Join us as we celebrate the season of blossom with poetry and music written and produced by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and his band LYR. In this episode, Simon shares the inspiration behind his poetry, and the band discuss how they produced the song Blossom: A CV and collaborated with community choirs as part of the Blossomise album.

Production
Producer: Jesse Edbrooke
Sound editor: Jesus Gomez

Discover more
Find out more about Simon Armitage and his poetry
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/who-we-are/news/poet-laureate-simon-armitage-creates-blossom-inspired-poem

Watch videos about the Blossomise project shot by young film makers
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLgonOCHSWf0I_a_fhmX2K_r_3MoKXA2c

Listen to the full tracks of Simon and LYR’s Blossomise music in collaboration with the National Trust and funded by the People’s lottery post code lyrband.bandcamp.com/track/blossom-a-cv

[Appeal]
Plant a tree with the National Trust and help us establish 20 million trees by 2030. Whatever the size of your donation to the Plant a Tree appeal, you’ll be helping to create beautiful green spaces for people and wildlife to thrive. And why not dedicate your donation to someone in your life? You’ll receive a digital certificate to customise and gift. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/support-us/plant-a-tree

Follow the National Trust Podcast on your favourite podcast app. If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]

In the 1930s, the mysterious Ferguson’s Gang captivated the British public with their daring and unusual stunts. Led by the enigmatic “Bill Stickers”, the group was unlike any other gangsters of the era. They were mask-wearing, all-women activists who gave money in quirky ways to help save the countryside. 

In this docudrama, uncover the identities of the people behind the secretive Ferguson's Gang, and unravel a tale of intrigue, mischief and mayhem that made a lasting impact on British heritage. 

[Ad from our sponsor]
This podcast episode is sponsored by family history website Findmypast. 
What was life like for domestic servants, workers and local communities at our most fascinating heritage sites? Discover how people from all walks of life lived and worked, and who with, in hundreds of census records, for free. And find out how to explore your family history. See where the past takes you at: findmypast.co.uk/national-trust 


Actor voices
Lizzie Crarer, Rae Alexander, Sally Rudd, and Caitlin Packer, courtesy of
https://www.primetheatre.co.uk/
Ric Jerrom and James Turton.

Production 
Producer and sound designer: Nikki Ruck 
Sound editor: Jesus Gomez

Explore Further
Discover more about the gang
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/history/people/who-were-fergusons-gang

Learn more about Ferguson's Gang and their legacy on Polly Bagnall’s website, where you can discover more about the book- Ferguson's Gang: The Remarkable Story of the National Trust Gangsters. 
www.pollybagnall.com/ferguson-s-gang

Copies of Ferguson’s Gang’s ‘Boos’ are available for viewing at The Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre by prior arrangement. 
www.wshc.org.uk/visiting-the-centre.


Ferguson’s Legacy
While Shalford Mill remains closed to the public, you can still explore the legacy of Ferguson's Gang by visiting Newtown Old Town Hall on the Isle of Wight, Mayon and Trevescan cliffs in Cornwall, and Stonehenge.

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/isle-of-wight/newtown-national-nature-reserve-and-old-town-hall/history-at-newtown-old-town-hall
 
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cornwall/coast-beaches/discover-mayon-cliff

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/wiltshire/stonehenge-landscape

Google Podcasts is coming to an end between April and June this year.

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Info from Google:

• After April 2, 2024, users in the US will no longer be able to listen to podcasts in Google Podcasts. 
• After June 24, 2024 this will be the case for all users in all regions. 

More info from Google/Youtube Music -

National Trust Podcast is back with a new collection of immersive tales in nature, history and adventure. Look out for Series 8 launching 4 April. 

Travel to the 1930s to unmask the eccentric Ferguson’s Gang, find out how the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree impacted the community, and discover what life was like for ancient workers in the UK’s only known Roman gold mine. 

Follow the National Trust Podcast on your favourite podcast app to catch new episodes every fortnight.

We’d love to hear from you. Please share your ratings and reviews on your podcast app. Or get in touch at [email protected]

Discover more about podcasts made by the National Trust at nationaltrust.org.uk/podcasts  

For the past few years Holnicote Estate, Exmoor National Park, has been home to furry inhabitants engineering a solution to local flooding, and developing a habitat not seen in the UK for centuries.  
In this episode we revisit the site to check in on its charismatic residents. And discover the exciting news of a growing brood of babies, just in time for Christmas.  

Production
Host: Kate Martin
Producer: Katy Kelly
Sound editor: Jesus Gomez

Discover more
Learn more about Holnicote Estate and take a 360 degree tour of the beaver enclosure, which features trail camera footage of the beavers’ everyday lives. 
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/holnicote-virtual-tour

For more information about beavers visit nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/nature/wildlife/our-guide-to-beavers  

Follow the National Trust Podcast on your favourite podcast app. If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]

Appeal
Plant a tree with the National Trust and help us establish 20 million trees by 2030. Whatever the size of your donation to the Plant a Tree appeal, you’ll be helping to create beautiful green spaces for people and wildlife to thrive. And why not dedicate your donation to someone in your life? You’ll receive a digital certificate to customise and gift. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/support-us/plant-a-tree

Growing up, Drag Queen Misty Monique thought it was a bit unfair that at the weddings she went to, men wore suits while women could wear a variety of outfits and costumes.  Discovering drag opened a whole new world of expression and also a means to entertain.
 
Misty heads to the stage at Smallhythe Place, Kent, where she uncovers the history of drag and its roots in British theatre and pantomime. And she even puts on a show of her own.

Production
Host: Misty Monique
Producer: Jack Glover
Sound editor: Jesus Gomez

Discover more
To find out more about Smallhythe Place please visit:
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/kent/smallhythe-place

Follow the National Trust Podcast on your favourite podcast app. If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]

Embark on the last voyage of an Anglo-Saxon burial ship and learn how its discovery changed our understanding of a civilisation. 

In 1939, archaeologists uncovered a “ghost ship” under the acidic sandy soil of Sutton Hoo, in Suffolk. Now, presenter James Grasby reimagines the last journey of that vessel, and who was aboard, as it was hauled from the water and dragged to its final resting place at Sutton Hoo some 1,400 years ago.
 
Production
Host: James Grasby
Producer: Pippa Tilbury-Harris
Sound editor: Jesus Gomez

Discover more
Free guided tours of the Royal Burial Ground are available daily from February to October. You can book onto a tour with the Visitor Welcome team when you arrive at Sutton Hoo. 

The replica ship is being built by the Sutton Hoo Ship’s Company. To follow the progress of the project and how you can support it, please visit saxonship.org

The Sutton Hoo Ship’s Company are using authentic Anglo- Saxon ship building methods in their build and are supporting the Heritage Crafts apprenticeship programme. This programme is aimed at tackling the heritage skills shortage and is made possible thanks to a £6.2 million gift from the Hamish Ogston Foundation. The programme is open to people of all ages and provides the skills and experience to embark on a career that will make a significant contribution towards protecting and preserving the nation’s heritage.
Find out more: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hamish-ogston

Follow the National Trust Podcast on your favourite podcast app. If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]

In March 1939 a group of 23 children and their two adult guardians stepped off a coach in Waddesdon village, Buckinghamshire.
The arrivals were Jewish refugees who had escaped Nazi Germany, where they had been forced to leave behind their homes and loved ones.

With support from their sponsors James and Dorothy de Rothschild and the local community, the children began a new life in England.
Presenter Diane Kenwood uncovers an extraordinary story of survival and hope in one of history’s darkest periods, and with the help of their families retraces the steps of the Cedar Children.

Production
Host: Diane Kenwood
Producer: Michelle Douglass
Sound editor: Jesus Gomez

Discover more
The Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR)
Read more about the Kindertransport: www.ajrrefugeevoices.org.uk/Historical-Background
Explore the AJR’s interactive UK Holocaust map: www.ukholocaustmap.org.uk/ 

Visiting Waddesdon
Find out more about the history and visiting experience at Waddesdon house and gardens:  waddesdon.org.uk/ 

The Jewish Country Houses project
Read about the Jewish Country Houses research project led by the University of Oxford:  jch.history.ox.ac.uk/home
A major publication based on the Jewish Country Houses research project is currently being prepared for publication in 2024 by Profile Books in association with the National Trust
The Country Houses, Jewish Homes mobile exhibition will be on display at the following National Trust properties in autumn 2023.
Upton House –  'Country Houses, Jewish Homes' | National Trust
Ightham Mote – Exhibition: Jewish Country Homes | National Trust 

The consultant for this episode was Marcus Roberts, founder of JTrails - Jewish Heritage Routes: www.jtrails.org.uk/   

Follow the National Trust Podcast on your favourite podcast app. If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]

Geocaching is the 21st century answer to treasure hunting with items hidden across the world in towns, cities, forests and wild expanses.

Novice Jo Dyson and expert Rich Foster embark on a modern-day adventure at the 320-million-year-old Brimham Rocks in Yorkshire.

Follow in the footsteps of dinosaurs, druids and Victorian day-trippers across this rugged landscape in search of hidden gems.

Production
Host: Jo Dyson and Rich Foster
Producer: Jack Glover/Claire Hickinbotham
Sound editor: Jesus Gomez

Discover more
For more on geocaching you can explore the official site: https://www.geocaching.com/ or find plenty of places to explore with family and friends at https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/outdoor-activities/geocaching-for-families

To find out more about Brimham Rocks please visit:
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/yorkshire/brimham-rocks

And if you’re a little too far away from our audio geocache but would still like to hear it please visit https://link.chtbl.com/NTABrimham

Follow the National Trust Podcast on your favourite podcast app. If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]

Join a tour of a garden designed for pleasure, as we relive its party heyday. 

Claremont in Surrey once played host to events described as the lovechild of a festival and a palace garden party.  Presenter James Grasby uncovers the best spots, the shenanigans they elicited, and the most incredible views reminiscent of scenes from hit Netflix drama, Bridgerton.

Production
Host: James Grasby
Producer: Claire Hickinbotham
Sound editor: Jesus Gomez

Discover more
Find out more about Claremont Landscape Garden and download a map to follow the route taken by James and Curator Rebecca Wallis:

Discover National Trust places used for Film and TV:

With thanks to Author David Coke and Hannah Greig, Professor of History at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Follow the National Trust Podcast on your favourite podcast app. If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]
 

Journey to a tiny island renowned for adventure.
Brownsea Island, off England’s southwest coast is the birthplace of the Scout movement and where history and the outdoors collide for a favourite British pastime, camping.

Join presenter Jo Dyson as she spends the night in a tree tent and discovers what this unique island has to offer after dark.

Production
Host: Jo Dyson
Producer: Pippa Tilbury-Harris
Sound editor: Jesus Gomez

Discover more
If you’d like to book a stay at the Brownsea Island campsite, you can do so here: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/holidays/dorset/brownsea-island-campsite

[Ad] This podcast is supported by Vango, connect with nature in a sustainable way with the National Trust camping collection. The collection is available to purchase at https://www.vango.co.uk/gb/content/141-national-trust-collaboration. A minimum of £50,000 from the sales of the collection will be given to support the National Trust’s vital conservation efforts.

[Ad] Discover unforgettable locations in Britain’s Wild corners with the Wild Escapes book, written by Sian Lewis. You can purchase a copy here:  
https://shop.nationaltrust.org.uk/wild-escapes-incredible-places-to-unwind-and-explore.html 

Follow the National Trust Podcast on your favourite podcast app. If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]