“With England’s footballers now out of the World Cup after a very disappointing show, footy fans/anglers are cheering themselves up by lining up on the banks at Bury Hill to enjoy some great fishing and of course the sparkling weather that the country is experiencing right now. The smaller lakes, Milton and Bonds are really fishing well with visiting anglers catching crucians and tench in big numbers whilst those targeting hard fighting carp are having some great fun on Bonds lake. The biggest piece of advice I can pass on to our day ticket customers, especially when the conditions are bright and sunny with flat calm conditions, are to seek out the fish by fishing really tight up against the reed lines margins or place an accurate cast up tight against the over hanging features around the islands that run down the middle of the lakes. Fish will always search for some shade after long spells of sunshine only really coming out to play when the sun disappears behind the trees in the late afternoon. The Old Lake fishes much better early doors when the fishery opens at 7am in the week and 5.30am at weekends and bank holidays but also the last four or five hours of the day when our evening tickets kick in at 5pm do anglers really get some great action in the way of some big carp and bonus tench. Tench have been feeding well in the margins on the Old Lake and after following some advice and pegs to fish for the tench earlier this week, Colin Dobbs and his pal Mike Henderson both from Basildon in Essex had a great day catching tinca tincas right under their rod tips. After sorting out some bait for them in the onsite tackle shop, I pointed them in the direction of two shady pegs along the front bank where I knew some big tench were holding up and more importantly feeding well. With small balls of green swimstim ground bait cupped gently in the margins, I suggested that both anglers fish slightly over depth using a single piece of sweetcorn on a size 16’s hook to 3lbs hook length and a 4-5lbs mainline. With a small 2AA waggler float flicked just over the top of the feed on a running rod and reel set up both anglers were soon into the tench catching over a dozen between them with the biggest going just over 6lbs, big smiles and happy customers all round. The Dukes Head fishing club at Wallington in Surrey held their latest club match on Milton last Saturday and all enjoyed a great days action in superb weather, with the winner boasting a great catch of 51lbs from peg 26 which included a cracking net of crucians, big roach and a handful of nice tench. Top Tip: In bright, hot and flat calm conditions which can make the fish feeding habits very finicky and lethargic, it is best to scale down your terminal tackle by using lighter lines than you would normally use, smaller hooks like 18’s and 16’s are best plus feed little and often rather than large amounts all at once. Last Sunday I was on the Royal Military Canal near Hythe fishing the first round of the Kent Angling Canal for my team NDP10 along the Seaview to Seabrook section and, with temperatures in the 30 degrees it was going to be rock hard, especially A section which I was competing in. I fed two lines, one chopped worm and the other pellets in the hope of a nice bream or two, as I knew one really good fish should be enough to win my section. Further up the canal the bream are always shoaled up in numbers so I knew I could not compete for the individual honours on the day but it was team points I was after and set out my stall accordingly. The first two hours passed by without too much to cheer about and the only action in my section was one of the anglers managing to completely fall in the canal taking most of his tackle with him. Happily apart from some embarrassment on his part he was okay and not hurt but it left him scrounging bait from other anglers as he lost all his bait in the mishap. Of course, we laughed, wouldn’t you? My only proper bite of the match, which saw my float lift right up in the water (a lift bite) resulted in me bumping off the fish, probably a bream and, as disappointed as I was, I got my head down to try and catch as much as I could as my whole section apart from one bream which had been caught was still up for grabs. As I studied the canal I could see the odd bubble over my chopped worm line; ‘Eels,’ I thought to myself. Apart from one small eel and a few silver fish caught sporadically through the match I had to try and tempt the eels to feed and give my weight a boost. The plan worked as I managed a late flurry of four eels but it was not enough to win the section, as I was just six ounces short. Good news further up the bank from my teammates was excellent as we had three section winners and despite one of our lads coming last in his section our joint effort of 37pts gave us victory by one point in the end. Oh and the chap who fell in from head to foot, yes he jointly won my section having the last soggy laugh in the end. ‘Tight lines,’ Russ Evans”

External links: Bury Hill Fisheries

"With time running out to complete my Inter I qualification, we took Wizard (Wurlizer) to Hickstead premier league on Friday 25th June to hopefully gain the extra couple of points I needed to qualify him for the regionals. It was an absolutely gorgeous, sunny day, although that also meant that it was scorching hot so I wasn’t looking forward to putting my tailcoat on in the heat! Erik (Theilgaard, my trainer) was there and he was able to help me warm up, which meant that I had no excuse! Wizard warmed up well, Erik made sure that I kept him in front of my leg as that is the main problem I have with him and, although we were winding him up, he didn’t go over the top, the Nupafeed did its job, as always, as he stayed calm and rideable but the energy was there when I needed it. The test went quite well, we had a few little blips where Wizard’s over-enthusiasm got the better of him and he tried a bit too hard and trotted a bit too big, but he does like showing off! Overall, however, the test was good, his walk was more than satisfactory and his canter work was super. Erik was very pleased as, although we had a few little mistakes, there were lovely parts. We were very pleased with a score of 68.18% and third in a very large and very competitive class, and it was more than enough to gain my six points to qualify for the regionals. Job done!"

Related links: Dressage

“We arrived back from Luhmuhlen at 5.30am; I went to bed for a couple of hours and then rode all the horses here. I hadn't sat on them for a week. I was rather tired but it's amazing how your adrenalin keeps you going. I rode 11 I think, they all went very well; Becky and Gemma have done a good job working them for us. We have two new arrivals this week, Kit and Sarah, both on work experience. We are probably in our most busy period now so the timing is great! It will come as no surprise to everyone that this week was as full as ever, no resting! We left for Hickstead Tuesday evening with five horses. Amber and Kenny who were entered in the Foxhunter, 1.25 metre and 1.30 metre classes. Bertie, Harry and Tweedy were entered in the one metre and 1.10. The courses were all well up to height and spooky, so the metre, although a bit small for them, served a good purpose for gaining experience. I have only jumped at Hickstead once a few years ago so I was looking forward to the two days ahead. The facilities are amazing, the warm up arena is absolutely huge and the grass arenas are all watered so there was a good cut in the ground. The horses jumped well on the first day, I jumped the 1.30 and they both just touched a fence which I was delighted with as it was rather large and square. The younger horses jumped in two different rings which was really good for them to see different fillers, etc. There was so much going on around the arenas too, which again is great to get them used to the atmosphere of a big competition. I also enjoyed watching the show jumpers ride. I find watching [other riders] fascinating, you can learn so much from watching and copying (or trying to!). The show jumpers also look like they know how to party! I was still rather tired from my trip abroad and went to bed at a very sensible time, only to wake up at 3.15 am hearing some very loud music and singing and they got up and jumped at 8am as we did, very impressed! The horses jumped better on the second day, all horses jumped double clears in the one metre and Harry did in the Newcomers and the others just touched one. The 1.25 was up to height, I had the first down on Amber and the second on Ken but they were excellent, the rest were better than the previous day, and the two days ended in jumping the Foxhunter double clear, really pleased. I think I picked up minor places in a few classes but it wasn't about that so much as the practising some good jumping rounds. We left for home thoroughly exhausted but enthused! Friday was again spent riding/jumping the horses which were at home and/or going to Milton Keynes. I couldn't be without my indoor school now in this heat, it means I can keep going all day without stopping and work the horses well without them being too hot. We left for Milton Keynes at about 1.30pm, safe I thought to get up there at a reasonable time, how wrong was I! Everybody had decided to finish early for the weekend it seemed and I had my first standstill on the M25 since I’ve moved. Eventually we got to Milton Keynes about 5.30pm. We were very kindly taken out for dinner by Sophies' parents to a lovely restaurant five minutes away, very nice food! We had with us Bertie, who was in the novice, he performed a good test and a beautiful double clear, he is absolutely delightful to ride XC! Imp was in the Open Novice, he also performed a lovely test, no mistakes, very relaxed but active so was rather surprised that he was given a 34.5. He jumped very well, a confident double clear and finished just out of the places. I hope I’m not speaking to soon, but I think we may be starting to form a partnership now. Harry was in the NRF, which we were hoping to qualify for Gatcombe. He was so submissive in his test and scored the best mark, 27.3. He jumped beautifully clear in the show jumping (definitely Hickstead had helped) and as ever fantastic XC. I wore a watch to make sure I didn't get any time faults and when I only had 45 seconds to get home at the bottom of their big hill, I asked him to open up. He has an incredible turn-on sustainable speed, we went like a rocket up that hill and he finished inside the time to win. So delighted for everyone as I feel he's got a very good chance of doing very well at Gatcombe. David and Sue Howard were/are very proud owners! I also ran Brian in the BE 100 section, he performed a good test for 31.5, just touched one for four faults and went well XC as the course was reasonably hard and had two corners! He also finished just out of the places. I am full of praise for the efforts from the organisers at Milton Keynes, the grass cover was good and spiked so good going. I shall be back next year. Another good week then, let’s hope for rain soon, however I do love the sunshine! Thank you for all my lovely messages by the way for Luhmuhlen, they are much appreciated.”

Related links: Eventing

External links: Sharon Hunt Eventing

"Debate in the H&C web team's office has been as hot as the scorching sun outside today. With rumours circulating that Toni Terry is about to make her England debut, we've been discussing whether celebs professing their love of riding are good or bad for the equestrian industry. There's no doubt that glamour girl Katie Price has brought dressage to the attention of millions. In her reality TV show, she's shown that horses are a massive part of her life. We relate to that. Sadly, rather than documenting her commitment to the sport, the tabloids have concentrated on her close friendship with trainer Andrew Gould. So is she bringing attention to the sport for all the wrong reasons? Pricey is often filmed riding without a hat, yet her pink themed equestrian wear is targetted at younger riders. Is it irresponsible of her to allow herself to be filmed riding without a proper hat? In the wake of Courtney King-Dye's accident, the FEI Dressage committee have advised all riders to wear a correctly fitted riding hat when training their horses, and many big names chose to wear riding hats rather than top hats in support of Courtney. It would be good to see Katie, who many young riders idolise, following suit and thinking safety first when mounting one of her beautiful horses. Toni Terry rode as a child and now rides under the guidance of Olympian Vicki Thompson at Oldencraig Equestrian Centre. The pair performed a Pas de Deux at last year's Olympia The London International Horse Show. We were there, and we warmed to Toni, who seemed genuinely humble when interviewed in front of the crowd. If rumours are to be believed, Toni is in the running to compete at the British Dressage Home International being held at Keysoe this year, after representing the Southern Team at the BD Inter Regionals. Many riders have reacted with bitterness to Toni's success, claiming anyone can look good on a £30k dressage horse that does tricks, but is this fair? Toni seems to have trained hard and let's face it, if we had the money, wouldn't we all be buying top grade horses to achieve our dream of competing at the highest levels? Other celebrity riders keep their equine pursuits out of the limelight; Martin Clunes, Richard Hammond, Jennifer Saunders and Madonna all own or ride horses. X Factor winner Leona Lewis chooses to ride to relax, while footballer Michael Owen has set up a racing yard in Cheshire. He's even appeared in a short film by Umbro advising viewers how to back a winner - watch the video below to see if you agree with his advice. But do celebrity names pull in crowds? Are you more likely to buy a ticket to HOYS if you know you'll get to see Pricey perform? And do we want to watch her to criticise her riding, or do we want to see her do well? One must have sympathy for the Katie Prices and Tony Terrys of this world; we've all been there - that gut churning moment of our first test on a new horse or at a new level. Imagine if the hundred or so spectators at the local show knew exactly who you were and were willing you to fail? We get to make our mistakes anonymously; theirs end up on YouTube, however small the event they choose to compete at. It's all food for thought on a hot and sticky day. Why not take a refreshing dip into our Forum to air your views. That's all for now! H&C web team."

"The weather this weekend was nothing less than a mid-summer blessing, and late Saturday afternoon is a fine time to share a lime-kissed Sol beer. Even though seagulls screech rudely through the blue sky, Queen “Want It All” on the out-loud iPod and in this garden glory it seems that we pretty well do have it all in Sussex today. Saturday has been Brighton beach pebbles and an ice-cold English seashore, a traditional treat rather than lavishing in luxury, but sipping 'the Original Mexican Sunshine Beer,' I’m in true holiday mode. This chilled Blond Mexican is warming us up for the evening festivity: a summer barbecue. The quenching golden beer is the perfect pamper partner after the sweat of the day. The al fresco char-grilled supper was enjoyed by all as the sun began to set and we felt the glow of the day shimmer from our own skins and the temperature settled to something more soothing. Maple-glazed ham cuts, sticky sausages and spiced chicken fillets were eaten alongside Californian rosé wine; a pretty Zinfandel that complemented the sweet barbecue flavours of the meat and sat very well alongside the various cold salads. The highs of Saturday have balanced with the literal on-pitch lows of Sunday as England bows out of the World Cup. Having feared our nation’s fate, I steered clear of the game and instead was up to my ankles in paddling pool with my little boy on a common not far from us. Observing the disappointed faces as we returned home from our play date, I knew that even though we as a family have had a super weekend, the football-loving nation is in mourning. This is not a moment for celebration - even at home my partner is grinning but bearing the disappointment. So I’m closing my own wonderful weekend with one of my favourite drinks: a vodka and tonic. But not just any vodka; a sparkling vodka called Camitz. The drink is delicious to sip before bedtime in the Sunday evening cool. This is a new discovery and I am looking forward to testing some cocktail recipes when we are with smiling friends and good news to shout about."

"This week has been as busy as any other week at this time of year. My last few release pens are nearly finished, and I just have the pop holes, fox grids and electric fences to put up. Oh, and maybe cheap radios and flashing lights at night when the poults go in - my partner thinks it sounds more like a disco! This might seem a bit over the top in the way of security, just to keep dear old Mr fox from eating your very expensive pheasant poults, but a fox will dig under, clamber over and even climb trees to gain entry into your pen. Ask any keeper and he will have had or will know someone who has had a fox in the pen. It wouldn’t be so bad if the fox only killed one or two for his supper, but they don’t stop at one - they just keep going until most are dead, sometimes many hundreds. The daily routine of checking the larsons and tunnel traps this week has been an absolute joy, as the weather has been so glorious I have been doing them in the early morning or evening. At times like this it’s hard to believe we all share this very small island with 60+ million other people! The tunnel traps are still catching grey squirrels and rats, although they are starting to slow up a bit now. I have only got two larson traps going now and they are picking up the odd crow or magpie a week, but with most wild broods of pheasant and partridge hatched off now it will be soon time to put them away until next March. I don’t know whether it’s me, but there seems to be more ticks around this year; I am picking two or three off every dog per day - and they are Frontlined. Nothing worse than when I am in the shower and trying to remove what I think is a stubborn speck of dirt from a leg, arm or whereever the little blighter has decided to dig in. At that point, a few choice words are said and without too much fuss the bloodsucking little so and so is plucked out. On a more serious note, if you are bitten be aware that more ticks now carry lymes disease, for more info go to the link below."

External links: NHS: Lyme Disease

"Day two… another corker! Hotter even than yesterday, we were delighted with the record turn out today. Busier than I can remember in years, we’re wondering whether Sunday’s football and people changing their Derby plans might be responsible, but we’re loving it either way. Our first ever day of the Friday of the Derby being televised was brilliant. Catherine and I spent ages in the OB truck trying to suss out the best camera angles, and the slow motion cameras quite spectacular. For those of you watching on Sunday you will be amazed… Talk about seeing the Derby as its never been seen before! There are ground level water jump cameras, cameras at the bottom of the bank, helmet cameras… It's going to be amazing! Michael Whitaker proved there’s still life in the old dog yet with a brilliant Bunn Leisure Derby Trial win. A six horse jump off – William Funnell having withdrawn Cortaflex Mondriaan to save him for Sunday, who had jumped a stunning clear round to prove his form- Michael went in first and set a time that couldn’t be beaten by either William on his second ride, or a flat-out Robert Smith, who came in third, both a good three seconds behind Michael’s lighting fast time. It was another Whitaker win for the main class of the day when William Whitaker became the inaugural winner of the Hickstead Master’s Challenge. A newly conceived class this year, specially designed to add a feature class to our three day television schedule and provide some variety to the two weekend Derbys, it is named in honour of Dad, fondly known as the Master of Hickstead, as he would have loved it, himself a master innovator. In two sections, and against the clock, the second section finished with a line of four successively bigger gates. The crowd loved it, and I was delighted to see William win as I do call him Favourite Whitaker – he’s by far the most charming, and the only one even remotely tall enough for me, so we’ve decided we might marry one day, just for the party of a Whitaker-Bunn wedding! Must be off as have champagne prizes to organise for tomorrow night’s Falcon Equine Feeds Derby Polo Challenge – one of the highlights of the year as the crème de la crème of the showjumping world, make a hilarious attempt at playing polo! Until tomorrow…"

Related links: Show Jumping

External links: Hickstead

“Ye Olde Bell in Retford, Notts, has achieved something many hotels strive for, but few achieve. It is large, yet intimate. Service is discreet, but attentive. Staff exude a genuine friendliness and warmth, without crossing the line and seeming intrusive. The food is progressive and ambitious, without being pretentious. Prices are fair and you won’t feel short-changed. Stepping into this 17th Century coaching in was reminiscent of walking into a gentleman’s club. Decor is faithful to the building’s history. The extensive £3.5million restoration and refurbishment carried out in 2007 was clearly sympathetic, with the independent owners choosing to leave creaking floorboards to accompany guests’ footsteps. The effect is bewitching; one feels drawn to the worn but plump leather sofas that lie next to wooden panels, faithfully restored by a local carpenter. There is a touch of the modern world that has been taken into consideration. Corridors are lit with energy saving bulbs, working on a sensor to save power. Sinking into one of the warm, leather sofas with a huge bell glass of red wine – the Bell’s own wine at that – I sat and watched the goings on of the hotel. In one function area, a wedding was taking place. In another, a ball was being held. Despite being clearly very busy, the main areas of the hotel remained calm and relaxing. That is a real achievement; often, staying at an inn that has private functions taking place can leave smaller groups of guests feeling isolated and ignored. Not so at the Bell. Staff said hello with genuine smiles as they passed, and both parties seemed thrilled with their events. Lone guests and small groups all seemed relaxed and happy. We stayed in a classic double room, but were delighted to nose around other rooms with the hotel’s operations manager, who was full of praise for the owners of the hotel. He told us how staff start as barmen or in casual positions, leave and come back again like boomerangs. Staff have met their partners working at the Bell, married there and spent their careers devoted to the hotel. It seems the hotel has a bewitching effect on staff as well as guests. All of the rooms boast individual decor. Our room was large, light and cosy. The en suite had a large shower (big enough for two) and a roll top bath – my favourite kind. The decor of the room was in keeping with the rest of the hotel, but all boast plasma screens with satellite TV. Classic double rooms costs £135 a night, including breakfast. We dined at the Bell’s 1650 restaurant – a wood panelled room for fine dining. Service was excellent, with staff able to answer questions and the chef even passing on his recipe for one of our dishes. I started with French toast with a poached egg and crispy pancetta. The plate was beautifully decorated with edible flowers. Eating a pansy was a new one for me, but it added to the exquisite blend of tastes in this unusual starter. My husband chose the smoked salmon three ways, with caviar and lemon. Again, decorated with edible flowers and served on a chic slate. We both chose venison for our main course, with a port and cherry jus. The venison was cooked exquisitely and again the presentation with edible flowers and baby courgettes was pleasing. A treat for the eye as well our tastebuds. A word of warning on 1650’s desserts: they’re huge! The white chocolate and mint panna cotta was refreshing, which is unusual for such a sweet dish. Although it was delicious, I was beaten by the portion size. My husband faced a cheeseboard that could have fed several; again, although the quality was great, he was beaten by the portion size. If I was to be really critical (which I will), my only disappointment was to see synthetic flowers adorning rooms, corridors and as table decorations. I understand the cost of using real blooms would be huge, but somehow the use of these synthetic flowers didn’t sit right – in particular in the wonderful 1650, where real flowers are used to decorate plates. It’s not a huge criticism but it left me confused. For a hotel with such excellent attention to detail, I would have expected flowers in the restaurant at the very least to be real. There’s plenty to do in the local area – if you can drag yourself away from the comfy sofas, papers, magazines and the well stocked bar. There’s racing in nearby Doncaster and Robin Hood’s Sherwoods Forest is close by. Eventing fans planning to attend Osberton Horse Trials at the end of September would do well to book a room at the Bell now – the hotel is a stone’s throw from the action. Ye Olde Bell left me feeling very content. Pulling myself away from the old world charm was hard; I could have stayed all week and it’s an inn I’ll visit again.”

External links: Ye Olde Bell, Great Inns of Britain

“Ye Olde Bell in Retford, Notts, has achieved something many hotels strive for, but few achieve. It is large, yet intimate. Service is discreet, but attentive. Staff exude a genuine friendliness and warmth, without crossing the line and seeming intrusive. The food is progressive and ambitious, without being pretentious. Prices are fair and you won’t feel short-changed. Stepping into this 17th Century coaching in was reminiscent of walking into a gentleman’s club. Decor is faithful to the building’s history. The extensive £3.5million restoration and refurbishment carried out in 2007 was clearly sympathetic, with the independent owners choosing to leave creaking floorboards to accompany guests’ footsteps. The effect is bewitching; one feels drawn to the worn but plump leather sofas that lie next to wooden panels, faithfully restored by a local carpenter. There is a touch of the modern world that has been taken into consideration. Corridors are lit with energy saving bulbs, working on a sensor to save power. Sinking into one of the warm, leather sofas with a huge bell glass of red wine – the Bell’s own wine at that – I sat and watched the goings on of the hotel. In one function area, a wedding was taking place. In another, a ball was being held. Despite being clearly very busy, the main areas of the hotel remained calm and relaxing. That is a real achievement; often, staying at an inn that has private functions taking place can leave smaller groups of guests feeling isolated and ignored. Not so at the Bell. Staff said hello with genuine smiles as they passed, and both parties seemed thrilled with their events. Lone guests and small groups all seemed relaxed and happy. We stayed in a classic double room, but were delighted to nose around other rooms with the hotel’s operations manager, who was full of praise for the owners of the hotel. He told us how staff start as barmen or in casual positions, leave and come back again like boomerangs. Staff have met their partners working at the Bell, married there and spent their careers devoted to the hotel. It seems the hotel has a bewitching effect on staff as well as guests. All of the rooms boast individual decor. Our room was large, light and cosy. The en suite had a large shower (big enough for two) and a roll top bath – my favourite kind. The decor of the room was in keeping with the rest of the hotel, but all boast plasma screens with satellite TV. Classic double rooms costs £135 a night, including breakfast. We dined at the Bell’s 1650 restaurant – a wood panelled room for fine dining. Service was excellent, with staff able to answer questions and the chef even passing on his recipe for one of our dishes. I started with French toast with a poached egg and crispy pancetta. The plate was beautifully decorated with edible flowers. Eating a pansy was a new one for me, but it added to the exquisite blend of tastes in this unusual starter. My husband chose the smoked salmon three ways, with caviar and lemon. Again, decorated with edible flowers and served on a chic slate. We both chose venison for our main course, with a port and cherry jus. The venison was cooked exquisitely and again the presentation with edible flowers and baby courgettes was pleasing. A treat for the eye as well our tastebuds. A word of warning on 1650’s desserts: they’re huge! The white chocolate and mint panna cotta was refreshing, which is unusual for such a sweet dish. Although it was delicious, I was beaten by the portion size. My husband faced a cheeseboard that could have fed several; again, although the quality was great, he was beaten by the portion size. If I was to be really critical (which I will), my only disappointment was to see synthetic flowers adorning rooms, corridors and as table decorations. I understand the cost of using real blooms would be huge, but somehow the use of these synthetic flowers didn’t sit right – in particular in the wonderful 1650, where real flowers are used to decorate plates. It’s not a huge criticism but it left me confused. For a hotel with such excellent attention to detail, I would have expected flowers in the restaurant at the very least to be real. There’s plenty to do in the local area – if you can drag yourself away from the comfy sofas, papers, magazines and the well stocked bar. There’s racing in nearby Doncaster and Robin Hood’s Sherwoods Forest is close by. Eventing fans planning to attend Osberton Horse Trials at the end of September would do well to book a room at the Bell now – the hotel is a stone’s throw from the action. Ye Olde Bell left me feeling very content. Pulling myself away from the old world charm was hard; I could have stayed all week and it’s an inn I’ll visit again.”

External links: Ye Olde Bell, Great Inns of Britain, Osberton Horse Trials

“My first blog for H&C is being written from a coffee shop in Broadstone in Dorset as I wait for my son George to have a guitar lesson. As a farmer, I have had to, by necessity, master certain aspects of computers just to run our business. However, until recently I had never uploaded anything to any site on the Internet. It was, however, my desire to show George’s guitar playing to his godfather that led me to experiment with uploading a video of him playing to You Tube. Since then I have been nursing a poorly calf and decided to upload regular video clips for friends and family to watch his progress. This has created a regular viewing and, surprisingly, media interest about the plight of “newborn calf Henry”. Tomorrow we have a TV news channel visiting plus every day our You Tube channel gets more and more hits. It is this background that brings me to be writing a blog for H&C. Watch Ben's videos of baby calf Henry: I will write a more detailed overview of our life here at Godlingston Manor in Swanage for those of you who wish to read it, but for this page I will give a brief description of what we do here. My family has been farming approximately 450 acres at Godlingston Manor Farm since 1949 when my grandfather took on a three-generation agricultural lease, on behalf of my father, with the Bankes family of Kingston Lacy. The freehold has since passed to the National Trust and one of my children will hopefully become the third generation to farm here after me. The main business consists of a beef suckler herd of 56 cows and 2 steers. They are utilised to graze approximately 230 acres of Higher Level Stewardship and SSSI hill land and 70 acres of arable reversion land. A further 150 acres of lower land is used for making winter forage and horse grazing. The horses are stabled in the Victorian farm buildings with the stables rented out on a DIY basis. Horse owners get the use of both the indoor and outdoor schooling areas plus they are able to ride around the perimeter of the farm thus giving a safe and undisturbed riding experience. The farm borders onto bridleways that lead along the ridge to Corfe Castle to the West and Studland beach to the East. Finally the diversification business is a water bottling plant situated in the heart of the farm. Here we bottle the water from the natural springs that flow out of the woods and sell it to Aquaid Franchising Ltd who supply offices with water coolers right across Britain and Northern Ireland. It has taken twenty years to build the business to its present size and stature as one of the country’s largest water cooler bottling businesses. There is a symbiotic relationship between the farm and the water business as the catchment area for the springs are the hills, and the hills are managed for conservation purposes which in turn avoids sprays and fertilizers entering the water supply. I have tried hard to build a purposeful relationship with the National Trust. I needed their permission to build the bottling plant and in turn I go out of my way to promote conservation on the farm. They receive a handsome royalty from my water sales and I get cooperation and a fair rent. Hopefully I can show other farmers that a bit of give and take on both sides can lead to a fruitful and harmonious relationship between conservation and commercial business. Life here is exceedingly busy so I have decided that my blog will take on the form of a video diary backed up with prose, rather than pages of commentary. I hope you will enjoy following our progress. The obvious place to start is with Henry who was unable to suckle from his mother and became dehydrated. We managed to get some electrolyte into him and some of his mother’s milk, but he then started to scour very badly. Due to him missing out on his colostrum intake which contains antibodies from the mother, we have had to give him a course of antibiotics, an anti inflammatory and a pain killer as he started to develop the symptoms of joint ill. This is where infection gets into the joints and can be quite serious if not treated straight away. However, as I write this last part of the blog I am back in my kitchen and Henry is stretched out behind me happily snoring by the Aga! You can catch up on his progress on ‘You Tube’ by typing in ‘Newborn Calf Henry’.”

Related links: Life