writer. In the early 1900s, George and his young wife left France and settled in Canada, with dreams of prosperity and hopes of returning to their homeland. Instead, George and Julia spent the rest of their lives in Canada. In 1905, George purchased a homestead north of Edmonton in an area later named Rich Valley. Together, he and Julia built a home and a way of life for their ten children. Despite the physical toll of homesteading in the wilds of Canada, George did not let his classically-trained intellect go to waste. In the spring of 1906, when he and Julia arrived on their desolate land, George immediately set about finding trees and plants that would grow in their northern climate. He requested cold-hardy trees and shrubs from Canada's Department of Agriculture. He began propagating his own cold-hardy plants and had no qualms asking anyone for seeds. George thought strategically about the places on earth with climates as cold or colder than Alberta, and he began studying what they grew. The Edmonton Bulletin reported George even sent letters to …(the French botanist) Mr. Vilmorin (“Veel-morah”), (the Canadian horticulturist) William Tyrrell Macoun, to Charles Sprague Sargent of the Arnold Arboretum,...to Kew, to the Botanical Gardens of Lausanne (“low-sahn”), Switzerland, and… to the Imperial Gardens of Petrograd, asking everywhere for seeds of flowers, trees and shrubs that were found ripening in the very far north, or at the highest altitudes in the mountains.  And from everywhere came a generous response, so generous that they had more than they could properly handle.  They at once sowed in rows… the shortest-lived seeds, and kept on sowing year after year the toughest of the tribe. The newly born seedlings were cultivated for a year or two, the plan being to give them a fair start, and after that, catch as catch can the survival of the fittest.   George became a self-taught master of plant breeding. And whenever he had success, he always shared his work with the experimental farms and research centers in Canada. But there are three plants, in particular, that, I think, had significant personal meaning to George. When George longed for the plums of his native France, he began breeding cold-hardy plums. The result was the Claude Bugnet plum, named in honor of George's father. George bred an apple he called the Paul Bugnet in honor of he and Julia's 14-month-old son, who died in a fire. His most successful effort became known worldwide: the Thérèse Bugnet ("Tur-ez Boon-Yay") rugosa rose named for his sister. Thérèse debuted in 1950 after nine years of trials and became instantly popular because it was so floriferous and cold-hardy (zone 2). The Missouri Botanical Garden says, 'Thérèse Bugnet,' a hybrid rugosa rose, is a vigorous, dense, upright, rounded shrub that typically grows 5-7' tall and as wide.  Old fashioned form which somewhat more resembles a damask rose than a rugosa.  Features fragrant, ruffled, pink, double blooms (to 4" across).   George lived to be 102. He and Julia were lifelong devout Catholics. In 1945, he wrote these words: Provided, I suppose, that if you pray: “Thy will be done”, and try to listen often enough, and respond sincerely, to your conscience, life, like a Christmas tree, becomes fully ablaze and loaded with marvels of all shapes and colors. Mine is no exception: Had any gypsy, when I was twenty-one… truly told my future, I would have laughed in her face. It would have sounded too unbelievable. As a plant breeder, I thought, at first, our location not at all suitable, yet, out of the very failure in those first attempts to grow “hardy” plants, arose the discovery that we had been led to a most-carefully selected spot to manufacture special [plants], possibly the hardiest in the world.   Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.

Highclere Castle gin is the result of four years preparation and nine months of tasting. We wanted to create something very, very good and it has now become one of the most awarded gins in world – so it is “very Highclere” which was the novelist Evelyn Waugh's shorthand for something excellent.  Our gin is about fun. It is about conversation, glamour, parties, dancing  and celebrations: all the things that have had to be postponed in last year or so. With me to talk about the development of Highclere Castle Gin is friend and business partner Adam Von Gootkin. 

In this episode, Flavilla is joined by William Wells. They discuss how can satellite data and machine learning measure sustainability in farming and help to optimise food production.Will founded Hummingbird Technologies in January 2016, where the business spent its first year developing Machine Learning algorithms at the Imperial College technology incubator. Prior to this, Will spent 10 years in the Finance and Investment sector. This included M&A and other special advisory roles at Citigroup and Lincoln International, as well as investment management at the successful multi-billion dollar Highclere global equity fund, where he was also a Partner. Will grew up on a farm and is a keen sportsman. He holds an MBA from INSEAD Business School and a First Class MA Honours degree in English Literature from the University of Edinburgh. Will sits on the Board of a Royal Marsden cancer charity and Math Engine plc, a UK public investment fund.  To connect with William, CLICK HERETo visit Hummingbird Technologies website, CLICK HEREJoin Tech Brains Talk mailing list for more perks, CLICK HERETo find out more about 3 Colours Rule Agency, CLICK HERE

My latest podcast was recorded on a recent trip to the US. As we end this year I was there to plan an exciting return visit in the spring when I'll be undertaking a tour to talk about my new book 'Seasons at Highclere', (and of course the new Downton Abbey movie!) Helping me with these adventures is my speaking agent Patsy Arnett  who I've working with for the past ten years. I hope you enjoy our conversation. 

Welcome to Future Faith, a podcast, newsletter, and publication about living faithfully in an age of democratic destruction, ecological collapse, and economic irrelevance, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Substack:Every morning I go on a walk past a river, beside a centuries-old working millpond, into a graveyard and apple-laden church ground, and through the ruins of a twelfth-century abbey.If you walk around my village, you'll see dozens of houses that are made of the exact same stones as the former abbey.There's a reason for this: When Henry VIII dissolved all the monasteries and started his own church in order to self-bless his murder of innocent women, locals in my village stole the monastery's rocks.The faded tourist sign says that the locals treated the monastery as a “convenient quarry.”A convenient quarry.That's Christianity vs. Secularism in a nutshell, isn't it?Because it's inherently consumerist, post-modernity loves to harvest what Christians first cultivated:* Hospitals* Universities* Human rights* Universal basic incomeSecularism wants the kingdom without the king, the light without the power, the cathedral without the cornerstone.MonasteriesWhat do you picture when you hear the word “monk?”Old men in black robes?Old women in white robes?Why not a young bearded brewer who brews beer for the glory of God?Why not a stay-at-home dad who adores children and wants to adopt a dozen orphans?Why not a working mom who erects houses for the benefit of people who would never qualify for a mortgage?What do you picture when you hear the word “monastery?”A rotting stone building, utterly detached from the world?Why not a vibrant house, street, neighborhood, village, or city?When I hear the word “monastery,” I envision an estate.When Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries, he sold their buildings and land to whichever local elite offered the most cash.This allowed the British aristocracy to amass vast estates, with thousands of those plundered monasteries still owned by those same families to this day. (There are 144 estates over 10,000 acres in Scotland alone.)Michelle and I have visited dozens of estates on various outings around the UK:* Chatsworth (1,822 acres, down from 200,000) invented the banana we all know and love.* Buccleuch (217,000 acres) raises 19,670 sheep, 700 cattle, 32,000 hens, and 117 red deer hinds.* Atholl (124,000 acres) hosts weddings and functions, has a trailer park, and does castle tours.* Highclere (5,000 acres) shot to fame as the shooting location for Downton Abbey.When I picture a modern monastery, I picture a not-for-profit sustainable estate — studded with dozens of villages and hundreds of people — being run by kingdom principles for kingdom purposes.The kingdom economyThe poor will always be among us because the rich will always be above us.But not in the Acts 4 church, where there were “no needy people among them.”And not in today's monasteries, either.For nearly 1,700 years, Christian monks and nuns have practiced Universal Basic Income.In my travels, I've visited monasteries in Greece, Italy, Spain, England, Scotland, and elsewhere. I've been to many of the great foundations, including Monte Cassino, Assisi, Subiaco, etc. Monasteries are the last place in Christendom that still practice koinonia, the ancient and subversive Acts 2 practice that radically set apart the early church from the rest of society.Koinonia is often translated as “community” or “fellowship,” but both are really terrible translations. “Brotherhood” and “communion” come closer, but the best description of koinonia might be “non-political spiritual communism.”From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.This isn't forced or coerced secularist state-implemented communism. We know that doesn't work.This is a Holy Spirit-led sharing of life. It is a communal life the world can never know or re-create. In monasteries, koinonia looks like this: Everyone works a reasonable amount of time (typically 4–6 hours each day, 5–6 days each week) and contributes 100% of the proceeds to the monastery. The abbot and his team then ensure that everyone's needs are provided for: food, clothing, shelter, medical, soul care.No one is wealthy, but everyone is rich.The impossibility of individualityJust like biblical churches, monasteries aren't democracies.The abbot or abbess (from “abba,” meaning father) is in charge.All the brothers or sisters put their faith in Christ and their trust in their abbot, and he is to lead them well — not as coercive politicians do, but as a true servant-hearted leader.That's why most rich Westerners — single or otherwise — will never enter a monastery.It requires submission and surrender to a communal cause.How will they know us?I wish Christians were more like Jews and Muslims.You can always spot a Jew in the crowd.She's the one with gorgeous hair and the husband with the yarmulke.You can always spot a Muslim in the crowd.They're the ones not eating until sundown.I'm not saying we should cover our women or face east at sunset. You know what I mean. Christians are barely discernible.There's only ever been one marker that really separates Christians from our neighbors — unconditional love, even for those who hate us.But are we loving radically enough to make the world take notice in this attention culture?Where are all the disturbing Christians?Why don't people leave our presence feeling deeply unsettled?Being around Christians should feel conspiratorial, revolutionary, even dangerous.After all, we serve a God who wants to change everything.There is some biblical precedence for the concept of monasticism:* Elijah fled to the desert during a time of great persecution, and communed with God until the day he was called the restore the kingdom to their heavenly king.* Yahweh sent Moses and the Israelites into forty years of desert wanderings in order to shake off the mental shackles of slavery and prepare them for life as a free people.* John the Baptist counterintuitively moved to the desert to become an evangelist and prepare the way for his cousin Jesus.* If you study the life of Jesus, note how many times Christ removed himself “to a desolate place.”Notice how all of these “monks” were incredibly connected to God and deeply invested in the renewal of the world? Notice how setting themselves apart actually allowed them to dive into culture and make a greater impact? It's almost as though Christians are supposed to retreat in order to advance.Let's face it: Churches haven't been churches in a long time. Worship bands and motivational preachers and fancy buildings take precedence over sharing our wealth, living a rule of life in community, and housing the poor.It's almost as if the monastery is a place of reformation and preparation for the next move of God in our lives and our culture.First EgyptWhen most people think about monasteries, they assume it's just a retreat from “reality.”And it definitely can be that.But that wasn't the original intention, not by a mile.Inspired by Elijah and John the Baptist, monastics like Anthony the Great renounced the brutality, injustice, and oppression of the Egyptian mega-cities and moved to the desert to practice a Christ-centered life.Pachomius developed the idea of monks living together, and in doing so, creating an alternate social structure to stand in sharp contrast to the rest of the world.In an age before the Internet, social media, and viral videos, more than 50,000 people joined the Egyptian desert fathers and created what became known as Cities of God.From there, the movement went viral, spreading all over the planet.Monasteries aren't retreats— they're just new garden cities where the presence of God is actually welcomed.Because monastics renounce individualism and work together as humans were meant to do, it means they inevitably become places of great art and culture, both attracting outsiders and sending people back out.A nowhere always becomes a somewhere when Someone shows up.Then ItalyA college student named Benedict of Nursia grew so horrified by city life in Rome that he moved to the ruins of Nero's villa at Subiaco. Living by the simple rule of “ora et labora” (pray and work), Benedict founded twelve communities in all, laid the groundwork for Western monasticism, and single-handedly saved Western civilization from extinction.Benedict shapes every single day of our lives, and you can trace a direct line from Benedict's communities to the faith transformation of hundreds of millions of people over the past 1,500 years.A nowhere became a somewhere when Someone showed up.Then GermanyIn 1722, Nicolaus Ludwig Count von Zinzendorf bought a huge estate from his grandmother and invited several hundred Christian refugees to build a village on a corner of his estate.The Herrnhut story is now world-famous, especially the 24/7 prayer meeting that lasted for more than a century and sparked America's Great Awakening.The community sent out hundreds of missionaries to all parts of the world, ministering to slaves in the West Indies and the Inuit in Greenland.They founded a denomination that still has over 1,000 congregations.They played a vital role in the salvation of John Wesley, whose ministry has impacted tens of millions of hearts.One estate — one monastery — continues to impact lives nearly three centuries later.A nowhere became a somewhere when Someone showed up.Monasticism has problemsAs usual, religion crept in, always ready and willing to replace real leaps of faith.The monks in many monasteries I've visited get up far too early, hours before the sun, as though it's somehow “godly” to ignore the natural rhythms by which God saw fit to govern our biological bodies.Many monasteries fundamentally misunderstand prayer, spending four to six hours per day in the recitation of written chants instead of practicing a constant communion with Christ that leads to real action.Many monasteries are self-protective and entirely self-focused, completely ignoring the Scriptural call to go out to the ends of the earth — that we are the hands and feet of Christ who must go to seek and save the lost.Entrepreneurs for JesusWe are living in an age of democratic destruction, ecological collapse, and economic irrelevance.As the hyper-elites execute their Great Reset, the world is headed toward an unprecedented economic crisis. Within our lifetime, billionaires will control the global economy, the average house will cost $10 million, and surveillance currencies will dominate society.This new economy is creating millions of families in need of affordable shelter, climate refugees in need of resettlement, and workers in need of sustenance when they are excluded from the corporate economy.The church has a once-in-ten-generations opportunity to serve an unprecedented number of people in dire economic straights.Throughout history, monasteries have fulfilled the biblical mandate to provide food, clothing, and shelter to people in need. To fund these works of generosity and hospitality, monks and nuns have practiced sanctified stewardship for millennia:* Vatopedi Monastery grows olive oil.* Himmerod Abbey had a museum, art shop, cafe, guesthouse, and fishery.* Saint-Sixtus Abbey brews the best beer in the world.* Caldey Abbey makes perfume.* Ampleforth Abbey presses cider.* Prinknash Abbey blends incense.* Little Portion Hermitage runs a bakery.* Cîteaux Abbey ages cheese and makes caramels.* Buckfast Abbey hosts conferences and raises honeybees.* Lindores Abbey invented scotch.Depending on the skills and passions of the monks and nuns at each monastery, the community soon becomes self-sufficient —  and because they live so simply, don't have a profit motive, and share everything in common, they soon have a surplus to share with a world in need.Questions to prayerfully considerWhere will God show up to meet real needs next?Will we be the ones to welcome Him in?My friend Andrew says that his job in life is to transfer as much earthly money into eternal value as possible.It begs some questions:* If all your needs were met and you didn't have to work a job to pay bills, what would you do for the kingdom?* How would you contribute to the kingdom if you didn't have to waste a moment working to pay rent or a mortgage?* How would you invest your time in eternity if you didn't have to enrich a land-lorder or a banker?Most people miss their calling because they get mired down trying to pay bills.God can and often does use us when we're working those dead-end jobs, but let's not pretend we weren't all made for more.You are unique in all of human history, with gifts and talents and strengths to contribute to the world that no money-hungry business could ever extract.“Vocation” comes from the Latin for “voice.”Does your work speak of who you are and whose you are?You are worth more than your paycheckWe can survive without bankers and landlords, but we can't live without farmers and mothers.So why do the former get paid so much more than the latter?Because we live in an upside-down society:* Insurance salesmen are incentivized to deny claims and let people die, while nurses suffer to keep people alive.* Fart app creators make millions while teachers have to buy their own chalk.* Bankers sit at a desk all day and type fake credit numbers into a screen, while active workers must pay them back by creating and handing over real wealth.Sadly, most of the vocations that really matter, the ones that are incredibly humanizing, are almost entirely devalued by the monetary system:* Caring for widows/single moms* Feeding the hungry* Clothing the naked* Visiting prisoners* Being a mother or father, especially to orphans, foster kids, and at-risk teens* Sustainable organic farming, forestry, and soil production* True education (not propagandizing or teach-to-test)* MentorshipBut these callings matter — really matter — in the monastery system.A vision for a modern monasteryImagine an estate.Hundreds or thousands of organic and sustainable acres under stewardship.Dozens of villages.Maybe even a garden city or two.Hundreds of families, couples, and singles by choice and by circumstance.With everyone answering a calling, practicing a real vocation, working as unto the Lord.Not one land-lorder or banker to lay waste to anyone's time.With all profits to advancing the kingdom of heaven instead of the empire of man.A group of people setting themselves apart in order to advance the Kingdom.Like the monastic movements of the past, this one monastery could serve as a template for hundreds or thousands of others to follow — a platform for launching new and better works around the world.It's time for Christians to make monasteries great again.A call to actionThe church of Christ has been a convenient quarry for secularism for the past century, and as our society now grounds itself to dust, there is an opportunity to rebuild cities of God on firm foundations with the only cornerstone that cannot be shaken.Please pray that God would send radically generous gospel patrons to fund the rebuilding efforts.Some of these city-monasteries will be family condos in high-rise towers.Some of these monasteries will be slums in hyper-cities.Some of these monasteries will dorms in universities.Some of these monasteries will be renovated abbeys and nunneries that have gone belly-up due to religion and a lack of vision.In our case, we sense ours will be some sort of village-packed eco-estate.Each of us needs to seek God's face on the kind of set-apart monk or nun He is calling us to become.We are the hands and feet of Jesus in this world. The harvest has and always will be plentiful, but the workers are few. So let's get to work.Thanks for listening to Future Faith. We are 100% follower-supported, so please head over to jaredbrock.com to partner with us as a gospel patron.If you think this episode is important and adds value to our global church family, please email the link to your friends or share it on social media. Get full access to Future Faith at jaredbrock.substack.com/subscribe

Eight planes went down here on the Estate during World War Two and, as a result, I now “own” a few remains of a B-17 bomber. Over the past few years I've researched the aircraft and the lives of the crews that were lost here, even tracing surviving family members and on occasionally welcoming them to the estate to remember their loved ones. One of the people who has helped me on this journey is Paul McTaggart. When I first met him he was a willing volunteer with a metal detector, now he's part of the team here at Highclere. You might also want to listen to episode 5 which also deals with Highclere's connections with aviation. 

Podcasty do słuchania, seriale do oglądania, konta do śledzenia, miejsca do odwiedzenia i jedzenie do smakowania! Czym zachwycaliśmy się w minionym kwartale? Zapraszamy na odcinek w którym dzielimy się naszymi letnimi polecajkami!Link do odcinka: https://razemlepiejpodcast.pl/97 Znajdź nas na: www.razemlepiejpodcast.plMożesz nas też polubić na www.fb.com/razemlepiejpodcast i www.instagram.com/razemlepiejpodcast#polskipodcast

One of my favourite social events of the year at Highclere is the Battle Proms. Usually we host around 10,000 people at the event, but this year we're being more cautious with numbers. As we emerge from the past year of inertia it's wonderful to welcome Adam Slough, the producer of the Battle Proms, to my podcast. 

WBZ's Jordan Rich talks with Adam von Gootkin, Co-Founder and CEO of Highclere Castle Spirits, about the history of their gin.

WBZ's Jordan Rich talks with Adam von Gootkin, Co-Founder and CEO of Highclere Castle Spirits, about their London Dry gin.

DEFENDANT: Highclere Castle, aka Downton Abbey   EVIDENCE: Highclere Castle London Dry Gin   SCENE OF THE CRIME: Highclere Castle grounds and estate, Hampshire, England -- In this very special episode, expert witness Andrea presents a new form of evidence to our judges. Rachel and Topher both reveal their royal connections.

In this month's episode Lady Carnarvon talks to her neighbour and friend Sara Sladen. Sarah runs a farm near to Highclere so it was a good opportunity to sit down and swop stories about pigs, sheep and the land. As we discover Sarah also has a link to Downton Abbey.......

It's Christmas Eve and Lord and Lady Carnarvon sit down to look back on festive celebrations at Highclere Castle down the years. They also reflect on a quite extraordinary year at the 'real' Downton Abbey, and discuss this year's quiet family Christmas. In Next week's episode they look forward to what they hope will be a more joyful 2021! For details of Lady Carnarvon's book 'Christmas at Highclere' follow this link: https://www.highclerecastle.co.uk/christmas-highclereHappy Christmas!

This week Lady Carnarvon turns the tables on a TV production team that has been shadowing the Highclere staff for an observational documentary to be broadcast on TV in the UK next week. 'Christmas at Highclere' will follow the Highclere Castle team as they prepare for the public events that lead up to the festive break. Amy and Brent talk to Lady Carnarvon about their experiences of becoming part of the 'Highclere family' and how they discovered for themselves what life is like at the 'real' Downton Abbey! You can find out more about the TV programme here: https://www.channel4.com/press/news/celebrate-christmas-two-uks-most-famous-castles

When royalty means business, a business with heritage & history, today's episode happens. Today on 'In the Limelight', Clarissa interviews Fiona Aitken, formally called Lady Carnarvon, Owner & Countess of Highclere Castle (these days it is better known as the setting for the popular television programme and film "Downton Abbey") and Adam Von Gootkin, Co-founder & CEO of Highclere Castle Gin. This episode is special not only because of two guests that we have but also because of the royal guest we have today, a very well-known name in the monarchical circle.     A lifelong entrepreneur, Adam Gootkin has had a family history in the spirits business who has been in this business since the 1800s. Adam's vision to create a global portfolio of hyper-authentic prestige brands with deep roots led him to co-found Highclere Castle Gin.  An award-winning gin, Highclere Castle Gin, is a super-premium line of spirits made from the oats and botanicals grown on Highclere castle estate, specifically, lavender planted by the Bishops of Winchester in the 9th century. Delve into the story behind Highclere castle Gin and more at https://www.highclerecastlegin.com   Highclere Castle Gin's social accounts   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/highclerecastlegin/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highclerecastlegin/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx3Q-PuWVuEkwi1b_J5AUmQ   Clarissa Burt is an award-winning international media personality/producer/director, writer, author, and public speaker, and supermodel. With hundreds of television and film credits to her name, this Who's Who of International and American Women brings over 30 years of entertainment industry experience in both International and American markets.   Her Brainchild, In the Limelight multi-media platform, is an online portal consisting of video/podcast/digital magazine providing educative, entertaining, and empowering content showcasing the savvy entrepreneur. Her engaging interviews bring to the forefront their trials, tribulations, victories, and triumphs. Clarissa's fun, light, and witty style makes for great conversation and is thoroughly enjoyed by her listeners.    Ms. Burt's extensive international social work garnered her two private audiences with Pope John Paul II. As a women's advocate and a leader of social change for a new standard of living, Clarissa was instrumental as Ambassador to the United States for the Walking Africa campaign that awarded African Women the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011. Clarissa is the first American to present at the Kremlin. She was recently awarded the Woman of Excellence award by the Women's Economic Forum.    LET'S CONNECT! Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ClarissaBurtOfficial LinkedIn http://linkedin.com/in/clarissaburt Twitter https://www.twitter.com/clarissaburt Pinterest http://pinterest.com/clarissaburt Instagram http://instagram.com/clarissaburt Tumblr http://clarissaburt.tumblr.com Website https://clarissaburt.com/ Contact email: Clarissa@ClarissaBurt.com     Core Editorial Themes: Entrepreneurship, Beauty, Fashion, Health, Lifestyle, Finance, Relationships, Money, Wealth, Business, News, Celebrity, Entertainment, Leadership, Charity, Events, News    Music: https://www.purple-planet.comPurple Planet Music. “Celebration”. Purple-Planet. 2019.Purple Planet Music. “Teamwork”. Purple-Planet. 2019.Purple Planet Music. “Time of Your Life”. Purple-Planet. 2019.Purple Planet Music. “Victory”. Purple-Planet. 2019.  

If you follow the Highclere Castle Instagram account you'll already know that a recent visitor here was the great great grandson of the novelist Charles Dickens. 177 years after it was first published 'A Christmas Carol' is still a best seller. Gerald came to Highclere in memory of the charity of which Charles Dickens was the very first Chairman https://www.trtf.com/theatrecommunityfund which helps actors in hardship. Like every actor, it has been a challenging year and Gerald has put together a full length video http://www.geralddickens.com/films.html Make sure you also watch Gerald performing three staves from the book on the Highclere Castle Instagram account.

There's a bit of a change this week with Lord Carnarvon taking over with the questioning. His guest is Kate Adie CBE, DL well known for her long service as the BBC's Chief News Correspondent. Kate has travelled extensively during her BBC career. The two foreign assignments she is most often associated with are the bombing of the Libyan capital Tripoli in 1986 and the Chinese authorities' killing of protestors in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, in 1989. She was on duty in London in 1980 when the siege of the Iranian Embassy was brought to an end by the SAS. Nowadays Kate presents From Our Own Correspondent and makes occasional programmes for BBC television and Radio 4. Her conversation with Lord Carnarvon was part of the 'History at Highclere' weekend.

Robert Harris is the author of thirteen bestselling novels including the Cicero Trilogy, The Ghost, An Officer and a Spy, Conclave, Munich and The Second Sleep. He lives near to Highclere Castle with his wife, Gill Hornby. This podcast is the soundtrack to a video interview with Robert recorded in the castle ahead of Lady Carnarvon's charity weekend 'History at Highclere'. He joins her to discuss his latest novel 'V2'.

Flight Lieutenant Colin Bell DFC AE FRICS RAF (retired) served in WW2 as a Mosquito Bomber Pilot. Celebrating his 100th Birthday next March, he talks all about his experiences as a pilot in WW2. His flying training was carried out in 1941 in the United States and he stayed there serving as a flying instructor until 1943. On his return to the United Kingdom in 1943 he converted to twin engine Mosquito Bombers and joined 608 Squadron (Pathfinder Group) based at Downham Market in Norfolk. During his operational tours he carried out 50 bombing raids over Germany, 13 of them over Berlin. He experienced much action and survived many close scrapes. This inspirational talk takes place in the Smoking Room at Highclere Castle, and was recorded for video as well as podcast as part of the History at Highclere weekend.

Highclere Castle Gin is the winner of 14 prestigious gold awards with a score of 95 points. Highclere Castle is famous around the world as “the real Downton Abbey”. Highclere Castle Gin is distilled from a blend of botanicals grown on Highclere Castle's ancient estate including vibrant oranges from the Victorian Orangery. This exceptionally smooth London Dry Gin integrates juniper, orange zest, lime flower, cardamom, and other botanicals along with Highclere's famous oats to soften the finish. Bottled at 43.5% ABV, it is quickly becoming a must have in the world of cocktail mixology. Highclere Castle Gin is distilled at Langley Distillery, England's oldest gin distillery. The bottle is custom produced in England. Highclere Castle is renowned throughout the world for hosting extravagant parties with many of the world's most interesting people and Highclere Castle Gin was created to celebrate the “true spirit” of Highclere. Web: https://www.highclerecastlespirits.com Follow: @highclerecastlegin About the show: ► Website: http://www.ashsaidit.com ► Got Goli Gummies? https://go.goli.com/1loveash5 ► For $5 in ride credit, download the Lyft app using my referral link: https://www.lyft.com/ici/ASH584216 ► For discount Pangea Products: https://embracepangaea.grsm.io/ashsaiditmedia3226 ► Want the ‘coldest' water? https://thecoldestwater.com/?ref=ashleybrown12 ► Become A Podcast Legend: http://ashsaidit.podcastersmastery.zaxaa.com/s/6543767021305 ► Review Us: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ash-said-it/id1144197789 ► SUBSCRIBE HERE: http://www.youtube.com/c/AshSaidItSuwanee ► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1loveash ► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashsaidit ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/1loveAsh ► Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+AshSaidItMedia ► Blog: http://www.ashsaidit.com/blog ► Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/1LoveAsh/ ► Newsletter: manage1.com/subscribe?u=2a2ca3b799467f125b53863http://ashsaidit.us11.list-c8&id=a6f43cd472 #atlanta #ashsaidit #ashsaidthat #ashblogsit #ashsaidit® Ash Brown is a gifted American producer, blogger, speaker, media personality and event emcee. The blog on AshSaidit.com showcases exclusive event invites, product reviews and so much more. Her motivational podcast "Ash Said It Daily" is available on major media platforms such as iTunes, Spotify, iHeart Radio & Google Podcasts. This program has over half a million streams worldwide. She uses these mediums to motivate & encourage her audience in the most powerful way. She keeps it real!

Highclere Castle Gin is the winner of 14 prestigious gold awards with a score of 95 points. Highclere Castle is famous around the world as “the real Downton Abbey”. Highclere Castle Gin is distilled from a blend of botanicals grown on Highclere Castle's ancient estate including vibrant oranges from the Victorian Orangery. This exceptionally smooth London Dry Gin integrates juniper, orange zest, lime flower, cardamom, and other botanicals along with Highclere's famous oats to soften the finish. Bottled at 43.5% ABV, it is quickly becoming a must have in the world of cocktail mixology. Highclere Castle Gin is distilled at Langley Distillery, England's oldest gin distillery. The bottle is custom produced in England. Highclere Castle is renowned throughout the world for hosting extravagant parties with many of the world's most interesting people and Highclere Castle Gin was created to celebrate the “true spirit” of Highclere. Web: https://www.highclerecastlespirits.com Follow: @highclerecastlegin About the show: ► Website: http://www.ashsaidit.com ► Got Goli Gummies? https://go.goli.com/1loveash5 ► For $5 in ride credit, download the Lyft app using my referral link: https://www.lyft.com/ici/ASH584216 ► For discount Pangea Products: https://embracepangaea.grsm.io/ashsaiditmedia3226 ► Want the ‘coldest' water? https://thecoldestwater.com/?ref=ashleybrown12 ► Become A Podcast Legend: http://ashsaidit.podcastersmastery.zaxaa.com/s/6543767021305 ► Review Us: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ash-said-it/id1144197789 ► SUBSCRIBE HERE: http://www.youtube.com/c/AshSaidItSuwanee ► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1loveash ► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashsaidit ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/1loveAsh ► Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+AshSaidItMedia ► Blog: http://www.ashsaidit.com/blog ► Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/1LoveAsh/ ► Newsletter: manage1.com/subscribe?u=2a2ca3b799467f125b53863http://ashsaidit.us11.list-c8&id=a6f43cd472 #atlanta #ashsaidit #ashsaidthat #ashblogsit #ashsaidit® Ash Brown is a gifted American producer, blogger, speaker, media personality and event emcee. The blog on AshSaidit.com showcases exclusive event invites, product reviews and so much more. Her motivational podcast "Ash Said It Daily" is available on major media platforms such as iTunes, Spotify, iHeart Radio & Google Podcasts. This program has over half a million streams worldwide. She uses these mediums to motivate & encourage her audience in the most powerful way. She keeps it real!

The son of a Battle of Britain Pilot, Air Commodore Rick Peacock-Edwards CBE, AFC would say he has always been involved in aviation. A pilot for the RAF for 35 years, he has gained over 7000 hours flying fighter aircrafts including the Lightning, Phantom and Tornado. His latest book, ‘Rate of Climb’ is an inspiring insight into his career with the RAF. Rick's fun-loving approach to life is evident throughout his book as well as his conversation with Lady Carnarvon in the Smoking Room at Highclere Castle. This podcast was recorded on the eve of the 'History at Highclere' event. For more wonderful stories, be sure to buy Rick's book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rate-Climb.../dp/1911621467

They say being in the right place at the right time is a key to success. That was certainly the case for James Hunter who found himself having a casual conversation with Lady Carnarvon whilst working as part of the catering team at Highclere. James had the initiative to ask for work experience and the rest as they say is history. Having just graduated he's now started a permanent role as an assistant land agent helping to run the estate alongside Lady Carnarvon.

In 2018 Lord and Lady Carnarvon staged an ambitious two-day event called 'Heroes at Highclere' to mark the 100 year anniversary of the First World War coming to an end. It was a weekend to say thank you, to remember those who served and those who saved in conflicts across the world both in the past and present. One of the organisations that the weekend raised money for was the British Armed Forces charity SSAFA. In this week's podcast Lady Carnarvon speaks to Sir Andrew Gregory KBE CB the Controller of SSAFA.

Over the years the 'real' Downton Abbey has played host to many important visitors, but few have been so spectacular as the nine red-suited gentlemen who visited in 2018. The Royal Air Force Aerobatic display team 'The Red Arrows' were the star attraction at the 'Heroes at Highclere' event which marked the 100 year anniversary of the end of the First World War. In this week's podcast Lady Carnarvon welcomes back to Highclere Castle team supervisor Squadron Leader Adam Collins, also known as 'Red 10'. Last year the team spent 11 weeks in North America where they displayed at around 20 major airshows and took part in several iconic flypasts.

Luis Coelho is Highclere Castle's very own 'Carson'. He might not be as tall as his Downton Abbey counterpart but what he lacks in stature he more than makes up for with enthusiasm. This year he even has his own bar to show off his mixology skills on public open days. He's another member of the Highclere 'family' that makes the 'real' Downton Abbey such a special place to live, visit and work at.

Highclere castle is the birth place of a world renowned classical music festival. The Newbury Spring Festival was founded by the current Lady Carnarvon's late mother-in-law Jeanie in 1979. As well as attracting some of the greatest musicians from around the world the festival gives a chance to the very best young musical stars. In normal years the castle acts as one of the festival's many local venues. In this week's podcast Lady Carnarvon welcomes festival director Mark Eynon. You can find out more about the festival here: https://www.newburyspringfestival.org.uk/

If you peer into the kitchens at Highclere Castle I'm afraid you won't find Mrs Patmore, the cook, or indeed the scene you might be familiar with from Downton Abbey. The Downton kitchen is in fact a studio set in west London, but there's nothing fake about Paul Brooke-Taylor Highclere's own head chef. Paul has worked at Highclere for 12 years and along with his team produces food for the hundreds of guests that visit the 'real' Downton Abbey during public opening. Having just returned to work after the COVID-19 lockdown he sits down with Lady Carnarvon to talk about his career, his love of food & what it's like to cook at Highclere Castle.

Todd Blum is joined in The Trainers Hut this week by the Highclere Racing Australia General Manager, Tess Drennan. Highclere racing are the UK's largest syndicator and their presence in Australia is growing rapidly. On the back of horses such as Libran and Opinion a new wave of imports are making their make with Lord Belvedere shaping up as a Cups contender and Bartholomeu Dias won at just his second Australia start. There are also some locally purchased horses coming through as well. Tune in to find out more.

In this week's podcast Lady Carnarvon explores the connections Highclere has with aircraft. From hosting early aviation pioneers to the tragic wartime losses in the hills to the south of the castle. Her guest is former Concorde pilot, historian, and good friend Steve Bohill-Smith.

On a beautiful day at Highclere Castle Lady Carnarvon found a shady spot to sit down with 93-year-old Les Taylor. Les is one of Highclere's longest-serving members of staff having worked for three Earls. There's not much this former Policeman doesn't know about the comings and goings at the real life Downton Abbey!

My reminiscing of Highclere castle, now better known as Downton Abbey.

Before it became the setting for the hit series ‘Downton Abbey', Lord and Lady Carnarvon opened the doors of Highclere Castle, their stunning lakeside country house, for a documentary all about the running of their rambling estate in Hampshire. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thehistoryexpress/support

LINKS World Organic News email: media@worldorganicnews.com Transcript and videos: HERE World Organic News Facebook page. WORLD ORGANIC NEWS No Dig Gardening Book: Click here Topical Talks   Episode 184 https://worldorganicnews.com/2019/09/02/episode-184-20-years-and-more-we-knew/

This month marks the much-anticipated premiere of the Downton Abbey movie, the follow-up to the massively popular television series. In this episode, we are joined by guest host Sara McGillivray to discuss her research on the "Downton Abbey Effect." Sara explores how the series transformed heritage tourism and conservation, ultimately saving the country house that Downton is based on: Highclere Castle. She also examines how the history of Highclere Castle, the Carnarvon family, and the decline of the aristocracy are portrayed on screen.Notice History is the official podcast of Know History, a historical research company based in Ottawa. Visit our website at knowhistory.ca/podcast, or follow us on Twitter and Instagram @NoticeHistory.

The story of the real Downton Abbey, told by Lady Fiona Carnarvon, chatelaine of Highclere Castle where the phenomentally successful TV series was filmed. Lady Fiona Carnarvon became the chatelaine of Highclere Castle - the setting of the hit series Downton Abbey - eight years ago. In that time she's become fascinated by the rich history of Highclere, and by the extraordinary people who lived there over the centuries. One person particularly captured Fiona's imagination - Lady Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon. Almina was the illegitimate daughter of banking tycoon Alfred de Rothschild. She was his only daughter and he doted on her. She married the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, at 19, with an enormous dowry. At first, life at Highclere was a dizzying mix of sumptuous banquets for 500 and even the occasional royal visitor. Almina oversaw 80 members of staff - many of whom came from families who had worked at Highclere for generations. But when the First World War broke out, life at Highclere changed forever. History intervened and Almina and the staff of Highclere were thrown into one of the most turbulent times of the last century. Almina was forced to draw on her deepest reserves of courage in order to ensure her family, the staff and the castle survived. This is the remarkable story of a lost time. But Highclere remains and in this book, Fiona weaves Almina's journey and those of her family into the heritage and history of one of England's most exquisite Victorian castles.

On this weeks very special episode, Dave and Corey sit down with Highclere Castle Gin & Cigars' CEO Adam von Gootkin and Creative Director Chris Van Howten. The Lords sample the brand new Highclere Castle Gin while smoking one of their award winnings cigars all while learning the history of the brand as well as the history of Highclere itself! To support the Lords of Grantham on Patreon, visit http://patreon.com/lordsofgrantham

LINKS email: redocean112@gmail.com PODCASTING CHECKLISTS CLICK HERE Transcript HERE   Facebook Page:  World Organic News Facebook page. WORLD ORGANIC NEWS No Dig Gardening Book: Click here Permaculture Plus: http://permacultureplus.com.au/ Topical Talks

Co-host links: Permaculture Plus The Real Food Chain Rich Bowden Writing World Organic News Episode 8 of Permaculture Plus podcast sees Rich and Jon talk about Jon's plans for his regenerative agriculture farm in Highclere, Tasmania. Rich and wife Carol recently had the pleasure of staying with Jon and Annie at the farm in the stunning high country of the North West and were amazed at the wonderful hospitality and Jon's ideas for a regen future. Not to mention the Polish chooks and Jake and Elwood, the piglets! We had a lot of fun recording this, so sit back and enjoy Episode 8 of Permaculture Plus. Jon and Rich now offer professional media (podcasting and writing) services for permies and organics! For more information, see here. Links: https://highcleretasmania.wordpress.com/ Annie's Cake Studio John Seymour Bill Mollison  

LINKS PODCASTING CHECKLISTS CLICK HERE Facebook Page:  World Organic News Facebook page. WORLD ORGANIC NEWS No Dig Gardening Book: Click here Permaculture Plus http://permacultureplus.com.au/   Topical Talks   CIVIL EATS |Silvopasture Can Mitigate Climate Change. Will U.S. Farmers Take it Seriously? https://civileats.com/2019/01/07/silvopasture-can-mitigate-climate-change-will-u-s-farmers-take-it-seriously/   Inside Climate News | Industrial Agriculture, an Extraction Industry Like Fossil Fuels, a Growing Driver of Climate Change https://insideclimatenews.org/news/25012019/climate-change-agriculture-farming-consolidation-corn-soybeans-meat-crop-subsidies Bill Mollison Silvopasture, Industrial Agriculture and Bill Mollison’s Response. This is the World Organic News for the week ending the 28th of January 2019. Jon Moore reporting! Decarbonise the air, recarbonise the soil! A little housekeeping. Some of you have noticed the website is still down. I’m still in discussions with my host about appropriate levels of performance and hope it will be back up soon. In the meantime I’m posting things to the Facebook page if you’re interested. And now to the show. From the site Civil Eats come a piece entitled: Silvopasture Can Mitigate Climate Change. Will U.S. Farmers Take it Seriously? A fair question! Quote: Steve Gabriel curls back a bit of flimsy net fencing and shakes a plastic bucket of alfalfa pellets. Immediately, a sweet-faced, short-fleeced mob of some 50 Katahdin sheep pull away from a line of young black locust trees on whose leaves they’ve been snacking and swarm around him. The sheep race after Gabriel as he strides across nibbled grass and out from the fencing, around a dirt path’s shallow curve, and into a shadier, overgrown pasture dotted with long standing black walnut and hawthorn trees. End Quote A sweet image and one that can be replicated across much of the world. It does require a mindset shift from those on the ground. Not the easiest of things but it is the people on the ground who can see the changes occurring as I write then read this.  There’s serious fires to the south of us here in Highclere. Emergency evacuations, watch and act alerts and very little sign of rain. Two days ago it was predicted we would receive between 20 - 40mm on Wednesday. Today, Monday, that forcast is now down to 1 - 5mm. I’ve seen this pattern too many times in my life. Rain forecast, clouds arriving and then nothing!. We’re fortunate here. We have a very small holding, 1.5 acres and a permanent bore. We can de-stock, focus on the vegetables and get through this. If this is not the new normal. Those on the ground see, I think we can all agree on that. It is the properties with multi-generational occupation with rainfall and temperature records that prove most useful. From small grape growers to corporate types the harvest dates, temperature at harvest and annual rainfall records all form part of their business IP. Those in the southern parts of the Australian mainland are and have been buying land in the southern island state of Tasmania. It is cooler here. Whilst the mainland has been under 40+ degrees celsius for most of January, our part has hit 30 once or twice. The southern parts of Tassie have hit the hit 30s and that’s where the fires are. So we have a dilemma. The rising temperatures and falling rainfall are a consequence of climate change. Silvo pasture as one variation of regenerative agriculture provides a solution in some cases. The nature of silvopasture is that it includes trees, obviously. Trees are a worry in bushfires. Now there are ways around this. Tagasaste is a species which is fire resistant as is, I believe, saltbush. There are ways around these things. Back to the piece sited: Quote Gabriel (the person in the above quote) is an agroforestry specialist at Cornell University’s Small Farms Program. He’s also the author of the book on silvopasture, a farming technique that’s touted as a way to sequester carbon by growing trees in livestock pastures. End Quote. Gabriel himself runs a 35 acre farm. He rotates meat sheep across once fields. Some of these have black locusts planted on them for feed, shade and nitrogen. These black locusts sequester between 1 and 4 tons of carbon per acre per year. It’s taken five years to convert the place from ru down to productive with huge improvement in soil organic matter and soil biology. All the work has been done by the animals. This is the bit I like, let the stock do the “work” for you by doing what they evolved to do. Stock go to the feed, they manure the ground and move on. The alternative, CAFOs, feedlots, chick and pig sheds bring the feed to the animals and take, eventually, the manures from the animals. All at the cost of fossil fuels. The differences are obvious. I understand that debt levels will affect decisions in on farm management. I also understand that not everywhere on the planet can stock be outdoors all year. These cases can be opportunities to collect organic matter but again the way is the most important. Slurry tanks and aerial spreading are not good, in a carbon sense, but are technologies worked out and powered by diesel. You can see the pattern. Everytime a technique is powered by a fossil fuel, it reduces the need for people and pumps carbon into the atmosphere. Silvopasture offers some opportunities dependant upon the landscape, the climate and the preferences of the farmer. To give you some idea of the wider range of possibilities for silvopasture, the piece goes on: Quote: For example, 14 miles south of the Gabriel farm, the 69-acre Good Life Farm has had success with a peach and apple orchard grazed by beef cattle and poultry, supported by salad crops. About 180 miles east, in Valley Falls, New York, first generation farmers Dustin and Kassie Gibson have converted 20 acres of what Kassie calls “useless woodland” to silvopasture that supports beef cattle and hogs, thereby expanding the number of animals they’re able to support on their 70 total acres. End Quote Now we come to piece from Inside Climate News entitled: Industrial Agriculture, an Extraction Industry Like Fossil Fuels, a Growing Driver of Climate Change. Quote: Industrial farming encourages practices that degrade the soil and increase emissions, while leaving farmers more vulnerable to damage as the planet warms. End Quote This pretty much sums up the dilemma. Yet there are, of course, people on the ground making a difference. Gabriel, quoted above is one such example. In this piece they bring us Seth Watkins. Quote: On his farm in southwestern Iowa, Seth Watkins plants several different crops and raises cattle. He controls erosion and water pollution by leaving some land permanently covered in native grass. He grazes his cattle on pasture, and he sows cover crops to hold the fertile soil in place during the harsh Midwestern winters. Watkins' farm is a patchwork of diversity—and his fields mark it as an outlier. His practices don't sound radical, but Watkins is a bit of a renegade. He's among a small contingent of farmers in the region who are holding out against a decades-long trend of consolidation and expansion in American agriculture. Watkins does this in part because he farms with climate change in mind. "I can see the impact of the changing climate," he said. "I know, in the immediate, I've got to manage the issue. In the long term, it means doing something to slow down the problem." End Quote. Seth is a hold out against the consolidation process that’s been occurring with increasing rapidity since WW2 but examples can be found as far back the Roman Republic and more recently with the clearances of the 18th century. Clearly there are economic advantages to consolidation and industrial agriculture but it is these very economic advantages which are driving climate changes. So it is time to do things differently. Quote: "The industrial food system presents a barrier to realizing the potential climate benefits in agriculture," said Laura Lengnick, a soil scientist who has written extensively on climate and agriculture. "We continue to invest in this massive corn and soybean and beef-making machine in the Midwest despite all that we know about the changes we could make that would maintain yields, improve farm profitability and deliver climate change solutions." This is happening as landmark government reports and ample academic research show that agricultural soils are critical for stabilizing the climate. End Quote There is, of course, a political element to all this. Where there are subsidies, there will be lobbyists and market distortions through price signals. These have led to investments based upon the subsidies, consolidation of farms, and then these rely upon the continued subsidies to maintain profitability. A self sustaining cycle. No problem if there’s no down side. In this case, there’s plenty. Fossil fuel use, soil erosion, water contamination and animal cruelty as a starting list. All because the subsidies point enterprises into growing corn, soyabean and beef. From the article: Quote: Agricultural policy has long emphasized over-production, propped up by government subsidies that favor certain crops. Lawmakers have been unwilling to change the system, largely because of a powerful farm lobby and the might of agribusinesses that profit from technological advancements. "Farmers are dictated in how to farm," said Adam Mason, a policy director with Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement. "They're locked into a system." This system has transformed agriculture into a business that resembles the fossil fuel industry as it extracts value out of the ground with relentless efficiency and leaves greenhouse gas pollution in its aftermath. End Quote I would see this as an implementation of Henry Ford’s factory methodology to the whole world. We can do things differently. Bill Mollison springs to mind in these cases. Quote. “Though the problems of the world are increasingly complex, the solutions remain embarrassingly simple.” ― Bill Mollison “The greatest change we need to make is from consumption to production, even if on a small scale, in our own gardens. If only 10% of us do this, there is enough for everyone. Hence the futility of revolutionaries who have no gardens, who depend on the very system they attack, and who produce words and bullets, not food and shelter.” ― Bill Mollison End Quotes And on that note I’ll draw this episode to a conclusion. Remember: Decarbonise the air, recarbonise the soil! Of course the podcasting checklists are still available over at Jon Moore Podcasting Services   Thank you for listening and I'll be back next week.

*Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Three of Season Six of *Downton Abbey. Allen Leech takes you on a behind-the-scenes tour of his six years at Downton Abbey: from his "terrifying" first day on set, to the night he broke into the Highclere castle grounds, to his "very, very emotional" final moments as Tom Branson. Don't miss this extended encore version of our conversation with the actor who brought Tom Branson to life!

Listen to Mahmood Motani, founder Highclere Group, explain the mortgage note buying and selling marketplace.  As a former real estate entrepreneur, Mahmood discusses how Highclere buys and sells mortgage notes.  Secured by real estate, these mortgage notes require no management and create positive cash flow.  Buying non-performing notes at a discount nationwide, Highclere seeks to keep people in their homes while generating positive cash flow for the investors.  This is a somewhat unique strategy for most investors and an interesting interview.  We hope you enjoy it.

Irish singing superstar Daniel O'Donnell made history in 2016 by becoming the first recording artist in the history of the UK album chart to have at least one new album every year since 1988 - an unprecedented 29-year run - surpassing the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson and U2. He talks about growing up in Donegal and how he got into the music business. Samantha Renke is an actor with a disability and can be seen in the latest Maltesers advertisement. Sam has a genetic condition -osteogenesis imperfecta -that causes bones to break easily. It affects type I collagen in the body and is more commonly called brittle bone disease. Owing to multiple fractures, people with the condition usually have stunted growth. Sam won 'Best Lead Actress' in Little Devil, a multiple award-winning British indie film at the 2014 Los Angeles Diversity Film. Sam also works to raise disability awareness as she is currently campaigning with Channel 4, as well as the charity SCOPE. Simon Cooper is fly fisherman and conservationist. He's just published a book called the Otter's Tale. He's also involved in preserving Britain's chalk streams. Fiona, 8th Countess of Carnarvon is the Chatelaine of Highclere Castle where Downton Abbey is filmed. Her most recent book is At Home at Highclere - the stories behind some of the most famous dinner parties. Guests have included Disraeli, Prince of Wales, and Henry James. The Inheritance Tracks are provided by David Rodigan MBE - an English radio DJ who also performs as a disc jockey for his sound system. Presenters: Aasmah Mir & the Rev. Richard Coles Producer: Maire Devine.

Iiri maalossid on teistsugused kui Inglismaa omad, kas või meile hästi tuttav Downton Abbey, tegelikult Highclere´i loss. Iirimaa lossid võivad ilmatu vägevad ja suured olla, kuid nad pole suurustlevad ega kuninglikud. Iirimaa elas oma 1000 aastat ilma kuningateta, sealsed iidsed lossid ehitati klannipealikute kindlustatud elupaikadeks.Ashfordi lossi Iiri saare lääneosas Corribi järve kaldal rajas Burke´i klann aastal 1228, kuid aegade jooksul vahetusid omanikud ja nii ehitati Ashfordi lossi ikka edasi ja edasi, kuini 20. sajandi lõpuni välja.

Iiri maalossid on teistsugused kui Inglismaa omad, kas või meile hästi tuttav Downton Abbey, tegelikult Highclere´i loss. Iirimaa lossid võivad ilmatu vägevad ja suured olla, kuid nad pole suurustlevad ega kuninglikud. Iirimaa elas oma 1000 aastat ilma kuningateta, sealsed iidsed lossid ehitati klannipealikute kindlustatud elupaikadeks.Ashfordi lossi Iiri saare lääneosas Corribi järve kaldal rajas Burke´i klann aastal 1228, kuid aegade jooksul vahetusid omanikud ja nii ehitati Ashfordi lossi ikka edasi ja edasi, kuini 20. sajandi lõpuni välja.

Clare Balding and the head of Ordnance Survey, Nigel Clifford walk along Wayfarers Walk from Coombe Gibbet to Highclere, on the Berkshire, Hampshire Border. In this series Clare talks to those involved in epic walks of many consecutive days and covering many hundreds of miles. Clare and Nigel talk about the joy of poring over maps while planning such adventures. They are accompanied by Clare's dog Archie, who particularly enjoys their lunch stop. Producer: Lucy Lunt.

Segment A: A Conversation with the Countess of Highclere: Lady Fiona Carnarvon WHRO and Colonial Williamsburg welcome Lady Fiona Carnarvon, the eighth and current countess of Highclere Castle, the real-life home to "Downton Abbey." Lady Carnarvon will join HearSay host, Cathy Lewis, for a conversation about the acclaimed PBS program, "Downton Abbey," and take us behind the walls of the spectacular Highclere Castle. We'll also find out how the plot of the fictitious Grantham family actually reflects many of the real-life challenges the Carnarvon family faced over the years. Join us for this very special program and regionally exclusive interview surrounding television's most beloved series as Lady Carnarvon visits the United States. Lady Carnarvon will be enjoying tea and conversation at a sold-out event later this evening at the Williamsburg Lodge./ Segment B: Rightful Owner In the second-half of today's program, we continue the theme of "real-life" stories behind the things we enjoy. They say "every picture has a story," but that saying can also be associated with any objects we possess. What happens when these objects end up in someone else's hands? Will they ever know the "real story?" Perhaps you picked something up at a thrift store or found it hidden in a coat pocket from a yard sale, or even in the glove box of a used car. Have you ever found out the "real story" behind something you now own? Our guests will share stories about their discoveries, and we hope you will, too, as we explore who the "rightful owners" are to the objects we uncover. Join us!

Harry Herbert, Managing Director of Highclere Racing Syndicate, discusses their Investec Oaks and Derby runners Vow and Bonfire