The Dorset Life Podcast

Walking Dorset's past, debating Dorset's future

This month's podcast features two of the best conversations we've recorded in a long time – one simply delightful, the other genuinely thought-provoking. If you've never dipped into the Dorset Life Podcast before, may I boldly suggest this might be an excellent place to start? Jenny heads to Scarlet's stable to meet land agent and long-distance walker Roger Sewill. It's a wonderfully atmospheric conversation, accompanied by the sounds of horses, as Roger reflects on his 200-mile journey across Dorset with Scarlet, his Dales pack horse, visiting 30 ancient hillforts and raising money for Dorset Wildlife Trust along the way. Travelling at a horse's pace, he describes how the landscape, weather and water shaped each day, and how strangers repeatedly offered food, shelter and help. What began as a fundraising challenge became a story about kindness, connection and the enduring character of rural Dorset. 'I thought my body would start cracking up, but I just got stronger and stronger each day – and my mind has never felt happier and more with it.' Jenny also sits down with Dorset councillor James Vitali to explore the growing tension between housing targets and the protection of Dorset's countryside. In a fascinating, thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation, he argues that a planning system fixated on national housing numbers is pushing large estates onto rural greenfield sites because they are often seen as easier options than building more sensitively within existing towns and cities. He makes a powerful case for neighbourhood-led planning, where villages and small towns have a genuine say in how they grow rather than having development imposed upon them. He also links the loss of farmland to development with wider failures to support farmers and protect the county's long-term food security. 'There's a sort of knee-jerk attempt to dump houses on the sides of villages and towns in places like Dorset just to get the numbers up.' There's also a Grumbler from Dorchester questioning the council's latest housing policies, and Laura's first letter as editor of Dorset Life. This episode is based on stories from the May 26 issue of Dorset Life [https://dorsetlife.co.uk/dorset-life-is-here/] (though they're evergreen and relevant whenever you happen to discover them), available to read freely online. People, politics, place and purpose – all seen through a distinctly Dorset lens.

From fire engine funding battles to a fierce defence of rural England

From fire engine funding battles to a fierce defence of rural England (by way of a silk loom), April’s podcast is rooted in Dorset but tackling questions that go far wider.   Editor’s Letter: Who do we trust to decide? Laura reflects on a growing unease – not just about what decisions are being made, but how, and whether the data behind them still holds up. “Communities are increasingly angry that decisions are being made about places, rather than with them.” Fire Stations Under Threat: What Happens When Help Is Further Away? With eight fire stations across Dorset and Wiltshire facing closure, Cranborne firefighter Gavin Fauvel questions whether the consultation is truly open – and whether the data tells the full story. “It’s not the data that’s wrong – it’s what’s been left out.” From response times to hidden workloads, the interview raises a simple but uncomfortable question: what are we prepared to lose – and on what evidence?   Silk, Patience and a Lifetime of Craft: Debby Kirby In contrast, silk weaver Debby Kirby offers something quieter, but no less compelling – a lifetime spent refining her craft in Dorset. “I still get a thrill when a run of scarves comes off the loom.” From dyeing her own silk to weaving paper and metal into her work, Debby’s story is about patience and precision. It's about the value of doing something properly, over decades.   “Build, Build, Build”: Trevor Bailey on Rural England Under Pressure Rural campaigner Trevor Bailey delivers a blunt and deeply-felt critique of government housing policy, arguing it risks hollowing out the very communities it claims to support. “We end up with a countryside without any country families left in it at all.” From greenfield development to vanishing local influence, it’s a forceful argument. The girvernment is focussed on housing numbers – but Trevor says this is at the expense of local identity, democracy and the future of rural life.   This episode is based on stories from April’s BV, [https://www.theblackmorevale.co.uk/april-issue-of-the-bv-is-here-2/] available to read freely online. Politics, people and craftsmanship – all seen through a distinctly Dorset lens.

Dorset developers and the hanged family forger

From potholes swallowing tyres to planning promises unravelled – by way of a Cornish forger whose story refuses to stay buried – March’s podcast has a few unexpected turns along the way.   Potholes and the Price of Keeping Dorset Moving After one of the wettest winters on record, Dorset’s roads are showing the strain – with pothole reports up 92% and thousands of defects logged. “Nearly 10,000 highways inquiries were logged in three months.” Despite increased funding and rapid repairs, the bigger question remains: is the system built to cope with a changing climate – or simply patching over the problem?   The Grumbler: Building Homes That Don’t Add Up This month’s Grumbler lays bare the financial reality facing small developers – where rising costs, new regulations and stagnant house prices leave projects unviable before they’re even finished. “We will be lucky to make any profit at all.” From soaring build costs to punitive council tax on unsold homes, it’s a stark account of an industry under pressure – despite government promises to build more.   Promises Made, Promises Lost: Shaftesbury’s Blackmore Down Chair of Shaftesbury Town Council, Virginia Edwyn-Jones, speaks candidly about a development where the promised green heart has failed to materialise – leaving residents dismayed. “It was meant to be something really special… and people are heartbroken.” From stripped topsoil to failed planting and unusable play areas, the conversation exposes a far greater concern than just some missing footpaths: once planning permission is granted, who ensures developers deliver what they promised?   The Dorset Insider: Are Local Voices Being Ignored? As housing targets rise, this month’s column from our anonymous parish council  questions whether neighbourhood plans still carry any real weight. “At this stage, it feels less like a consultation and more like a done deal.” With major developments looming and local knowledge entirely overridden, it’s a pointed reflection on who really shapes Dorset’s future. A Forger, a Hanging and a Family Secret Writer Rachel Rowe uncovers an extraordinary story buried in her own family history – a press-ganged schoolmaster turned forger, executed in Bodmin in the early 1800s. “It was just like touching time.” What begins as a tale of crime becomes something more complex – a story of inequality, bad luck and a system stacked against those with the least power.   Coffee and Craft: Getting the Perfect Brew And finally, Jenny joins Giles Dick-Read in his Dorset farmhouse kitchen to learn how to make a proper cup of coffee – from grind size to brew ratios. “You can buy the best coffee in the world and still make a horrible cup of coffee from it.” A reminder that even the simplest things – done well – are worth the effort.   This episode is based on stories from March’s BV, available to read online here https://bvmag.co.uk/March26 [https://bvmag.co.uk/March26] . News, people, place and perspective – all in one place.  The BV – named Best Regional Publication in the UK (ACE Awards) and Regional News Site of the Year (Press Gazette). Always worth your ears.

Dorset's secret soldiers and George Hosford on the failing TB system

From secret Dorset saboteurs preparing for Nazi invasion to the 19th-century TB tests still dictating modern farming,  February’s BV podcast is a deep dive into two stories that will linger long after you’ve listened.   TB Testing and the Farming Treadmill 'We’re not getting anywhere – and arguably it’s getting worse again.' Dorset farmer George Hosford is in conversation with Jenny, taking apart the current bovine TB testing regime – a system first devised in 1890 and still at the heart of national policy: 'It’s two steps forward, one step back.' George explains how the skin test can miss up to 25% of infected animals, why movement rules undermine progress, and why newer blood tests are still entangled in red tape. From cattle movements to vaccine development, from bulk tank milk to badgers, this is a lucid, unsparing look at a system farmers feel trapped inside.   The Secret Army Beneath Our Fields 'They were prepared to do something very dangerous – probably suicidal.' Historian Dr Will Ward tells Jenny the extraordinary story of the Auxiliary Units – Dorset men recruited in 1940 to hide underground and wage guerrilla war if the Germans invaded. Drawn from the gamekeepers, farmers and poachers who knew every hedge and hollow, these patrols trained in secret bunkers, ready to sabotage railways, airfields and supply lines behind enemy lines. 'They were told they only needed two weeks’ worth of supplies – because they weren’t expected to last longer.' Many never spoke of it again. Some went on to join the SAS. For decades, their story remained almost entirely hidden.   From Dockside to Dorset: The Art of Good Coffee 'Coffee is just an ingredient, like flour. You can buy the best coffee in the world and make the worst cup from it.' Jenny visits Giles Dick-Read at his Sherborne roastery to discover how green beans from Brazil become the perfect moka pot brew. From metal detection and de-stoning to why your grinder matters more than your machine, Giles explains the craft behind a proper cup – and why freshness is everything.   This episode takes two stories from February’s BV, available to read online here, [https://bvmag.co.uk/Feb26] and explores them in far greater depth than a page or two can allow. The BV – named Best Regional Publication in the UK (ACE Awards) and Regional News Site of the Year (Press Gazette). Always worth your ears.

The fire sale, the forgotten vale and the power of thank you

It’s the first BV Podcast of the year, and Jenny Devitt’s pulled together a trio of conversation starters from the January issue – from Dorset Council handing over public loos like they’re Christmas cast-offs, to the unexpected emotional power of a well-meant thank you. Editor’s Letter – No pom poms this year Laura Hitchcock skips the usual New Year rallying cry and offers something more honest instead: a nod from one tired grown-up to another. “We’re still here. Still showing up. Still muddling through. For January, that’ll do.” Dorset Insider: Unwanted gifts and the council's 'fire sale' Ever been given a Christmas present you really didn’t want? Try a toxic dump site, derelict loos, or some rewilded verge no one asked for. This month, our anonymous parish councillor takes aim at Dorset Council’s asset disposal scheme – and what happens when 'devolution' really means 'dumping the problem on the parishes.' “The offers for my own patch include an area of land that we, the parish, already own.” Grumbler: Is Dorset the county Visit Dorset forgot? A new glossy tourism video has racked up hundreds of thousands of views – and barely shows rural Dorset at all. This month’s anonymous Grumbler isn’t just grumbling, they’re calling out the coastal bias baked into Dorset’s glossy marketing campaigns. Roughly three quarters of the county is rural, and the quiet erasure of inland communities from the county’s public image has real consequences. “You can’t keep selling Dorset as a playground for the already well off, and then wonder why its rural economy struggles to survive.” The Power of Thank You – John Sloper on Gratitude John Sloper, CEO of Dorchester charity Help and Kindness, joins Jenny to talk about the unexpected importance of saying thank you – and how gratitude can be a radical act in a world that feels increasingly disconnected. “That thank you is a kind of gateway. It builds the fabric of community.” These stories come from January’s BV – available now at bvmag.co.uk/Jan26 [https://bvmag.co.uk/Jan26]. News, opinion, people, places, and the best of rural Dorset – all in one free digital magazine. 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.