In this edition of County Calendar presented by John Noakes and his dog Skip, John meets mink farmer Peter Hawkyard who’s farm near Elland in West Yorkshire is the largest in the country. They talk about farming mink and their importance in the fur trade. Next to the Chatsworth County Fair where Marylyn Webb meets Kenneth Griffiths and Jim Walsh who are racing ferrets. Back in the studio John speaks with writer and hunter Brian Plummer about his new book ‘Diary of a Hunter’. A filmed report...

In this edition of County Calendar presented by John Noakes and his dog Skip, John meets mink farmer Peter Hawkyard who’s farm near Elland in West Yorkshire is the largest in the country. They talk about farming mink and their importance in the fur trade. Next to the Chatsworth County Fair where Marylyn Webb meets Kenneth Griffiths and Jim Walsh who are racing ferrets. Back in the studio John speaks with writer and hunter Brian Plummer about his new book ‘Diary of a Hunter’. A filmed report next from Stamford Bridge in East Yorkshire where David Astley is both an amateur taxidermist and a member of a punk band. Back in the studio Michael Clegg shows of an Eider duck stuffed for him by David and talks about the various ducks who migrate to the British coastline during winter. Finally, another sideways look at country pursuits with Christopher Curtis reciting a verse on pony club trials. Titles: Yorkshire Television Production Country Calendar John Noakes Along with his dog Skip, John Noakes introduces Country Calendar from a studio set he calls the snug. A view follows of minks and ferrets, they will be part of a studio presentation. A piece of archive film shows Yorkshire television presenter Richard Whitely being bitten by ferret. John outlines other items coming up in the programme. Marylyn Webb finds out about ferret racing at Chatsworth Country Fair. A stuffed Barn Owl which is on display next to John, highlights an item on taxidermy later in the programme. The taxidermist is also a member of a rock band, footage shows him performing with his band. John introduces an item about mink, this week’s studio visitors. One of which is being shown to the camera by its handler, mink farmer Peter Hawkyard from Elland in West Yorkshire. Title: Peter Hawkyard – Mink Farmer John asks Peter if he experiences criticism from anti-fur protestors, but he says not mentions that there are 75 mink farms in the UK. John asks about the general welfare of the mink given the 22000 animals he has on his farm. Peter handles a pearl cross breed of mink developed by his organisation. He says the black mink in a nearby cage is a standard breed and most of the fur they produce is exported to America. John introduces the next item about ferrets. Waiting in the studio is Brian Plummer who will talk about his ferrets and his terriers. First there is a visit to the Chatworth Country Fair and Marilyn Webb’s report on ferret racing. The report opens with ferrets being sent down what appear to be long drainpipes laid out on a field. Owners, mainly by voice encourage their ferret to move quickly along the pipe. At the end of the course the ferret is turned around to return along the same pipe. Marylyn interviews two ferret owners. Title: Kenneth Griffiths – Jim Walsh Jim Walsh says they are fascinating animals and Kenneth agrees. They also believe that they can be as good a companion as a dog and can be tamed. The secret is to train them from when they are very young and that handling them keeps them docile. Marilyn points out the number of bites and scratches Kenneth sems to have on his hands. Kenneth explains, as he turns to the cages behind him, that they are from these younger animals. The film shows the ferrets racing down drainpipes. Jim says they all have different temperaments in a similar way to other pets. Back in the studio John talks to Brian Plummer about his ferrets, he says he keeps his ferrets strictly for hunting. John holds up Brian’s latest book, ‘Diary of a Hunter’ one of many books he has written on the subject. As a hunter he faces criticism, including from the BFSS, the British Field Sports Society an organisation Brian says that is supposed to look after the interests of hunters. Title: Brian Plummer They object he says because he hunts without their permission or sanction. John finds that surprising saying that Brian has done some good, especially hunting out rats using his terriers, a breed he’s developed himself. The ferrets he has with him sleep in a box nearby. Female ferrets are used to hunt rats, males hunt rabbits. John asks Brian about his impending trip in a gypsy caravan, where he is going to live and hunt. John introduces his next guest David Astley a taxidermist and a member of a punk rock band. The film shows David at his day job making plastic lavatory seats. He works on one which he has just removed from the moulding machine at the Stamford Bridge factory near York. The film then shows him performing with his band. At home he works as a taxidermist on one of his latest acquisitions, a tawny owl which was killed by a car. David talks through the methods he uses in preserving the animal. Title: David Astley – Taxidermist David shows one of his first attempts at taxidermy. The owl he says is technically correct from a taxidermy point of view, however in his words it doesn’t look right. A later attempt places a barn owl in a natural looking posture as observed by David. He says he used to try and nurse injured birds back to health. He started taxidermy as the result of taking a dead greenfinch he had been given to school. His teacher was also a taxidermist and showed him the basics of the craft. He continues to prepare the tawny owl he has on his workbench. The film goes back to his role as singer in the rock band. Off camera he talks about his band called ‘All 15 Minutes’ and the positive prospects for them. Continuing his work David has removed the skin from the body; then he gets to work on the head. The film moves to the point where the body has been washed and dried. He produces a synthetic ‘body’ he has modelled from a cupboard. Firstly, he prepares the wings and legs with supportive wire, then the body is placed in its cavity. When prepared the sculptural aspect will be addressed, placing the bird in a natural stance. He picks a barn owl from a nearby window sill, he says as it stands it would probably cost £50.00 to buy. He prefers to place them in a case in a natural setting, which will make costs about £100.00. The film shows other birds he has prepared. In the studio Michael Clegg has brought in a stuffed eider duck, which is another example of David Astley’s work. Michael said he found the bird in Scotland but it was in poor health. It died and Michael had it preserved, he says that the colouring of the bill suggests its originally from Iceland or Greenland. He then shows a photo of an Eider Duck typical of those who regularly winter in this country but usually have greyish green bills. Michael shows a photo of a Scaup another bird to look out for mainly in small numbers. He shows a photo of the rare, to this country, American Ring-Necked Duck. The Ruddy duck is next and is also of American origin, a photo of Golden Eye ducks follows. Michael suggests that people should go out winter duck watching, a relaxing business he says. Christopher Curtis returns to the programme with one of his verses about the Pony Club Trials, with illustrations by John Tickner. Title: Trials and Tribulations John finishes the programme and points out some of the topics featured in the next one. A clip shows bird watcher Ian Wallace on a boat just off Flamborough Head; he encourages viewers to watch his full report on the next programme. John signs off the programme. Credits: Country Calendar presented by John Noakes with Marylyn Webb, Michael Clegg, Christopher Curtis Editorial Assistant Mark Meysey-Thompson Director Charles Flynn Producer John Wilford © YTV Ltd 1982 Yorkshire Television production