In this penultimate edition of County Calendar presented by John Noakes and his dog Skip there are two reports from Marylyn Webb at the Chatsworth County Fair in the grounds of Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. The first is to learn more about the sport of gun dog scurrying and later in the programme to speak with Nottinghamshire farrier Roger Price about how and why horses are shoed. After the first report on gun dog scurrying, back in the studio John speaks with David Garbutt from Pocklington...

In this penultimate edition of County Calendar presented by John Noakes and his dog Skip there are two reports from Marylyn Webb at the Chatsworth County Fair in the grounds of Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. The first is to learn more about the sport of gun dog scurrying and later in the programme to speak with Nottinghamshire farrier Roger Price about how and why horses are shoed. After the first report on gun dog scurrying, back in the studio John speaks with David Garbutt from Pocklington near York whose Labrador Pocklington Glen has recently won the national retriever championship in Scotland. John finds out what makes his dog so special. A film report next in which David Northcliffe takes the view on a ramble along the Leeds Country Way after which back in the studio John talks with Peter Hardy, Labour MP Rother Valley about a new piece of countryside legislation he is involved in. Following the farrier report, Michael Clegg back in the studio then looks at signs of spring. The programme ends on one final humour verse from Christopher Curtis on a gun dog during a shoot. Titles: Yorkshire Television Production Country Calendar John Noakes John introduces the programme and goes through items featured in this edition. Alongside him is his dog Skip. The first item is a report from Marylyn Webb at the Chatsworth House country fair in Derbyshire. She is there to report on gun dogs and an event called a scurry. The film opens with a man aiming and shooting a shotgun. A dog is sent to retrieve whatever has been shot. Marylyn off camera explains the rules of the scurry. The dog must retrieve two dummies one from long grass and one from the nearby river and bring them back to the owner as quickly as possible. However, she says, as with all the distractions of the watching crowd it’s easier said than done. The dog retrieves the dummy prey from the long grass and brings it to its owner. The springer spaniel has done well, she is then sent for the second dummy, from the river. However, stopping and dropping the dummy to shake water from her fur is not allowed. Marylyn speaks to the owner about the scurry competition, which he says is more about fun than some of the serious gun dog competitions. Blank cartridges are fired for added realism as another springer spaniel goes through its paces. Marylyn says over a hundred dogs will have been in the competition by the end of the day. The dog goes into the river to fetch the dummy which is thrown into the grass or the river. The dog gets assistance from his owner through a whistle, shouting and hand signals. The dog must finish the course in less than a minute. Marylyn interviews an owner who has just completed the test, and he talks about the dog and the times the tasks were completed. She talks to an official who explains the dogs are marked on fast times but can be penalised for going after the dummy before it is sent by the owner. Title: Peter Taylor – Competition Organiser Peter talks about the event in general and the increasing popularity of country and game fairs. The film shows a Labrador dog retrieving a dummy from the water. Peter says gun dog events attract a lot of interest at the fairs. The programme goes back to the studio, and John explains that serious competitions for gun dogs are the field trials. Film shows a shotgun being fired at game birds flying overhead. In field trials pheasants are shot and must be retrieved by gun dogs. John goes on to say that the winner of a winter national retriever competition in Scotland is from Yorkshire. In the studio is the owner David Garbutt from Pocklington near York and his winning black Labrador, Pocklington Glen. John asks David if he does any shooting at the field trials, he replies he is not involved with the shooting. Title: David Garbutt – Winner – National Retriever Championships He says distances from the gun vary. Using categories from A to C, John asks how the scoring is done. A close view of the winning dog follows. Title: Pocklington Glen – Field Trial Champion David explains how the dog must retrieve the bird and bring to the owner and then a judge examines the condition of the bird. David explains that he has 11 dogs and he hopes there will be a few more champions amongst them. David also explains how to train a dog to get used to the noise from guns. John introduces the next item which looks at a new country walk opened by West Yorkshire County Council around Leeds city, called the Leeds Way. The county’s countryside officer David Northcliffe provides the programme with a guided tour. David introduces the walk from Leeds City centre. Title: David Nortcliffe (sic) He explains that within a few miles from where he is standing there is beautiful countryside. Using access to local footpaths and bridleways the county council has developed Leeds Country Way. David gets on to a bus and outlines the origins of the council initiative. He says it originally was put forward by Fred Andrews a member of the Rambler’s Association. He devised the walks using footpaths and rights of way to create a circular walk around Leeds city. The council took up the idea to formalise it into a project and create a recognised walk based on Fred’s route. The council made footpath improvements where necessary. David gets off the bus at Golden Acre Park. He starts his walk at this point, he picks an old ancient footpath which takes him past farmland. He stops at a maypole in the village of Barwick-in-Elmet from which he heads south and crosses a walkway bridge over a motorway then follows a path going by Newmarket Colliery which uses reclaimed land and the route of a former railway line. On the west side of Leeds, he walks by the river Aire at Apperley Bridge. David goes along part of one footpath which had been previously hidden by overgrown vegetation and it used to be very wet. He explains how they used stone from an old wall to improve the pathway. He walks through a field just skirting a housing estate, while off camera he outlines how the project has been financed and serviced. The film shows a plane taking off from Leeds Bradford Airport, as David clambers over a stile not far from a landing lights emplacement. Back in the studio John introduces the next item and a studio guest, Labour MP for Rother Valley, Peter Hardy who is passionate about wildlife and the bill currently going through parliament. He expresses concern about certain sections of the bill, the protection of hedgerows is one example. He is satisfied that the protection of badgers is covered, but footpaths he says deserve better protection. South Yorkshire he believes to be the best council for its regard for the environment, countryside and wildlife. John introduces an item about a farrier, the person who puts shoes on horses. Marylyn Webb presents an item from the Chatsworth Country Fair. Marylyn off camera gives a brief history of how tractors overcame the use of horses in farming. Consequently, the need for farriers went into decline. On film an open display from the county fair shows a farrier putting the finishing touches to a shoe on a horses foot. The growth in horse ownership has increased the need for farriers. Marylyn talks firstly to Nottingham farrier Roger Price. Marylyn asks why a horse must have a shoe attached to the hoof. Title: Roger Price – Farrier He explains the hoof may wear down unevenly and if not protected by a shoe the horse may become lame. With a preserved hoof he shows the narrow area a farrier works with when attaching a shoe. There is a very real danger of making horse lame even with a slight misplacement of a nail. Roger outlines the training a farrier must undertake before qualifying and beginning their career. Using the preserved hoof, he shows how the farrier prepares the hoof to receive a new shoe. Roger and Marylyn continue their conversation off screen as a farrier fashions a new horseshoe on an anvil. The farrier puts the hot horseshoe onto a horse’s hoof, the hot metal burns the hoof and leaves an imprint. The farrier finishes off his work on the foot. Roger is asked about new techniques being explored. He talks of a new type of stick-on shoe and that there are now plastic shoes available. In the studio John welcomes back naturalist Michael Clegg. John asks about the wildlife in the Yorkshire Museum Michael curates. He says there is some in the museum, which is currently in chaos as they prepare for their large Viking exhibition. Title: Michael Clegg – Curator, Yorkshire Museum Michael talks about the coming Spring illustrated by photos of wildlife beginning with an early wildflower, the butterbur. Another early spring flower photo shows the yellow petalled lesser celandine. Regarding birds Michael talks about the mistle thrush sometimes referred to by its Yorkshire name, the stormcock which starts nesting early in the season. The next photo shows the nest of a song thrush with a clutch of three pale blue eggs, followed by a photo of hatchlings. In parks and gardens the collared dove starts nesting early, a photo shows the bird with its distinctive black collar. Rooks will also settle down to nesting in their distinctive rookeries. Photo’s follow of a snipe, a brown hare and a swallow, a yet to arrive summer visitor. John Noakes introduces the final item as Christopher Curtis recites one of his verses based on observations of country life. In his final appearance of the series, his subject is gun dogs, and the title is ‘Hi Lost’. Christopher appears on screen with a shotgun, the backdrop behind him shows an open field with trees in the distance. Title: “Hi Lost” The recitation is illustrated with cartoons by John Tickner. John ends the programme with a summary of items which will feature in two weeks’ time, a special edition and the last in the series. End Credits: Country Calendar was presented by John Noakes with Marylyn Webb, Michael Clegg, Christopher Curtis Editorial Assistant Mark Meysey-Thompson Film Cameramen Dick Dodd, Alan Wilson Film Sound Ron Gunn, Chris Clarkson Film Editors David Aspinall, Alan Briggs Dubbing Mixer Steve Haynes Director Charles Flynn Producer John Wilford © YTV Ltd 1982 : Yorkshire Television production