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The People’s PoetShe may be nursing a nasty cold brought back from holiday in Russia, but there’s still no mistaking the familiar voice. Pam Ayres apologises profusely for coughing and spluttering but, true to form, the popular poet makes light of it with the down-to-earth humour we’ve come to expect from the author of droll gems like ‘I Wish I’d Looked After Me Teeth’. For more than 30 years she’s been entertaining us with her witty and wistful observations on life, and fans across Somerset are eagerly awaiting her forthcoming appearances in theatres across the county. READ MORE »  OTHER ARTICLES
Paralympic DreamTaunton sportswoman Lucy Shuker is preparing to represent Britain at this summer’s Paralympic Games in Beijing. The 28-year-old has been British No.1 women’s wheelchair tennis player for the last three years and is currently ranked No.10 in the world. This will be her first time at the Games, which opens on 6 September. This August, ‘Somerset Life’ meets a young sportswoman who has refused to let her disability get in the way of her dreams for the top. READ MORE » 
Everyday StoriesSince ‘The Archers’ was launched in 1951, this ‘everyday story of country folk’ has become an institution, and today it is the most listened to non-news programme on BBC Radio 4. Beginning life as a source of information for farmers, ‘The Archers’ has tackled many issues of countryside concern over the decades – BSE, TB, foot and mouth, even crop circles. Graham Harvey, food campaigner and scriptwriter for ‘The Archers’, talks to ‘Somerset Life’ this June about talking important countryside issues on ‘The Archers’ and why we need real food. READ MORE » 
A Somerset GirlThe local shop and pub in Norton Sub Hamdon pretend not to know where Lord and Lady Ashdown live when prying eyes come calling. And Jane, who is wary of the press, is extremely grateful for the protection afforded to the couple by their friends and neighbours. She’s happy to talk to ‘Somerset Life’ this April as long as we don’t touch on politics and that’s fine by me. I’m more interested to hear about the girl who grew up in Somerset and married a young officer in the Royal Marines before being transformed into the wife of former Liberal Democrat party leader Paddy Ashdown. READ MORE » 
Filming in the WildPeople often ask wildlife film-maker Alastair Fothergill about the risks involved in making a wildlife film, and he always tells them that the most dangerous part of his job is driving to Heathrow! "If you think you are in danger from an animal then you’re not doing your job well," explains the Bristol-based BBC producer. "Animals have no desire to attack you, and our job is to realise when to get out of the way, how to behave well with animals in the field, and to understand them." READ MORE » 
Hooked!I’m at River Cottage HQ, about 10 miles south of Chard. Locations don’t come much more idyllic. It’s deeply rural and, by the look of it, untouched by modern agribusiness. The buildings – cottage, barns, outbuildings – look as if they have grown out of the land itself and even those that have been made fit for their new role as cookery school/eatery/shop have been reworked in such a way that they do not look out of place. A new book is about to be launched, a collaboration between Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Nick Fisher called ‘The River Cottage Fish Book’ and I’m here to find out more. READ MORE » 
Wild About WildlifeAlan Titchmarsh has just returned from filming on the Somerset Levels for a new BBC wildlife series, ‘The Nature of Britain’, being screened from October on BBC1. The series deals with the different types of habitat in the British Isles – woodland, freshwater, coastal, wilderness, ‘secret Britain’ and the like – and each programme concentrates on one particular type of habitat, spread right across the country, taking Alan on a whistle-stop tour of Britain visiting particular sites with something special to reveal. The Westcountry is one of Alan’s personal favourite spots. “I love walking the South West Coast Path when I’m down there,” he says. READ MORE » 
| Mama Stone’s New ProtégésThe mother of Joss Stone, Devon’s famous songstress, has crossed the border into Somerset to help launch new musical careers we discover in the July issue. Behind the brightly coloured frontage of Mama Stone’s Academy in Wellington, aspiring singers and songwriters hone their craft. Budding new talent is being carefully coached through the difficult journey to a career in the music industry. The couple behind the academy are Wendy Joseph, Joss Stone’s mother, and Wendy’s husband and world-renowned musician Jonathan Joseph. READ MORE » 
Benefit, Books and BabiesThis is turning out to be a hectic year for Somerset cricketer Marcus Trescothick. In recognition for all he has done for the county he has been awarded a benefit season, and along with that comes the inevitable long list of fundraising activities.
The world-class player, who gained recognition playing for England, is also writing his autobiography (ghosted by The Mail on Sunday’s Peter Hayter). And if that were not enough, he and wife Hayley have recently celebrated the arrival of their second daughter.
Following his recent retirement from international cricket, Marcus Trescothick talks to ‘Somerset Life’ in the May issue about his busy year ahead and his hopes for the Somerset team. READ MORE » 
One Man’s Musical MissionAs conductor of some of the world’s great orchestras, Charles Hazlewood’s career regularly takes him all over the globe. But when it came to finding a home for the family, Charles and his wife, Henrietta, chose Somerset and they live in a Victorian farmhouse set in 15 acres, with an unbroken view of Glastonbury Tor. Broadcasting his Radio 2 show from a barn on his Somerset farm, Charles Hazlewood is an enthusiastic advocate of classical music READ MORE » 
Two-wheeled TravellerIt’s called the school run but more often than not it’s a bumper-to-bumper car journey to drop off youngsters who are carrying enough kit on their backs to challenge a sherpa. Fearing for their safety on busy roads, parents are reluctant to allow their children to travel on foot or by bike. But a nationwide scheme, managed by Bristol-based sustainable transport charity Sustrans, aims to encourage parents and pupils to use two wheels instead of four. The founder and chief executive of Sustrans, John Grimshaw MBE, talks about how he gave up his car for life on two wheels, and why we should plan a holiday in the UK in 2008. READ MORE » 
The Laugh DoctorPhil Hammond wears many hats – he is a GP, writer, broadcaster, campaigner, comedian and lecturer. And he is also a self-confessed gossip, which is something that listeners to his Saturday morning radio show on BBC Radio Bristol know only too well. “Like most doctors, I’m really nosy, so expect a bit of gentle probing. I still do a bit of general practice, but to be honest, I’m a bit rusty. So if you phone in with any medical problems you might like to get a second opinion!” READ MORE » 
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Somerset Walks
Whether you choose a woodland trail, a stroll through Lorna Doone country, a walk centred around impressive geological features or on spectacular viewpoints, our wonderful selection of Somerset walks, which feature monthly in the magazine, will bring you chance encounters with Exmoor ponies, feral goats, rabbits, kestrels, buzzards, red deer and butterflies.
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Garden Visits
Inspirational visits to gardens across the county feature in Somerset Life every month and here we give you a taste of just six of them, most of which are open to the public and guaranteed to enlighten and enthral.
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Celebrity Interviews
Characters from the county talk to us every month about their lives and loves, and this selection captures the flavour and variety of six of these celebrity interviews. You can catch up with the latest interview in the current issue of Somerset Life.
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10 good reasons to visit...
In this popular series which features every month in Somerset Life, we take a deeper look at what there is to see and do in villages and towns across the county.
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