The BV: from the heart of Dorset

• Dorset’s hidden poverty, real power, and a cadet you won't forget

  “It’s not always visible – but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there.” This month’s podcast starts with Dorset’s hidden poverty – the kind no one likes to talk about, but far too many are living with. Help & Kindness CEO John Sloper explains why it’s everywhere and invisible – and how small, local action makes the biggest difference. Then it’s on to the climate. Don’t switch off – this isn’t doom and gloom. Dorset COP organiser Giles Watts explains how we make climate ambition actually work in a rural county, and why language matters more than you think. And if you’ve been wondering what “devolution” really means for Dorset’s towns and villages? The Dorset Insider has some strong views, a few sharp one-liners, and one big question: is this local empowerment, or just shifting blame? Finally, we meet Wimborne cadet Charlotte Bedford – caver, climber, award-winner, and proud recipient of the UK’s top cadet honour. She’s brilliant. Don’t miss her. Pop it on. It’s full of courage, climate, community and a healthy dose of quiet outrage.   This episode is based on stories from November’s BV. Read the issue here: https://bvmag.co.uk/Nov25 News, people, politics and rural Dorset life – every month, always free. The BV – named Best Regional Publication in the UK (ACE Awards) and Regional News Site of the Year (Press Gazette). Always worth your ears.

  --------  

  59:10

  --------

  59:10
• A Saxon Dig, and inside Dorset's Plan

  Digs, Disputes and Dorset’s Future Planning battles, Saxon skeletons, public transport woes and a fox-hunting fallout – this month’s podcast covers 1,300 years of rural life, and why the next few weeks could shape the next 30.   Editor’s Letter: Not Quite Pumpkin Season Laura reflects on the sudden turn from drought to downpour, the return of green fields, and feels a quiet mourning for al fresco breakfasts and picky teas. Plus, she urges attention on the Dorset Plan: “It’s the blueprint for how Dorset looks, lives and grows for the next couple of decades – and we’ve got just eight weeks to shape it.”   Sherry Jespersen: What the Dorset Local Plan Really Means Former chair of North Dorset’s planning committee, Cllr Sherry Jespersen, joins Laura to explain why the Dorset Local Plan is not just a boring bureaucratic document – it’s the most important planning consultation in decades. “The government gives the numbers, but it’s not Dorset Council building the houses. There’s a mismatch between ambition and reality – and it’s residents who live with the consequences.” Sherry breaks down how planning actually works, what people get wrong on social media, and why now is the time to speak up – whether you’re worried about infrastructure, affordability, school places or transport.   Dorset Insider: Roads to Nowhere This month our anonymous parish councillor takes a razor-sharp look at Dorset Council’s Local Transport Plan – a document full of admirable goals ... and almost no money: “If you’ve ever cycled in competition with a tractor on a country lane, you’ll understand why people drive. In rural Dorset, the car is still a necessity – and public transport doesn’t cut it.”   6,000 Saxons and a Shallow Grave In Iwerne Minster, archaeologists have uncovered one of Dorset’s largest Anglo-Saxon cemeteries – 6,000 burials from a period spanning 300 years. Courtenay Hitchcock joins lead archaeologist Richard McConnell on site, where the discoveries are helping to reveal the lives (and curious deaths) of our early Christian ancestors. “There’s one grave where a second body was squeezed in – and they had to remove the first one’s head to make space.”   The Grumbler: Foxhounds and False History This month’s anonymous opinion piece is from a local historian who took issue with the hound parade commentary at the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show – and its one-sided sermon on fox hunting. “The implication was that the rural economy will collapse without hunting, and that every spectator supports it. I wasn’t convinced.”   This episode is based on articles from September’s BV, available to read for free here . News, people, places – and beautiful Dorset photography, every single month. The BV – named Best Regional Publication in the UK (ACE Awards) and Regional News Site of the Year (Press Gazette). Always worth your ears.

  --------  

  1:04:16

  --------

  1:04:16
• Imported dogs, rural pressure and Minette Batters' roadmap for farming

  August’s BV podcast – from lockdown dog imports and unregulated rescues to a planning system stretched to its limits, and the voices still shouting for British farming. Oh – and we turned five. That too. Editor’s Letter: Five Years of the BV Laura marks the magazine’s 60th issue with a frank and grateful look back at how it all began – one idea on a hill, one pandemic, two people ... aand a now a nationally award-winning corner of rural media. “The BV started as a wild idea on a hill. Five years later, it’s louder, braver and somehow still just as scrappy behind the scenes.” Dog Rescues in Crisis: Josh Heath of Dogs Trust Jenny speaks to Josh Heath, Senior Public Affairs Officer at Dogs Trust, about their urgent campaign to regulate dog rescue centres – and the serious risks of unlicensed overseas imports. “Some of these dogs are swept up off the street, put in a van for 30 hours and then dropped off at your door. No assessments. No support. No protection for the dog or the family.” Josh explains the health risks, behaviour problems, and biosecurity concerns linked to international rescue dogs – and why the UK needs to follow Scotland’s lead with national licensing. The Dorset Insider: A Local Plan Built on Sand This month’s Insider column is a scathing, insightful account of Dorset Council’s presentation to the county's parish councillors of its Local Plan – and how it’s asking rural parishes to cope with twice the housing, zero details ... all presented with a lot of “slopey shoulders”. “Where there were plans for 25,000 houses, it’s now 50,000. And we don’t even know where the grey belt lands yet.” From disappearing infrastructure plans to greenwashing gestures, it’s a no-nonsense call for proper answers – and better thinking. Minette Batters: Farming Needs a Roadmap Former NFU President Minette Batters – now Baroness Batters – talks exclusively to Laura Hitchcock about why Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show still matters, and why farmers can’t plan for the future without long-term political vision. “We need a farming roadmap that’s bomb-proof – something that won’t flip-flop with every election cycle.” She reflects on the morale crisis in farming, and why we need younger voices at the table if agriculture is going to thrive in a changing world. This episode is based on stories from August’s BV, available to read here https://bvmag.co.uk/AUG25. News, people, places – and beautiful Dorset photography, every single month. The BV – named 2024's Best Regional Publication in the UK (ACE Awards) and Regional News Site of the Year (Press Gazette). Always worth your ears.

  --------  

  41:09

  --------

  41:09
• The trout is local, the help is real

  It’s a summer feast in this month’s podcast – clear water trout, painted stiles, and the life-changing work of a small but mighty Dorset hub. Editor’s Letter: When July Sneaks Up on You Laura reflects on the time-warp that is early summer – one minute you’re reaching for winter gloves, the next, the garden’s a jungle and the fetes have begun. “Everything feels compressed and stretched at the same time. Days last forever, but weeks vanish without a trace.” Trout in the Winterbornes Once a trade secret loved by the UK’s top chefs, world-class trout from Dorset’s quiet Winterborne valley is being championed by a local farmer Justin Frampton of Houghton Springs Trout Farm.  Jenny speaks to justin about the aquifer-fed farm where decades of careful breeding produce exceptional table trout. “Our water is as clean as you’ll ever get. It comes from 110 feet down – no nitrates, no runoff, just pure spring water.” Justin explains how the fish are raised without antibiotics, why Dorset trout belongs on every local menu, and how floating solar panels could help make the farm greener still. houghtonspringstroutfarm.co.uk   Nine Stiles and a Map Maker: The Stourton Caundle Trail Map maker and heritage advocate Catherine Speakman shares the story behind her joyful community project: nine unique stiles surrounding the village, each one adopted, repaired or decorated by local craftspeople. “It started with a broken stile and a pot of paint – and ended with bird boxes, engraved stone, QR codes and metal sculpture.” The project aims to celebrate overlooked corners of Dorset, draw footfall to quiet villages, and reconnect people with the stories in their own landscape. See the trail here https://tessofthevale.com/2025/06/04/the-stourton-caundle-stile-trail/   The Dorset Insider: Would You Know What to Do? This month’s Insider offers a personal account of a rural emergency – and a call to action for better preparedness, local awareness, and more community defibrillators. “Do you know where your local defibrillator is – and how to use it? If not, now’s the time to find out.” From improving signage and street access to advocating for adaptable housing, it’s a powerful reflection on the small changes that could save lives.   The Vale Family Hub: Where Nobody Hears ‘No’ Dorset councillor Carol Jones talks about the extraordinary Vale Family Hub in Sturminster Newton – a place that began with food parcels and now offers everything from toddler groups and counselling to youth work and domestic abuse support. “Our motto is: there’s no such word as no. It’s always – how can we help?” With over 70% of its volunteers having once needed help themselves, the hub’s success is rooted in compassion, lived experience, and practical action.     This episode is based on stories from July’s BV, available to read online here https://bvmag.co.uk/Jul25. News, people, places – and beautiful Dorset photography, every single month. The BV – named 2024's Best Regional Publication in the UK (ACE Awards) and Regional News Site of the Year (Press Gazette). Always worth your ears.  

  --------  

  1:05:26

  --------

  1:05:26
• A stray cat called Bentley and the ladies who saved Shakespeare

  From restoring Shakespeare’s reputation to composing an anthem for a church tower, June’s podcast is all about hidden stories, unexpected legacies and quiet revolutions. It’s a thoughtful listen – and very Dorset. Editor’s Letter: A Cat Called Bentley Laura shares the story of Bentley, the anxious, dribbly, slightly battered cat who has joined the household – and the slow work of rebuilding trust. “Somebody somewhere has hurt him. So we wait. We let him come to us. And that’s absolutely okay, however long it takes.” The Shakespeare Ladies Club: Rescuing the Bard Jenny speaks to Christine and Jonathan Haynesworth, authors of The Shakespeare Ladies Club, about the remarkable group of 18th-century aristocratic women - led by the Countess of Shaftesbury –  who saved Shakespeare from obscurity: and why it mattered. “His plays were being turned into pantomimes. They knew that without intervention, the originals would simply vanish.” “These women sat on the stage itself, forcing the audience to behave – and bringing Shakespeare back.” The Dorset Insider Our anonymous parish councillor is back – this time questioning why Visit Dorset’s marketing seems to end at Dorchester, and why the north of the county is constantly overlooked. “If people think there’s something worth stopping for, maybe they’ll actually … stop?” Windelstán: Music for a Tower Composer Richard Nye talks to Laura about Windelstán, the anthem he created for the newly restored tower in Mere – and why he included the sounds of old weather vanes, spiral staircases and bells. “I wanted the tower to have an identity. A personality. It’s watched the town change for centuries.” This episode is based on stories from June’s BV, available to read online now here https://bvmag.co.uk/June25 . News, people, places – and beautiful Dorset photography, every single month. The BV – named Best Regional Publication in the UK (ACE Awards) and Regional News Site of the Year (Press Gazette). Always worth your ears.

  --------  

  57:59

  --------

  57:59

More Arts podcasts

Trending Arts podcasts

About The BV: from the heart of Dorset