Footprints

For our mid-winter episode join us for a pub crawl to three cosy community - owned pubs in and around Bath.The last few years have not been easy for pubs, with the pandemic, rising energy costs and inflation. More than 500 closed their doors in 2023, but community pubs it seems, are thriving.The first pub to be bought by the community was The Red Lion in Preston, Hertfordshire in the early 1980s. According to the Plunkett Foundation, a charity which helps people set up community-owned business, as of January 2024 there were upwards of 180 community-owned pubs in the UK and Bath has three of them. In this episode we start at The Hop Pole Inn in Limpley Stoke. It was bought by the community and after three years of frantic fundraising and backbreaking work, it is set to open its doors on 25th January 2025 for the first time in 9 years.  Chair of the Board, Simon Coombe tells us all about it. We move on to The Bell Inn in Walcott street which was the very first community-owned pub in Bath. It is also home to the Bath Festival Fringe office. Steve Henwood and Wendy Mathews are heavily involved in both the Festival Fringe and The Bell Inn and talk about what it means to them.Finally we visit The Packhorse in South Stoke. Perched on the side of a steep hill overlooking the beautiful Midford Valley, The Packhorse has been the centre of South Stoke life since the start of the 17th century. Managing Director, Dom Moorhouse shows us around.CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksSave the Hop Pole Inn - www.limpleystokecbs.orgThe Bell Inn - www.thebellinnbath.co.ukBath Fringe Festival - www.bathfringe.co.ukThe Packhorse - www.packhorsebath.co.ukPlunkett Foundation - www.plunkett.co.ukPlunkett UK Impact Report 2024 - www.plunkett.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Impact-Report-2024.pdfBathscape - www.bathscape.co.uk

In 2019 Bath and North East Somerset Council declared a climate emergency and is aiming for Carbon Neutrality or Net Zero by 2030.In this episode we explore what that means and what some of the challenges are facing the city. What will Bath and the landscape surrounding it look like if it is to be powered by solar and wind farms? How can this be achieved while making sure it keeps its UNESCO World Heritage status?Could areas in Bath and the villages surrounding it one day be powered entirely by local renewable energy sources?In answer to these questions, we are joined by three people who are keen to make a difference.William Heath joins me up on Kelston Round Hill at the Old Barn. The building is used for weddings, memorials and events and is completely off grid. Recently they installed a new zero-emissions system to provide electricity and hot water. Architect and climate activist Funda Kemal tells us about her animation video which visualises a future Net Zero Bath, adapted to climate change. Robin Spalding is the Renewable Energy Programme Manager for Bath and North East Somerset Council. He talks about what the Council is doing to reach Net Zero in terms of meeting the energy demand through renewable sources - wind, solar and hydro. CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksKelston Roundhill Barn - www.kelstonroundhill.com/home/Launch of solar panel array - https://kelstonroundhill.com/2024/06/28/celebration-and-discussion-to-mark-the-move-to-renewables/Funda Kemal - www.fundakemal.orgUtopian Realism. Animation Video - www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tcere_Op_0kBath and North East Somerset Council Climate Emergency - www.bathnes.gov.uk/climate-emergencyWe Want Wind - www.wewantwind.org

This month we take a walk on the Wansdyke.Stretching for 35 miles the Wansdyke links Savernake Forest near Marlborough with Maes Knoll just south of Bristol. The eastern section in Wiltshire is the best preserved, but in this episode we explore the western section, the piece that starts at the top of Horsecombe Vale and runs through Odd Down, over Stantonbury Hill Fort and on to Maes Knoll.Many questions surround the construction of the earthwork - who built it? The Romans or the Saxons or someone else? Why was it built? And where exactly did it run as it passed by Bath? The Wansdyke been the subject of debate and misinformation for decades and in this episode we’ll try to make sense of it.Local historian Mike Williams shows us around a section at Odd Down, just up near the Park and Ride, and then at the end of the show, we head up to a second section at Stantonbury Hill Fort.Melanie Barge is an Inspector of Ancient Monuments with Historic England and she tells us how they go about protecting ancient sites.We also meet Robert Vermaat in the Netherlands. Robert is a dutch historian and archivist who became interested in the Wansdyke when he was 17. He set up a website drawing together the many articles associated witht the giant earthwork and one of his aims has been to create a long distance path along it. In 2023, the LDWA (Long Distance Walkers Association) put a 13 mile stretch up on their website. Parts of the Wansdyke are clearly marked on OS maps so why not get out and explore it for yourself?!CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksHistoric England https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/Search the list to find designated (protected) heritage sites https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/missing-pieces/Allows anyone to add their own information or photos to a site on the Listhttps://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/features/ghost-signs/A recent project asking people to identify Ghost Signs - there are quite a few in Bath.https://historicengland.org.uk/research/heritage-counts/heritage-and-economy/wellbeing/Historic England's research on health and well-being and HeritageKnow Your Place West - https://www.kypwest.org.uk/Project 21 - http://www.wansdyke21.org.uk/wansdykehomepage.htmLDWA Wansdyke path - https://ldwa.org.uk/ldp/members/show_path.php?path_name=Wansdyke+PathBathscape - www.bathscape.co.uk

This month we take a closer look at the city of Bath through the eyes of its residents. We will hear some wonderful memories shared by those who’ve grown up and spent their lives working in the city.The episode starts with Reconnecting Twerton, a group set up by the Bath CIty Football CLub Foundation. The group is for older residents and aims to connect older residents with each other, combating loneliness, sharing stories and having a lot of fun. Three of its members share stories about their lives. The Foundation's Health and Wellbeing officer Chris Gannon introduces us to the groupWe find time to get out and go for a walk. Nicole Daw is the Trails and Access Officer for the Cotswolds National Landscape and  she’s been asked by Bathscape  to make a number of films about the joys of walking. We join her with young people from the Black Familes in Education Group. Rob Mitchell is the supplementary school coordinator and he talks about why he’s chosen to take them out walking.The episode finishes off at the Forget-Me-Not Dementia Club down at Bath city football stadium. This is a group for older people living with dementia and we hear a couple of them in conversation with some young people from the Bath College Prince's Trust Programme . Mitchell Horman is in charge of the Prince's Trust team programme at Bath College and he brings the episode to a close with his views on the importance of intergenerational projects.CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksReconnecting Twerton - www.bathcityfoundation.org/reconnecting-twertonBath City FC Foundation - www.bathcityfoundation.org/Cotswolds National Landscape - www.cotswolds-nl.org.uk/Black Families in Education Support Group - www.educationequals.org.uk/Forget-Me-Not Dementia Club - https://www.forgetmenotfamiliarfriendscic.com/Bath College Prince's Trust Team Programme

This month we head out into the countryside to find out about the many traditional and ancient skills using only hand tools and age-old techniques, including scything, hedge laying and dry stone walling.Local expert Mike Reed tells us all about hedgelaying, why it's done and what is different about the North Somerset style.We head up to Lyncombe Hill Fields and meet Maurice Tennenhaus leading a team of scythers. Presenter Pommy Harmar gets a lesson in scything from scything maestro Dave Pegler.Robin Morley leads the Cotswold Wardens Dry Stone Walling team and we hear from him and from the oldest drystone waller in the group Robin Oldland.Many new words are learnt in all three crafts!CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksMike Reid Hedgelayer - https://www.instagram.com/mikereedhedgelaying/Avon Needs Trees volunteering - www.avonneedstrees.org.uk/volunteering/Chew Valley Plants Trees - www.chewvalleyplantstrees.co.uk/Community Farm, Chew Valley Lake - www.thecommunityfarm.co.uk/Natural England - www.gov.uk/government/organisations/natural-englandFriends of Lyncombe Hill Fields - www.friendsoflyncombehillfields.co.uk/Green Scythe Fair - www.greenfair.org.uk/The Scythe Association - www.scytheassociation.org/Cotswold National Landscape - www.cotswolds-nl.org.uk/Cotswold Voluntary Wardens - www.cotswolds-nl.org.uk/looking-after/volunteering/Dry Stone Walling Association - www.dswa.org.uk/

Join Dan Merrett (Manager) and Lucy Bartlett (Community Projects Officer) from Bathscape as they transport presenter Pommy Harmar by electric bike along two disused railway tracks across the Bathscape. We start in Saltford on the Bristol to Bath Railway Path, which follows the route of the Midland Railway Mangotsfield and Bath branch line, which was closed during the Beeching Axe of the 1960s.We meet Colin Maggs, a railway historian and the author of more than 100 books about British Railways. He was awarded an MBE in 1993 for services to railway history and an honorary MA from the University of Bath in 1995. He is joined by Mike Beale, Secretary Bath Railway Society who' can trace back four generations of railway workers in his family.We explore the two tunnels which form part of the Dorset and Somerset Line and meet Karl Baxter a runner competing in the gruelling ultramarathon 200 mile race called simply 'The Tunnel'. Every year around 45 men and women try to run backwards and forwards through the dark mile-long tunnel 200 times. In 2024, only 7 completed the race within the mandatory 55 hours. CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksBath Railway Society - www.bathrailwaysociety.co.ukThe Railway and Historical Railway Society - Dorset and Somerset line 150th Anniversary Commemoriative Walk with Mike Beale The Tunnel - 200 mile Ultramarathon Race in Combe Down TunnelTucking Mill Resevoir - Visitor informationSustrans - Bristol to Bath Railway PathSustrans - Two Tunnels CircuitTwo Tunnels Greenway - www.twotunnels.org.ukBath and North East Somerset Council - Linear Park

This month's episode celebrates Bath CIty Farm.Situated on a beautiful 37-acre site with stunning views over the city, Bath City Farm is a working farm, that’s also a much loved visitor attraction. On the site there is a community cafe and farm shop, farm animals, children’s playground, woodland and nature trails. Entrance is free however donations are very welcome.In this episode you will meet a varitety of farm animals with livestock coordinator Ella Holmes.And on the way we will talk to:Sarah Davies, Programme Lead for Mental HealthBrendan Tate-Wistreich, DirectorAmy Nelson, Roots to Work Coordinator Sarah Prettejohns, Cafe Lead Roots to WorkLuke Roberts, Horticultural AssistantCreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksBath City Farm - www.bathcityfarm.org.ukBathscape - www.bathscape.co.uk

This episode is published on International Dawn Chorus Day which takes place on the first Sunday of May every year and this year it’s Sunday May 5th. It  is a worldwide celebration of nature's greatest symphony and in this show we want to celebrate birds in general, the birds of Bath and their incredible songs.  One of the main reasons that birds like to sing at dawn is that it’s quieter then,  the air is usually very still and birdsong has been shown to carry 20 times further at dawn. Remember you don't have to head out to a nature reserve, you can always just open your window - and listen.The episode starts off very early one morning just behind Sydney gardens with expert bird listener Lucy Starling who was keen to find out whether a pair of sedge warblers had returned to nest in Bathampton meadows.Ed Drewitt is a local naturalist, author, tour leader, birder, photographer, public speaker, bird ringer, zoologist, feather expert and he’s currently studying for a PhD based on researching Peregrines for the last 24 years. He talks about what the dawn chorus means to him and describes the life of a peregrine falcon and the Peregrine Project in Bath.The episode finishes with a walk organised by the Cotswolds Wardens with expert birder Marika Kovacs.CreditsMusic: AudionautixDawn Chorus audio kindly recorded by Ed DrewittProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksRSPB - dawn chorus - www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/news/the-dawn-chorus-all-you-need-to-know-about-natures-big-showBath Peregrine Project nest site webcam - www.hawkandowltrust.org/live-cameras/bath-peregrinesCotswold Warden Walks - www.cotswolds-nl.org.uk/visiting-and-exploring/guided-walksEd Drewitt - www.eddrewitt.co.ukBath Natural History Society - www.bathnats.org.ukBathscape - www.bathscape.co.uk

This month, as spring gets properly into its stride, we go gardening.We start with Carol Stone, one of the volunteers from Alice Park Community Garden down below Larkhall on the London Road. If you have always wanted to know how to stop slugs and aphids munching your beans, well - listen in..Marion Harney, Professor of Buildings and Landscape Conservation at University of Bath takes us around Sydney Gardens, the only Georgian Pleasure Gardens left in the UK and tells us how the Georgians liked to have fun.Amie Cook, Community Ecologist for the Team Wilder Ecological Advisory Service gives advice on how to encourage wildlife into your back garden. This is a service offered by Avon Wildlife Trust via site visits, video calls or workshops.Cat Baker, ecologist and manager of WIld About Bath takes us around a wild garden overlooking Horsecombe Vale, tells us what she loves about gardening and gives tips on composting.CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksAlice Park Community Garden: www.facebook.com/aliceparkcommunitygarden/?locale=en_GBTeam Wilder Ecological Advisory Service, Avon Wildlife Trust: www.avonwildlifetrust.org.uk/team-wilder-ecological-advisory-serviceWild About Bath: www.wildaboutbath.org

In this episode we take a deep dive underneath the city of Bath and discover the geology that underpins it.Professor Maurice Tucker from the Bath Geological Society tells us about the father of Geology, William Smith Mike Williams is a landscape historian and ecologist and he talks about the affect of the landscape on settlement and biodiversity. He also shows us petrification in action!Finally in our feature we go underground! Simon Hart, Managing Director and Owner of Hartham Park Stone Mine takes us down the mine where we meet a 16 ton chainsaw and see 200 year old graffiti.CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksBath Geological Society -www.bathgeolsoc.org.ukHartham Park Stone Mine - https://www.lovellstonegroup.com/quarry/hartham-park-bath-stone

For this episode you will need to grab your popcorn, dim the lights and settle down for a magical journey to the heart of the filmmaking industry in the historic city of Bath.Rachel Bowers from the Bath Film Office describes the process for bringing upwards of two hundred actors and crew into the heart of the city to film.Charlie McCLoud gives us his very own ‘Life in the day of an Extra’. Plus the Holburne Museum's Chief Operating Officer Emma Morris tells us the inside story of working in a building which famously doubled as Lady Danbury’s grand estate in the hit series BridgertonLinksBath Film Office - www.bathfilmoffice.co.ukHolburne Museum - www.holburne.orgCreditsMusic: Richard Frohlich Media and the Texas Radio Theatre Company.A short melody of Luigi Boccherini's minuet from his String Quintet in E, Op.13, No.6. Played by Howard GeiselProduced by Pommy Harmar

Happy New Year and welcome back to Footprints!In this our first episode of 2024, we look back at our highlights from 2023. More than 40 people took part in the shows last year and a huge thanks must go to them for making the episodes so fascinating and varied to listen to. They and the organisations they represent are at the very heart of the Bathscape and we will hear from many more in 2024.ClipsEp 13 February - Living Working Bath: Mark Batterham shows us around the Moorlands Estate, the first council estate planned after the second world war and opened by Nye Bevin.Ep 14 March - Art in the Landscape: Marian Hill talks about her exquisitely intricate and accurate identification charts of bugs, beetles and butterflies, using collage.Ep 15 April - Wellbeing in Nature: Lucy Bartlett leads a walk for students as part of Be Well week and three students talk about why being outdoors helps their mental health.Ep 16 May - The Call of the Wild: One of the wildlife enthusiasts featured in the episode Catherine Turner talks about her passion for spiders and has me peering deep into the long grass .Ep 17 June - The Love of Trees: Joe McSorley, lead ranger for the National Trust shows us around Prior Park Gardens and tells us why the gardens were created and what the trees were used for.Ep 18 July - Haile Selassie in Bath: Ras Benji allows us to tag along on a tour of Fairfield House where Emperor Haili Selassie lived during his time in exile during WW2.Ep 18 July - Haile Selassie in Bath: Pauline Swaby-Wallace shows around the Windrush Centre and describes what it was like to come to Britain at that time.Ep 19 August - What did the Romans ever do for Bath?: Combe Down resident Helen talks about the time she found a skeleton of a roman citizen buried in her garden wall!Ep 20 September - Farming in Bath: Bob Honey has a pedigree herd of Herefords, but he also has a cider apple orchard. This is a clip of him describing the year in the life of an apple. You will hear glorious names of apple varieties such as Slack-ma-Girdle!Ep 21 October - Radical Bath: In this clip, Professor emerita June Hannam talks about why Bath was important to the Suffragettes and tree planting at Eagle House.Ep 21 October - Radical Bath: the episode brings us right into the present with Kidical Mass campaigners talking about their mission to create safer streets for children to cycle in.Ep 22 November - Bath at Night: We visit the West of England Falconry Centre in Newton St Loe and hear about Bella the rock owl during one of their flying displays.Ep 23 December - Three Grand Schemes: This episodes hears about Bath Preservation Trust's renovations to Beckford's Tower, one of the National Trust's Green Corridor schemes at Bathampton Meadows and the recently-opened Cleveland Pools. In this clip three inspiring women talk about their experience of swimming in temperatures of around 10 degrees!Our thanks to all our contributors throughout 2023Stuart Burroughs, director, Museum of Bath at WorkDiana Ahmed, Twerton artistMark Batterham, local historianJessica Palmer, Bath artistPerry Harris, Bath artist, watercolourist and cartoonistMarian Hill, Bath illustratorChris Pound, architect, writer and World Heritage expertGeorge Cook, project officer, Avon Wildlife TrustMike WIlliams, Bath naturalist, specialist in beetlesCatherine Turner, Bath naturalist, specialist in spidersAlan Rayner, Bath naturalist, specialist in mosses, lichens and liverwortsHelen Hobbs, organiser, Chalcombe Toad PatrolKaren...

This month we celebrate three grand projects happening in Bath - Cleveland Pools, Beckford's Tower and Bathampton Meadows.Cleveland Pools - back in 1801 a new bylaw was passed - the Bathwick Water Act. It prohibited nude bathing in the river Avon and so was born Cleveland pools because the swimmers had nowhere to swim.Cleveland Pools is only a short walk the other side of Sydney Gardens and has recently reopened to the pubic following years of planning and designing, lottery applications and of course the building works. Now, with its highly modern heat pump allowing it to be heated during the summer, it has already attracted Bath’s keen cold water swimmers. Its manager Sam Grief and some hardy swimmers bring it to life.Beckford’s Tower stands tall on the top of Lansdown, visible for miles around. It’s closed at the moment, shrouded in scaffolding and plastic while all kinds of major renovation works are carried out. It was built for William Beckford, a writer, collector and slave owner and Dr Amy Frost from the Bath Preservation Trust tells us about its complex history.We finish the episode at Bathampton Meadows which is a new acquisition for the National Trust. It is one of their 20 green corridors sitting just below Little Solsbury Hill by the river Avon.  Joanna Rolfe from the National Trust tells us how it came about and what plans they have for the site.CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksBathampton Meadows, National TrustBath Preservation TrustCleveland Pools

The autumn has arrived and it’s that time of year to hunker down and stay warm. It's the perfect season to explore the nighttime in and around Bath. In this episode we find out about the night sky and visit the Herschel museum where Uranus was discovered back in the 18th century. We’ll hear about the owls in Newton St Loe, delve into the reasons why some animals are nocturnal and our very own batman Dan Merrett will take us on a bat walk around Combe Down.In this episode we start by meeting the owls at the West of England Falconry Centre in Newton St Loe. Naomi Johns, centre manager tells us all about their owls. Their events start again in early march.  In our Expert Eye section, we find out about the Herschel family. William Herschel was born in Hannover in 1738 and came to Britain as a refugee fleeing the French when he was just 18. He was an accomplished musician and came to Bath to take up the post of organist at the very fashionable Octagon chapel in Bath. The manager of the Herschel museum in Bath Joe Middleton tells us how he came to make the transition to one of the most famous astronomers of his day.We finish with a bat walk with our very own batman - Bathscape’s Manager Dan Merrett and meet at least three species! CreditsMusic: Night Music by Kevin MacLeod (YouTube Audio Library)Produced by Pommy HarmarLinksWest of England Falconry Centre - www.westofenglandfalconry.org.ukHerschel Museum - www.herschelmuseum.org.ukBathscape - www.bathscape.co.uk

This month is about Radical Bath which over the centuries has had a rich underbelly of radicalism and rebellion with its streets home to rallies and riots.  Andrew Swift takes us on a walk around Bath where we hear about the struggle to get the vote and the importance of Chartism in the city. Professor Emerita June Hannam tells us about the suffragette movement and how Eagle House became a refuge for suffragettes when they came out of prison.Annie Beardsley remembers taking a show with Bath Natural Theatre Company to support the Solsbury Hill bypass protesters in 1994.And finally we join Kidical Mass - a group of cyclists campaigning for safer streets for children to cycle in. CreditsMusic: AudionautixArianna Cunningham - first feature with Andrew Swift.Produced by Pommy HarmarLinksAndrew Swift - Akeman PressKidical Mass - Facebook siteNatural Theatre Company Bathscape

We're celebrating our 20th episode this month! And it's all about the world of farming. But first - Lucy Bartlett has just organised Bathscape’s seventh highly popular annual walking festival and she updates us on what to expect this year.We visit local farmer Bob Honey who talk about his prize herd of Herefords and he's a man knows the difference between a Brown Snout, a Slack me girdle and the ten commandments. He is a cider apple farmer!Biddy introduces us to her alpacas on her farm within 10 minutes walk of Marks and Spencers in the heart of Bath.Mark Smith from Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) tells us why he's excited for the future of farming. CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksFarming and Wildlife Advisory GroupBathscape

So what did the Romans ever do for Bath?Why did they come? What did they contribute? What impact did they have over the 400 or so years they were here? To find some answers, this month we travel back two thousand years.Bob Whitaker, Archaeological Adviser BACAS (Bath and Counties Archaeological Society) specialises in the Romans and describes the route they first constructed to reach Bath. He talks about the Roman lead mines in the Mendips and also the impact that geophysics has had on archaeology.We take a tour around the award-winning Roman Baths Clore Learning Centre with Lindsey Braidley, Learning and Participation Manager, and hear about the activities they have designed for local school children and community groups. Plus a local woman living in Combe Down tells us of the extraordinary find of a roman skeleton in her garden wall.CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksBACAS - https://www.bacas.org.uk/Roman Baths Clore Learning Centre - https://tinyurl.com/2s3px7se

This month we investigating the time when Haile Selassie came to live here in Bath, in exile. We find out about this remarkable African royal figure, seen as 225th in the line of the king of kings of Ethiopia. Not only a monarch whose roots are considered to reach back as far as King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, but also a man revered in his lifetime and now, as God incarnate by followers of the Rastafarian faith.Princess Esther Sellassie Antohin, great granddaughter of Emperor Haile Selassie joins us from Addis Ababa and gives us great insights into his life and work.We take a tour around Fairfield House with Ras Benji. This is the home where Haile Selassie lived almost a century ago with his family during his exile in Bath. Then we’ll come right up to the present day and find out about Bemsca, (Bath Ethnic Minority Senior Citizens Association) what happens there today with Pauline Swaby-Wallace. LinksFairfield House Bathwww.bathscape.co.ukCreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy Harmar

Welcome to this June episode of Footprints in which we are celebrating trees.There are two nature inspired festivals happening in Bath this month and we bring you news of both of them. Dr Penny Hay and Andrew Grant talk about the Forest of Imagination taking this year, the Assembly Rooms as its inspiration and also we’ll explore the Festival of Nature with Director Savita WIlmott, which is in its 20th year and is including some special tree walks.Joe McSorley, Lead Ranger for the National Trust in Bath, joins us from Prior Park Landscape Gardens and shares some of his considerable wealth of knowledge around trees.We’ll also find out about a new urban tree trail 'Leafy Legacies' with Hugh Williamson.CreditsMusic: AudionautixProduced by Pommy HarmarLinksNational Trust Prior Park Landscape GardensFestival of NatureForest of ImaginationLeafy Legacies - a new urban tree trail discovering the trees of central Bathwww.naturalbristol.wordpress.com

This month we celebrate wildlife enthuiasts. It’s springtime and we thought we’d bring the outside in and isten to the call of the wild.We start the show at Bath city Farm and meet Ribin the Robin. Naturalist Mike WIlliams tells us his story. Staying at Bath City Farm, Bathscape's Lucy Bartlett surveys newts and we hear how the newt population is doing in the farm's ponds. Catherine Turner takes us on a walk towards Englishcombe and hunts for for spiders.Alan Rayner is a specialist in mosses, lichens and liverworts of which there are over 1000 species in the UK and more than 100 in Smallcombe cemetery where we find him. Helen Hobbs is the patrol manager for the Chalcombe toad patrol. For 6 weeks of the year toads migrate across Chalcombe Road where, every evening, 40 volunteers take it in turn to help them keep safe. Finally we hear from one of Bath and North East Somerset Council’s ecologists Karen Renshaw. We find out about Adders Tongue ferns and what the Council is doing to improve biodiversity in the city.ResourcesNewtsHow to identify newtsAmphibian and Reptile Conservation - newtsSpidersNatural History Museum - spidersBritain's Spiders: A field guide, Lawrence Bee, Geoff Oxford and Helen Smith, WILDGuidesMosses, Lichens and LiverwortsA Guide to Finding Mosses In Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, Peter Creed and Tom Haynes. Pisces PublicationsToadsFroglife Toad Patrols - search for Chalcombe toad patrolBiodiversityBath and North East Somerset Council: Ecology and BiodiversityCreditsMusic: AudionautixPhotography: Mike WilliamsProduced by Pommy HarmarLinkswww.bathscape.co.ukwww.naturalbristol.wordpress.com