Countryfile

Tyne and Wear (28x6)

Udgivelsesdato: Feb 07, 2016

Matt visits a country park just near Newcastle, built on the site of what was once one of the biggest coal mines in Britain. Matt joins warden Chris Tucker to see for himself the rich wildlife and wetland birds that have made this once-derelict site their home. He helps volunteers with habitat restoration and speaks to Matt Sharpe, a young farmer raising sheep and cattle on 140 acres at the edge of the reserve. Ellie is down the coast near Sunderland, where restoration of the beautiful Roker Lighthouse is nearly complete. She discovers the secret tunnels used by the lighthouse keepers to get to the light in rough weather and learns that, in its day, it was the most powerful lighthouse in Britain. Ellie then travels further down the coast to Seaham, where she goes in search of seaglass - glass smoothed by the tide and highly valued by collectors all over the world - a legacy of the town's Victorian glass industry. Comedian Ed Byrne talks about his favourite bit of the countryside, while Adam Henson looks at the county breeds of Suffolk, including the magnificent Suffolk punch working horse. Tom Heap looks at whether the dramatic floods seen across the UK in recent months and years are extraordinary events or a taste of things to come. Tom also investigates the flood defences that protect communities and asks whether they can be relied on in the future.