Podcasts about Shropshire

When a devastating fire consumed the lives of an affluent British family, suspicions arose, pointing fingers at those who knew business tycoon Chris Foster and may have wanted him dead. As detectives sifted through the ashes and debris, they uncovered even more secrets buried within the Shropshire mansion. From hidden affairs and financial troubles to long-buried grudges and shattered dreams, investigators didn't know which direction to look in next until the killer was revealed in the family's own CCTV footage.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

In our second "Industry Episode" we're learning about a company almost every service member has at least noticed on their installation: BeaverFit.And if you've been confused about the odd company name, don't worry, we get that history right away. Tom Beaver, founder of BeaverFit UK, built his first outdoor training rig in 2006 while preparing for the grueling Enduroman Arch to Arc, an 87-mile run from London to the English Channel, a swim across the Channel and a 180-mile bike ride to Paris.A few years later, the Special Air Service teams from Hereford — just a stone's throw away from the Beaver family farm in Shropshire — spent a day with Tom training on his unique outdoor rig and immediately asked him to build them one.Our guest for this discussion is Jason Clark, BeaverFit's Director of Education and Training. Jason is a Marine Corps combat veteran and former drill instructor. He later went on to work in the fitness industry and then as a strength and conditioning director for the Marine Corps HITT program. He also served on the advisory board for human performance at HQ Marine Corps. Since this is one of our “industry episodes” our conversation will be more focused on BeaverFit than Jason himself, but the Any Given Day podcast just published an episode that's much more personal, so if you want to learn more about the guy, check it out!

This week I am joined by the wonderful folklorist Amy Boucher, and together we wander into the shadowed lanes and hedgerows of Shropshire to speak of one of its most intriguing figures — the cunning man Thomas Light. A man whispered about rather than written down. A man of charms, counter-spells, and uneasy knowledge. We explore his life, his reputation, and the strange power such figures once held over their communities — half feared, half needed, and never entirely trusted.And as the embers glow, I also share a famous and unsettling tale of the Welsh seer Huw Llwyd, a story carried on the breath of generations, heavy with prophecy, second sight, and the terrible cost of knowing too much.So draw your chair closer to the fire. Let the dark stay where it belongs. And step with us, just for a while, into the Time Between TimesFind Amy Boucher here:Amy Boucher – https://nearlyknowledgeablehistory.blogspot.comAmy Boucher – Blue sky - @g0blinegg.bsky.socialMore of my work:Welshstoryteller.comIf you'd like to support the show:Ko-fi.com/owenstatonPatreon.com/owenstaton7Read my Substack:Owen Staton – owenstaton.substack.comTake care, my friends… and I'll see you, once again, by the fire. Nos DaOwen

Adrianne Shropshire, host of “The Black Pack” radio show on KBLA Talk 1580 and executive director of the political organization BlackPAC, gives her analysis of trending political stories through the lens of Black progressivism.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Send us a textThe failure of the Whitchurch embankment offered sobering viewing for those on and off the canal. This episode responds to listeners' concerns and questions and then reflects on the wider implication of incidents like these on the future of life on the canals. *Spoiler -it is not all doom and gloom!*Journal entry:6th January, Tuesday“Colder nightBut slightly milder dawnA few desultory snowflakes fallFlightless feathersWith no windUpon which to danceWill these small flakesEver get the chanceTo find the sea?”Episode Information:For a video diary of the Whitchurch Breach see Paul and Anthony's Narrowboat Life Unlocked. For Prof Tim Wilson's comment on canals in Britain, see The Sinkhole in Shropshire.I also refer to Skempton's (1996) article on construction of early embankments and cuttings (railways), and the 2025 report by Whitfield Consulting Services.With special thanks to our lock-wheelersfor supporting this podcast.Susan WestAna McKellarSusan BakerMind ShamblesClare HollingsworthKevin B.Fleur and David McloughlinLois RaphaelTania YorgeyAndrea HansenChris HindsChris and Alan on NB Land of Green Ginger Captain Arlo Rebecca Russell Allison on the narrowboat Mukka Derek and Pauline Watts Anna V. Orange Cookie Mary Keane. Tony Rutherford. Arabella Holzapfel. Rory with MJ and Kayla. Narrowboat Precious Jet. Linda Reynolds Burkins. Richard Noble. Carol Ferguson. Tracie Thomas Mark and Tricia Stowe Madeleine SmithGeneral DetailsThe intro and the outro music is ‘Crying Cello' by Oleksii_Kalyna (2024) licensed for free-use by Pixabay (189988).  Narrowboat engine recorded by 'James2nd' on the River Weaver, Cheshire. Uploaded to Freesound.org on 23rd June 2018. CreativeSupport the showBecome a 'Lock-Wheeler'Would you like to support this podcast by becoming a 'lock-wheeler' for Nighttime on Still Waters? Find out more: 'Lock-wheeling' for Nighttime on Still Waters.Contact Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/noswpod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nighttimeonstillwaters/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/noswpod.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.world/@nosw I would love to hear from you. You can email me at nighttimeonstillwaters@gmail.com or drop me a line by going to the nowspod website and using either the contact form or, if you prefer, record your message by clicking on the microphone icon. For more information about Nighttime on Still Waters You can find more information and photographs about the podcasts and life aboard the Erica on our website at noswpod.com.

Welcome back to Radio Lento and a new year of captured quiet from natural places. It's so good you are here. To open 2026 we're heading back to rural Shropshire which we visited last year thanks to a listener recommendation. We found so many perfect places on this trip in May. Remember almost every Lento soundscape is made when there's nobody about, not even us. What you hear is a fully authentic passage of time recorded in high definition spatial sound, ideal for headphone or Airpod listening. Each recording is captured using a one-shot true-timeline method and through the same device, the Lento box, which we also call our sound camera. Our aim is to capture long-form sound images that let you engage as directly as possible with the landscape, so it speaks for itself, without us or anybody else to get in the way. And wildlife does sound better when there are no people about. The exact location of the Lento box on this recording is Poles Coppice, a nature reserve surrounded by farmland and grassy moors. We gave it #LentoApproved status. It's spring. Weather conditions are fair. Wind very light, just 2 to 3 knots, with occasional gusts of 10 to 15 knots. Wind gusts can often be heard sweeping through the oak trees, from left to right of scene. When this happens you really get a sense of the physical space around you (especially if you are listening on headphones or Airpods). * This passage of time begins with the last few fragile moments of night quiet. Then the very first bird of the new day begins to sing. Gradually, as time passes and the sky grows in luminosity, more birds start to sing. After about 15 minutes the dawn chorus is underway. It continues over the full 75 minutes of this episode segment, shifting and changing in pace and intensity. It's subtle and interesting how the changes blend into one another, and happen almost like movements of a symphony, though we aren't that keen on imposing human ideas onto the patterns of nature. We can't talk to birds and ask them what they are singing and why, but we can apply our human ability to bear witness to this amazing phenomenon without interfering or disturbing it.

Welcome to This Is True Really News Episode 1026 with hosts Scot Combs and Tony Verkinnes! This week's bizarre but true stories include a Florida woman suing Hershey's for $5 million over missing jack-o-lantern faces on Reese's pumpkins, the surprising secrets behind artistic genius (spoiler: stop bathing and carry a gun like Picasso), a Good Samaritan who rescued an injured raccoon only to get bitten and discover it had rabies, and a massive sinkhole in Shropshire that literally drained an entire canal and swallowed boats while residents slept.From litigious candy complaints to Renaissance masters who never bathed, from wildlife rescue gone wrong to geological disasters, we cover all the news that's true—really! Get the real stories behind Michelangelo's legendary body odor, Caravaggio's sword fights, and why Pablo Picasso shot blanks at art critics.Get your own This is True Really News coffee mug at: https://teespring.com/stores/special-ts-5/collection/mugs?page=1#ThisIsTrueReallyNews #BizarreNews #WeirdNews #TrueStories #RaccoonAttack #Rabies #SinkholeDisaster #FrivolousLawsuit #ReesesPumpkin #HersheysLawsuit #ArtistSecrets #Michelangelo #Picasso #CanalCollapse #Shropshire #ScotCombs #TonyVerkinnes #ComedyPodcast #NewsCommentary #StrangeButTrue #RealNews

We talk dogs, grief, purpose, creativity… and how hope and compassion can grow even through life's toughest seasons.Julie Hill is a writer, podcaster, and lifelong dog lover who's been celebrating the human–dog bond since 2006. From her rural home in Shropshire, surrounded by family, dogs, cats, and a lively crew of companion animals, she hosts DogCast Radio, where she's interviewed world-class trainers, behaviorists, scientists, authors, and rescue advocates from around the globe.Her heart-dog Buddy the Black Lab took her from the main arena at Crufts to appearances on national TV, and his loss shaped the empathy and passion she brings to her work today.In 2015, Julie was diagnosed with MS — a moment she describes honestly and powerfully:“It shut me down, I felt I lost who I was.”Since then, she's shared her journey with courage and openness, speaking about anxiety, postpartum struggles, resilience, and the deep healing connection we share with our dogs. She's also taken the stage as a stand-up comedian — even performing at the legendary London Comedy Store — using humor and storytelling to help others feel less alone.In this conversation, we talk dogs, grief, purpose, creativity… and how hope and compassion can grow even through life's toughest seasons.https://www.facebook.com/DogCastRadiohttps://www.instagram.com/dogcastradio/https://bsky.app/profile/juliedogcastradio.bsky.socialhttps://x.com/DogCastRadio/Host of www.DogCastRadio.comPresenter on www.UKHealthRadio.com Learn more about your host:www.kimlenglingauthor.com

At the heart of the Shropshire village of Hodnet, The Bear Inn is the kind of pub that feels like it's lived a thousand lives. With a history that includes bear pits, lingering ghost stories, and generations of local lore, it's long been a place where stories are swapped as freely as pints.In today's episode, Molly sits down with Tom Heber-Percy to hear how he's reimagined this much-loved village pub for a new era, honouring its rich past while creating a space that feels warm, welcoming, and alive once more. From the weight of history to the joy of bringing a community hub back to life, this conversation is a reminder of why pubs matter, and why their stories are worth preserving.Head to Curated, the world's first travel platform powered by tastemakers with soul, style and story at its heart to discover and book a collection of soulful stays curated by tastemakers you trust https://curatedspaces.club/Curated Spaces is the podcast on a mission to reignite real world connection.What started as a project to share the stories behind spaces has snowballed into something a little bit bigger.From founders sharing their stories of burnout and loneliness to the spaces leading the charge in rewilding and sustainable food production, Curated Spaces is about living life in full colour and connecting deeply with the spaces and faces around us.https://www.instagram.com/curatedspacesclub/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Morse code transcription: vvv vvv At least 13 photos removed from Justice Department released Epstein files Christmas TV highlights 2025 Stranger Things, Amandaland and Strictly Come Dancing University threatened with legal action after protest at event Gold price climbs above 4,400 to hit record high Major incident declared over Shropshire canal sinkhole Two pairs of Fabletics leggings ended up costing me 5,000 David Walliams dropped from Waterstones Childrens Book Festival Puppy farm and trail hunt ban promised in animal welfare strategy Alleged Bondi gunmen threw tennis ball bomb, new documents say Russian general killed in explosion in Moscow, officials say

Morse code transcription: vvv vvv Zendaya and Tom Holland visit Leicestershire curry house Post Office had deal with Fujitsu to fix Horizon errors 19 years ago Hundreds attend Stone Roses Manis star studded Manchester funeral Trump names envoy to Greenland, sparking fresh row with Denmark Londons most prolific Grindr gang jailed for over 8 years Husband and 5 other men charged with sex offences against ex wife Chris Rea, Driving Home for Christmas and Road to Hell singer, dies at 74 Two Banksy artworks appear at Centre Point tower and Bayswater Major incident declared over Shropshire canal sinkhole Cowboy builder Mark Killick is jailed for 14 years

Morse code transcription: vvv vvv Puppy farm and trail hunt ban promised in animal welfare strategy David Walliams dropped from Waterstones Childrens Book Festival Two pairs of Fabletics leggings ended up costing me 5,000 Gold price climbs above 4,400 to hit record high Major incident declared over Shropshire canal sinkhole Christmas TV highlights 2025 Stranger Things, Amandaland and Strictly Come Dancing Russian general killed in explosion in Moscow, officials say At least 13 photos removed from Justice Department released Epstein files University threatened with legal action after protest at event Alleged Bondi gunmen threw tennis ball bomb, new documents say

Morse code transcription: vvv vvv Major incident declared over Shropshire canal sinkhole Chris Rea, Driving Home for Christmas and Road to Hell singer, dies at 74 Londons most prolific Grindr gang jailed for over 8 years Husband and 5 other men charged with sex offences against ex wife Post Office had deal with Fujitsu to fix Horizon errors 19 years ago Two Banksy artworks appear at Centre Point tower and Bayswater Trump names envoy to Greenland, sparking fresh row with Denmark Hundreds attend Stone Roses Manis star studded Manchester funeral Cowboy builder Mark Killick is jailed for 14 years Zendaya and Tom Holland visit Leicestershire curry house

Morse code transcription: vvv vvv Christmas TV highlights 2025 Stranger Things, Amandaland and Strictly Come Dancing University threatened with legal action after protest at event Alleged Bondi gunmen threw tennis ball bomb, new documents say Gold price climbs above 4,400 to hit record high Russian general killed in explosion in Moscow, officials say David Walliams dropped from Waterstones Childrens Book Festival Major incident declared over Shropshire canal sinkhole Two pairs of Fabletics leggings ended up costing me 5,000 Puppy farm and trail hunt ban promised in animal welfare strategy At least 13 photos removed from Justice Department released Epstein files

Morse code transcription: vvv vvv Londons most prolific Grindr gang jailed for over 8 years Zendaya and Tom Holland visit Leicestershire curry house Major incident declared over Shropshire canal sinkhole Post Office had deal with Fujitsu to fix Horizon errors 19 years ago Hundreds attend Stone Roses Manis star studded Manchester funeral Two Banksy artworks appear at Centre Point tower and Bayswater Cowboy builder Mark Killick is jailed for 14 years Trump names envoy to Greenland, sparking fresh row with Denmark Chris Rea, Driving Home for Christmas and Road to Hell singer, dies at 74 Husband and 5 other men charged with sex offences against ex wife

Morse code transcription: vvv vvv David Walliams dropped from Waterstones Childrens Book Festival Two pairs of Fabletics leggings ended up costing me 5,000 University threatened with legal action after protest at event Russian general killed in explosion in Moscow, officials say At least 13 photos removed from Justice Department released Epstein files Puppy farm and trail hunt ban promised in animal welfare strategy Major incident declared over Shropshire canal sinkhole Alleged Bondi gunmen threw tennis ball bomb, new documents say Gold price climbs above 4,400 to hit record high Christmas TV highlights 2025 Stranger Things, Amandaland and Strictly Come Dancing

Morse code transcription: vvv vvv Chris Rea, Driving Home for Christmas and Road to Hell singer, dies at 74 Hundreds attend Stone Roses Manis star studded Manchester funeral Post Office had deal with Fujitsu to fix Horizon errors 19 years ago Zendaya and Tom Holland visit Leicestershire curry house Two Banksy artworks appear at Centre Point tower and Bayswater Major incident declared over Shropshire canal sinkhole Husband and 5 other men charged with sex offences against ex wife Cowboy builder Mark Killick is jailed for 14 years Londons most prolific Grindr gang jailed for over 8 years Trump names envoy to Greenland, sparking fresh row with Denmark

The musician Chris Rea, whose hits include the festive song, Driving Home for Christmas, has died at the age of 74. Also: Russia says it's investigating whether Ukraine was responsible for a car bomb that killed a senior general in Moscow. And 15 people had to be rescued after a large hole opened in a canal in Shropshire.

Plodcast host Fergus heads to Cleobury Mortimer in deeply rural Shropshire to visit the Netherton Foundry. Here, Neil and Sue Currie and their team make beautiful spun-iron cookware using traditional skills and tools. And Fergus gets the chance to fashion frying pans from scratch – a magical insight into a thriving, family-run rural business. A huge thanks to Neil and Sue, as well as Ryan, Toby, Colin and Maddie for their time – and patience!Find out more about Netherton Foundry https://www.netherton-foundry.co.uk/. The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is the Publishers Podcast Awards Special Interest Podcast of the Year 2024 & 2025 and the PPA Podcast of the Year 2022. If you've enjoyed the plodcast, don't forget to leave likes and positive reviews. Contact the Plodcast team and send your sound recordings of the countryside to: theplodcast@countryfile.com. If your letter, email or message is read out on the show, you could WIN a Plodcast Postbag prize of a wildlife- or countryside-themed book chosen by the team. The Plodcast is produced by Jack Bateman and Lewis Dobbs. The theme tune was written and performed by Blair Dunlop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nick Griffin is the former leader of the British National Party, which the BBC would certainly have characterised as ‘far-right'. He prefers to describe himself as a Christian nationalist. Once Nick has sorted out his shirt and escaped from the dog house with his missus, he and James have a lively, wide-ranging chat on all manner of things: the joy of hitchhiking, Nick's Cambridge boxing Blues, keeping goats in Shropshire, the surprise result of his Any Questions appearance, Tommy Robinson, Islam, civil war and the Offer That He Did Refuse. Nick's substack is https://substack.com/@nickgriffin544956 ↓ ↓ ↓ Tickets are now available for the James x Dick Christmas Show 2025 on Saturday, 6th December. See website for details: https://www.jamesdelingpole.co.uk/Shop/?section=events#events ↓ ↓ ↓ Monetary Metals is providing a true alternative to saving and earning in dollars by making it possible to save AND EARN in gold and silver. Monetary Metals has been paying interest on gold and silver for over 8 years. Right now, accredited investors can earn 12% annual interest on silver, paid in silver in their latest silver bond offering. For example, if you have 1,000 ounces of silver in the deal, you receive 120 ounces of silver interest paid to your account in the first year. Go to the link in the description or head to https://monetary-metals.com/delingpole/ to learn more about how to participate and start earning a return on honest money again with Monetary Metals. ↓ ↓ How environmentalists are killing the planet, destroying the economy and stealing your children's future. In Watermelons, an updated edition of his ground-breaking 2011 book, JD tells the shocking true story of how a handful of political activists, green campaigners, voodoo scientists and psychopathic billionaires teamed up to invent a fake crisis called ‘global warming'. This updated edition includes two new chapters which, like a geo-engineered flood, pour cold water on some of the original's sunny optimism and provide new insights into the diabolical nature of the climate alarmists' sinister master plan. Purchase Watermelons by James Delingpole here: https://jamesdelingpole.co.uk/Shop/ ↓ ↓ ↓ Buy James a Coffee at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jamesdelingpole The official website of James Delingpole: https://jamesdelingpole.co.uk x

Welcome to Episode 79 where I'm joined by Maddie Hammond. We started our day with a hike up a windy, wet and cold  Wrekin in Shropshire, which turned out to be eventful as there was a man unconscious and verging on hypothermia at the summit. When we fially made it back to record, we talked for almost 4 hours & discussed our respective experiences in the States, Maddie's upcoming feature film debut in a new film from The Push, bows, Liberty Archers Turkey Shoot and veered off on numerous tangents. I'm going to ask you folks to kindlyleave a review for the podcast on whatever platform you listen to it on. Many thanks & I hope you enjoy it.Maddie On Instagram - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/maddie_mads_/⁠ Maddie On YouTube - ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@SheShootsTrad

Jonathan Mullard is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, a Founder Member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology andEnvironmental Management, and a Chartered Town and Country Planner.  He had combined a passion for the naturalenvironment with a career in conservation and spatial planning.  In the early 1980s, Jonathan worked alongside Max Nicholson, the pioneer ornithologist and environmentalist, on developing an urban woodland strategy for London. This involved setting up a project in Crystal Palace to save a fragment of the Great North Wood. Later, Jonathan cameacross the Capon Tree, one of the few remaining trees from the Jed Forest in the Scottish Borders. Along with his experience of growing up in Shropshire and researching the lost Forest of Morfe, it started an interest in lost forests and their remains.  Jonathan is the author of Forgotten Forests: Twelve Thousand Years of British and Irish Woodlands and three books on Wales published in the Collins New Naturalist series: Gower,Brecon Beacons, and Pembrokeshire.

We all know by now that plants grown in living, thriving, life-filled soil, give us living, thriving, life-filled food... but the steps to getting there in the face of a multinational industry devoted to toxic, nutritionally empty, addictive - and highly profitable - ultra-processed 'food-like substances' are harder to see.  This week's guest, Daphne du Cros, spends her life deep in the mycelial networks of food and farming systems, bringing both into genuinely regenerative balance. Daphne is a food policy researcher, educator, and farmer. She holds a PhD in Food Policy at the Centre for Food Policy at City St. George's University of London, and a Master's in Environmental Science and Management from Toronto Metropolitan University in Canada. She is Director and Coordinator at Shropshire Good Food Partnership; Director at Light Foot Enterprises; Project Lead at Food Forward BC (where BC stands for Bishop's Castle, not British Columbia or any of the other potential options) -   and she's co-owner of Little Woodbatch CIC, a farm just outside BC that hosts the Bishop's Castle Community Seed Bank. She is the author of the town's Community Food Resilience Strategy - the only such policy in Shropshire.Daphne and I are relatively near neighbours, we have swapped seeds - her more than me - and share ideas about systems thinking and how we might evolve our world. She's deeply involved at every level from actual growing up to governmental meetings trying to get those in power to find some wisdom when it comes to food resilience, food security and all the other things we say as we try to get them to move away from the corruption innate in our system towards something that actually works in service to life. Daphne on LinkedIn https://uk.linkedin.com/in/daphne-du-cros-743128332Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlewoodbatch/ Shropshire Good Food Partnership:  https://www.shropshiregoodfood.org/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shropshiregoodfood/ Soil Ed UK: https://www.instagram.com/soil_ed_uk/  Gaia Foundation Seed Sovereignty Network: https://www.seedsovereignty.info/Serving the Public https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/serving-the-public-the-good-food-revolution-in-schools-hospitals-and-prisons-kevin-morgan/7657661?ean=9781526180469&next=tCivil Food Resilience Report: https://nationalpreparednesscommission.uk/publications/just-in-case-7-steps-to-narrow-the-uk-civil-food-resilience-gap/  Little Woodbatch Farm https://www.littlewoodbatch.co.uk/What we offer: Accidental Gods, Dreaming Awake and the Thrutopia Writing Masterclass If you'd like to join our next Open Gathering offered by our Accidental Gods Programme it's  'Dreaming Your Year Awake' (you don't have to be a member) on Sunday 4th January 2026 from 16:00 - 20:00 GMT - details are hereIf you'd like to join us at Accidental Gods, this is the membership where we endeavour to help you to connect fully with the living web of life. If you'd like to train more deeply in the contemporary shamanic work at Dreaming Awake, you'll find us here. If you'd like to explore the recordings from our last Thrutopia Writing Masterclass, the details are here

Detective Chief Superintendent Robert 'Bob' Booth from West Mercia Police is tested by the rarest of crimes. He faces an unprecedented challenge after 17-year-old Lesley Whittle is kidnapped from her home in Highley, Shropshire, and a ransom note is found. The case gripped the nation in 1975 and created widespread public fear.This series contains rare and original archive, some not broadcast since the time.Presenter: Susan Hanks. Producer: Susan Hanks and Rob Howell. Sounds Producer: Rob Howell. Story Consultant: Luke Eldridge. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producers: Arran Bee and Aftab Gulzar. Commissioning Editor: Alistair Miskin.ARCHIVE : Bob Booth commentary sourced from ‘Real Crime – The Heiress & The Kidnapper' produced by ITV.

Hello my Friends and Nadolig Llawen . Welcome to this Christmas special for Time between Times where I am joined by the Shropshire Witches Amy Boucher and Alix Chidley-Uttley to talk Christmas traditions and tell a traditional Welsh ghost story "The Plygain of the hollow Valley" . Thank you so much for all your support this year and Merry Christmas to you all. Please leave a review and please follow and support Amy and Alix in all the wonderful projects they are involved in. more details below.Amy Bouchers blog https://nearlyknowledgeablehistory.blogspot.com/p/about-me.htmlAlix Chidley-Uttley on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/alix_cu/The Shropshire Witches Podcasthttps://open.spotify.com/show/7JUwLNJqLJqKVN6CdwQ6z3Owen's Webpagewww.welshstoryteller.comOwen's Ko-fi page www.ko-fi.com/owenstatonOwen's Patreonwww.patreon.com/owenstaton7Have a fantastic Christmas Love Owen x

What happens when you give an oceanographer a pile of ROFFS® fishing reports, decades of ocean data, and access to Simrad® electronics? You get FishCast® — an AI-powered offshore fishing forecast that can highlight high-probability zones days before you ever leave the dock. In this conversation, Dr. Taylor Shropshire from Fathom Science and I break down how FishCast works on Simrad MFDs, how 3-day, 3-hour forecasts help you plan offshore trips, and why AI should be a tool that makes fishing more fun rather than a shortcut that replaces hard-earned experience. We also talk about ocean models, hurricane prediction, safety, and what better forecasting might mean for anyone who lives and fishes on the coast. If you liked this episode, share it with a friend, rate the show, and stay tuned for more unfiltered conversations.

Hello my FriendsWelcome to this special bonus episode of Time between Times where I am joined by the wonderful Alix Chidley- Uttley who as well as being one half of the Shropshire Witches is also the presenter of " Two minute Histories " on Instagram.Alix and I talk about her videos as well as her ghostly experiences living in the folklore filled hills of Shropshire before I tell one of her favourite tales The Ghostly Funeral of Ratlingnhope. I really hope you enjoy .you can find more about Alix at www.alixchidley-uttley.co.ukInstagram (home of two minute histories ) @alix_cuOwen can be found herewww.welshstoryteller.comPlease leave a review or consider buying me a Ko-fi www.ko-fi.com/owenstatonwww.patreon.com/owenstaton7Look out for more bonus episodes in the run up to Calan Gaeaf. Take careOwen

Reaching the top of Long Mynd in rural Shropshire requires a good steady climb. The rocky footpath winds up and up, and so must you, if you want to get to the top. Most people do, as much for that sense of physical achievement gained over an hour or two, as the views. 360 degree panoramic views of all that makes this whole area so special. But before you get to those views, there are many other fascinating sights to be had on the way up. And not only for the eyes.  Long Mynd is both a wild place and an area only lightly impacted by overflights. Once you are within the dramatic contours of this ancient landscape it is likely you'll encounter periods of near pristine quiet. Pristine quiet activates something fascinating in us, something we normally can't engage. Heightened aural awareness. Heightened aural awareness lets us fully connect with the landscape via our sense of hearing.  Hearing is a kind of touch sense. While we can feel the wind as it buffits against our faces and bodies, we are thanks to the wind, able to perceive trees and grasses even though they may be a hundred yards away. Wind presses through their physical shapes and structures producing sound vibrations that then physically land on our eardrums. It's like we are touching them, even though they are beyond the reach of our hands.  The higher you go up Long Mynd, the more you and the landscape are exposed to the elements. The wind surges stronger and stronger. Where the narrow and very steep footpath threads along the edge of rocks and a plummeting drop, the wind cannot be ignored. It is physical, and it is enlivening. It enlivens us, and it enlivens the trees and grasses. the birds. The hardy sheep as they graze the upland pasture. The tiny grasshoppers and crickets, only heard when the wind drops.   * We made this recording up on Long Mynd back in August. It's perhaps our most precipitous recording location so far! We carefully attached the box to a dramatic hawthorn tree overhanging one of the many sheer drops, just off the footpath. Hikers can be heard passing up and down the stony path. Right of scene the wild landscape slopes steeply up. Left of scene slopes steeply down into the valley below. Centre scene are trees on the opposite side of the cleft. Sheep graze on steep ground below the tree for a while, and a raven or large crow briefly passes. We think there's a stonechat there too. It's very difficult to capture sound landscapes in the face of such powerful wind gusts, but the wind really is the very essence of this wild place, and so we've made an extra effort to sonically balance the hugely varying loudness levels in this recording and share what we hope is a listenable sound view of Long Mynd in beautiful Shropshire.

In this episode, we head straight to the heart of the 2025 National Breathing Apparatus Challenge where teams of operational UK firefighters went head-to-head in a simulated high-pressure incident: smoke issuing from a rented property, three persons unaccounted for, and two seats of fire to tackle within thirty minutes. Armed with one fire truck & five firefighters each crew faced the same scenario but delivered different results.I sat down with the crews for some for raw, unfiltered hot debriefs with firefighters from Buckinghamshire, Norfolk, London Fire Brigade, West Yorkshire, Kent, Shropshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Tyne and Wear, Scotland, and Gloucestershire. Together they explore how variations in kit, tactics, and service procedures shaped their outcomes and what those differences reveal about firefighting in the UK today. This is not just about competition; it's about collaboration, reflection, and professional growth.Access all episodes, documents, GIVEAWAYS & debriefs HEREPodcast Apparel, Hoodies, Flags, Mugs HEREPODCAST GIFT - FREE subscription to essential Firefighting publications HERE A big thanks to our partners for supporting this episode.GORE-TEX Professional ClothingMSA The Safety CompanyIDEXFIRE & EVACUATION SERVICE LTD HAIX Footwear - Get offical podcast discount on HAIX HEREXendurance - to hunt performance & endurance 20% off HERE with code ffp20Lyfe Linez -  Get Functional Hydration FUEL for FIREFIGHTERS, Clean no sugar  for daily hydration. 80% of people live dehydratedSend us a textSupport the show***The views expressed in this episode are those of the individual speakers. Our partners are not responsible for the content of this episode and does not warrant its accuracy or completeness.*** Please support the podcast and its future by clicking HERE and joining our Patreon Crew

It's part 2 of our dive into the Insect Apocalypse, with our good friend Dr. Jason Dombroskie from the Cornell University Insect Collection!In this part, Jason fills us in on the drivers of the Insect Apocalypse and - most importantly - what we can do about it.This episode was recorded on August 21, 2025 at Rattlesnake Hill Wildlife Management Area in Dalton, NY.. Episode NotesDuring the episode, we made the claim that 40 million acres of the US is lawn, and that that area is equal to all of the country's National Parks put together. True? Well, sort of. The claim that the U.S. has about 40 million acres of lawn—roughly equal to all our national parks combined—is only partly true. A NASA-funded study led by Cristina Milesi estimated that turfgrass covers about 128,000 km² (≈31 million acres) of the continental U.S., making it the largest irrigated “crop” in the country (Milesi et al., Environmental Management, 2005; NASA Earth Observatory). Later analyses and popular summaries often round that up to ≈40 million acres (e.g., Scienceline, 2011; LawnStarter, 2023). By comparison, the total land area of all officially designated U.S. National Parks is about 52.4 million acres, while the entire National Park System—which also includes monuments, preserves, and historic sites—covers about 85 million acres (National Park Service, 2024). So while lawns and parks occupy areas of similar magnitude, lawns do not actually equal or exceed the combined area of the national parks. Is it better to mulch leaves on your lawn or leave them be? Here's what we found: It's generally best to mulch your leaves with a mower rather than rake or remove them. Research from Michigan State University found that mowing leaves into small pieces allows them to decompose quickly, returning nutrients to the soil and reducing weeds like dandelions and crabgrass (MSU Extension, “Don't rake leaves — mulch them into your lawn”, 2012). Cornell University studies similarly show that mulched leaves improve soil structure, moisture retention, and microbial activity (Cornell Cooperative Extension, “Leaf Mulching: A Sustainable Alternative”, 2019). However, in garden beds, wooded edges, or under shrubs, it's often better to leave leaves whole, since they provide winter habitat for butterflies, bees, and other invertebrates that overwinter in leaf litter (National Wildlife Federation, “Leave the Leaves for Wildlife”, 2020). The ideal approach is a mix: mow-mulch leaves on grassy areas for turf health and leave them intact where they naturally fall to support biodiversity and soil ecology. Episode LinksThe Cornell University Insect Collection Also, check out their great Instagram feedAnd their annual October event InsectapaloozaFind out more about the recently discovered species of Swallowtail, Papilio solstitius, commonly known as the Midsummer Tiger Swallowtail- https://www.sci.news/biology/papilio-solstitius-13710.htmlSponsors and Ways to Support UsThank you to Always Wandering Art (Website and Etsy Shop) for providing the artwork for many of our episodes.Support us on Patreon.Works CitedBiesmeijer, J.C., Roberts, S.P., Reemer, M., Ohlemuller, R., Edwards, M., Peeters, T., Schaffers, A.P., Potts, S.G., Kleukers, R.J.M.C., Thomas, C.D. and Settele, J., 2006. Parallel declines in pollinators and insect-pollinated plants in Britain and the Netherlands. Science, 313(5785), pp.351-354. Boyle, M.J., Bonebrake, T.C., Dias da Silva, K., Dongmo, M.A., Machado França, F., Gregory, N., Kitching, R.L., Ledger, M.J., Lewis, O.T., Sharp, A.C. and Stork, N.E., 2025. 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Decline in beetle abundance and diversity in an intact temperate forest linked to climate warming. Biological Conservation, 240, p.108219. Hembry, D.H., 2013. Herbarium Specimens Reveal Putative Insect Extinction on the Deforested Island of Mangareva (Gambier Archipelago, French Polynesia). Pacific Science, 67(4), pp.553-560. Høye, T.T., Loboda, S., Koltz, A.M., Gillespie, M.A., Bowden, J.J. and Schmidt, N.M., 2021. Nonlinear trends in abundance and diversity and complex responses to climate change in Arctic arthropods. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(2), p.e2002557117. Huryn, A.D. and Wallace, J.B., 2000. Life history and production of stream insects. Annual review of entomology, 45(1), pp.83-110. Kawahara, A.Y., Reeves, L.E., Barber, J.R. and Black, S.H., 2021. Eight simple actions that individuals can take to save insects from global declines. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(2), p.e2002547117. Leuenberger, W., Doser, J.W., Belitz, M.W., Ries, L., Haddad, N.M., Thogmartin, W.E. and Zipkin, E.F., 2025. Three decades of declines restructure butterfly communities in the Midwestern United States. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(33), p.e2501340122. Liang, M., Yang, Q., Chase, J.M., Isbell, F., Loreau, M., Schmid, B., Seabloom, E.W., Tilman, D. and Wang, S., 2025. Unifying spatial scaling laws of biodiversity and ecosystem stability. Science, 387(6740), p.eadl2373. Lister, B.C. and Garcia, A., 2018. Climate-driven declines in arthropod abundance restructure a rainforest food web. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(44), pp.E10397-E10406. Owens, A.C., Pocock, M.J. and Seymoure, B.M., 2024. Current evidence in support of insect-friendly lighting practices. Current Opinion in Insect Science, 66, p.101276. Myers, L.W., Kondratieff, B.C., Grubbs, S.A., Pett, L.A., DeWalt, R.E., Mihuc, T.B. and Hart, L.V., 2025. Distributional and species richness patterns of the stoneflies (Insecta, Plecoptera) in New York State. Biodiversity Data Journal, 13, p.e158952. Pilotto, F., Kühn, I., Adrian, R., Alber, R., Alignier, A., Andrews, C., Bäck, J., Barbaro, L., Beaumont, D., Beenaerts, N. and Benham, S., 2020. Meta-analysis of multidecadal biodiversity trends in Europe. Nature communications, 11(1), p.3486. Pinkert, S., Farwig, N., Kawahara, A.Y. and Jetz, W., 2025. Global hotspots of butterfly diversity are threatened in a warming world. Nature Ecology & Evolution, pp.1-12. Raven, P.H. and Wagner, D.L., 2021. Agricultural intensification and climate change are rapidly decreasing insect biodiversity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(2), p.e2002548117. Rodrigues, A.V., Rissanen, T., Jones, M.M., Huikkonen, I.M., Huitu, O., Korpimäki, E., Kuussaari, M., Lehikoinen, A., Lindén, A., Pietiäinen, H. and Pöyry, J., 2025. Cross‐Taxa Analysis of Long‐Term Data Reveals a Positive Biodiversity‐Stability Relationship With Taxon‐Specific Mechanistic Underpinning. Ecology Letters, 28(4), p.e70003. Salcido, D.M., Forister, M.L., Garcia Lopez, H. and Dyer, L.A., 2020. Loss of dominant caterpillar genera in a protected tropical forest. Scientific reports, 10(1), p.422. Sánchez-Bayo, F. and Wyckhuys, K.A., 2019. Worldwide decline of the entomofauna: A review of its drivers. Biological conservation, 232, pp.8-27. Schowalter, T.D., Pandey, M., Presley, S.J., Willig, M.R. and Zimmerman, J.K., 2021. Arthropods are not declining but are responsive to disturbance in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(2), p.e2002556117. Sedlmeier, J.E., Grass, I., Bendalam, P., Höglinger, B., Walker, F., Gerhard, D., Piepho, H.P., Brühl, C.A. and Petschenka, G., 2025. Neonicotinoid insecticides can pose a severe threat to grassland plant bug communities. Communications Earth & Environment, 6(1), p.162. Shortall, C.R., Moore, A., Smith, E., Hall, M.J., Woiwod, I.P. and Harrington, R., 2009. Long‐term changes in the abundance of flying insects. Insect Conservation and Diversity, 2(4), pp.251-260. Soga, M. and Gaston, K.J., 2018. Shifting baseline syndrome: causes, consequences, and implications. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 16(4), pp.222-230. Stork, N.E., 2018. How many species of insects and other terrestrial arthropods are there on Earth?. Annual review of entomology, 63(2018), pp.31-45. Tallamy, D.W., Narango, D.L. and Mitchell, A.B., 2021. Do non‐native plants contribute to insect declines?. Ecological Entomology, 46(4), pp.729-742. Thomas, J.A., Telfer, M.G., Roy, D.B., Preston, C.D., Greenwood, J.J.D., Asher, J., Fox, R., Clarke, R.T. and Lawton, J.H., 2004. Comparative losses of British butterflies, birds, and plants and the global extinction crisis. Science, 303(5665), pp.1879-1881. Tierno de Figueroa, J.M., López-Rodríguez, M.J., Lorenz, A., Graf, W., Schmidt-Kloiber, A. and Hering, D., 2010. Vulnerable taxa of European Plecoptera (Insecta) in the context of climate change. Biodiversity and conservation, 19(5), pp.1269-1277. Turin, H. and Den Boer, P.J., 1988. Changes in the distribution of carabid beetles in The Netherlands since 1880. II. Isolation of habitats and long-term time trends in the occurence of carabid species with different powers of dispersal (Coleoptera, Carabidae). Biological Conservation, 44(3), pp.179-200. Van Deynze, B., Swinton, S.M., Hennessy, D.A., Haddad, N.M. and Ries, L., 2024. Insecticides, more than herbicides, land use, and climate, are associated with declines in butterfly species richness and abundance in the American Midwest. PLoS One, 19(6), p.e0304319. Van Klink, R., Bowler, D.E., Gongalsky, K.B., Swengel, A.B., Gentile, A. and Chase, J.M., 2020. Meta-analysis reveals declines in terrestrial but increases in freshwater insect abundances. Science, 368(6489), pp.417-420. Wagner, D.L., Fox, R., Salcido, D.M. and Dyer, L.A., 2021. A window to the world of global insect declines: Moth biodiversity trends are complex and heterogeneous. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(2), p.e2002549117. Wagner DL, Grames EM, Forister ML, Berenbaum MR, Stopak D. Insect decline in the Anthropocene: Death by a thousand cuts. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2021 Jan 12;118(2):e2023989118. WallisDeVries, M.F. and van Swaay, C.A., 2017. A nitrogen index to track changes in butterfly species assemblages under nitrogen deposition. Biological Conservation, 212, pp.448-453. Warren, M.S., Hill, J.K., Thomas, J.A., Asher, J., Fox, R., Huntley, B., Roy, D.B., Telfer, M.G., Jeffcoate, S., Harding, P. and Jeffcoate, G., 2001. Rapid responses of British butterflies to opposing forces of climate and habitat change. 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But how will Emma in Hampshire and Tom in Shropshire get on with today's questions?

Israel has bombed the Qatari capital Doha. The attacks targeted the senior leadership of Hamas, who'd been meeting to discuss the latest ceasefire proposals for Gaza. Also: Six Labour MPs have now confirmed they are running to become the party's next deputy leader, after Angela Rayner's resignation last week. And staff at a zoo in Shropshire were stunned when one of their lizards produced eight hatchlings, despite not having had access to a mate.

Our guest today is one of the UK's best known and best loved public intellectuals, the classicist and expert on Roman history Professor Dame Mary Beard. Mary tells Gyles about her country childhood in Shropshire, playing on a disused railway track and trying to memorise Jane Eyre by heart. She talks about her interesting parents - a headmistress and a "raffish" historical buildings architect, and about the alarming visits up ladders into church belfries she made with her dad. She talks about Cambridge, sexism, and discusses interesting questions such as 'how to think' with Gyles. She talks about her early relationships with men and she describes the chain of events which led to her being raped in Italy as a student. She talks about the challenges of being a public intellectual, and about her aversion to risk aversion! As you can tell, this is a wide-ranging and fascinating discussion. Enjoy this. NB this episode contains some discussion of a rape, which is not graphic, but you may want to be mindful of this if listening with children. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today as part of the Tales of a Nuffield Scholar podcast which aims to share the stories of Nuffield UK Alumni, we welcome Rob Ward — entrepreneur, innovator, and agri-tech visionary.Rob's story begins on a tenanted family farm in Shropshire where early lessons in strawberries and supermarket selling taught him resilience and strategy. From handing out pick-your-own baskets to selling tech globally, Rob's journey is a masterclass in reinvention.

Professor Lucy Easthope is an adviser on disaster recovery and planning. She's an expert in planning for and reacting to major incidents: natural disaster, terrorist attacks, pandemics and fires, and is the visiting Professor of Mass Fatalities and Pandemics at the University of Bath.Born in Merseyside in 1978, Lucy cites the impact of watching the Hillsborough football disaster on TV as a child as one of the driving reasons of her decision to pursue a career in disaster management. Her work has involved working in mortuaries, attending fatal accidents and training teams to react to emergencies. Alongside her career, Lucy has written two books about emergency planning and disaster recovery. Lucy lives in Shropshire with her husband and two children.DISC ONE: Lose Yourself - Eminem DISC TWO: Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy. Performed by Matthew Steynor (organ) and The Choir of Queens' College Cambridge, conducted by James Weeks DISC THREE: Overture And A Prisoner Of The Crusades (From Chains To Freedom) Composed by Michael Kamen and performed by Greater Los Angeles Orchestra, conducted by Patti Fidelibus DISC FOUR: Tender - Blur DISC FIVE: Trustfall - Pink DISC SIX: Fast Car - Tracy Chapman DISC SEVEN: Something's Missing - Come From Away Company DISC EIGHT: Thunderstruck - AC/DC BOOK CHOICE: The Diddakoi by Rumer Godden LUXURY ITEM: A solar-powered torch CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Tender - Blur Presenter Lauren Laverne Producer Sarah Taylor