In 2007 a group of amateur actors came together to put on a play in their local community about a real-life event that happened in their area during World War II.  For some of the people from Payhembury, a little village in Devon, this was the first time they had ever set foot on a stage.  It brought together young and old, newcomers and long-standing residents, to perform a story based on the crash of a German Junkers 88, which came down in a valley one spring night in 1941 and brought the reality of war to a rural community.  This is the story of Foresight.

Foresight FC

Although they now have two young children, Zoe and Andy Clark-Coates's experience of miscarriage has led them to organise services for parents who’ve experienced similar feelings of grief but have had no way of publicly acknowledging their loss.  Reporter Fiona Clampin has been to the first service in Exeter.   

Saying Goodbye

The recession has forced many of us to cut back and look differently at how we spend our money.  If you’re feeling brave and aren’t too squeamish, one of the more unusual solutions could be to ditch the weekly trip to the supermarket and find part of your food lying on a road near you.  They do it in the States and Australia and they even have roadkill cafes there, so why are we letting roadkill go to waste?  Reporter Fiona Clampin joined Jonathan McGowan in the hunt for his dinner in the countryside near his home in Bournemouth.

Roadkill

A project to bring oral history to a village telephone box.

Gittisham

Fiona Clampin meets two women in Devon who have bought a team of birds to display.  Michelle Scriven and Miriam Nicholls [Miriam speaks first] are now showing them at Escot Park, a stately home and estate near Exeter. 

Falconry

On blustery autumn days Britain’s coastline can sometimes be littered with bits and pieces of wood that come in on the tide.  Heather Jansch, an artist who lives in Devon, finds inspiration in these pieces of driftwood and turns them into sculptures.  Most of her work has focused on horses, but more recently she has turned her attention to human figures in the shape of dancers.  Reporter Fiona Clampin met Heather and her assistant Don on a beach in South Devon one windy day to see what they could pick up.

Driftwood

Sandra Williams tells Fiona Clampin about how her local hospital removed her dead son's brain without her consent.

Sandra Williams

A portrait of the artist Margaret Calkin James, as told by her daughter Elizabeth Argent and the art historian Alan Power.

Margaret Calkin James

The Financial Times described as “the new chic” a generation of older female artists – women who’d been working away quietly on their art for most of their lives and are now getting recognition.  One woman who’s been enjoying her success in recent years is the artist Rose Hilton.  For 10 years she was married to the celebrated abstract painter Roger Hilton, but put her own artistic ambitions on hold to raise a family and care for her husband as he became increasingly ill.  Life with Roger Hilton, who was an alcoholic, was never less than demanding and Rose could only paint in secret from time to time.  But these days, hardly a day goes by without her getting her brushes out, as she told reporter Fiona Clampin who went to visit Rose at her home in Cornwall.

Rose Hilton

In Dorset a historic ruined folly that inspired a novel by P D James has been rescued from the sea by the Landmark Trust.  In a highly complicated operation, costing almost £900,000, the Grade Two-listed Clavell Tower in Kimmeridge was moved 25 metres inland, away from the cliff edge where it stood.  Caroline Stanford, the historian for the Landmark Trust, told reporter Fiona Clampin how the project came together.

Clavell Tower

Busking has become increasingly regulated in our towns and cities.  Fiona Clampin reports for Radio 4's You & Yours from Exeter where since the building of a new shopping centre, you now need to audition before you have permission to busk.

Busking

I am an experienced journalist and radio producer with a strong background in music.  I combine a musician’s sensibility with journalistic acumen to produce features and tell stories that are engaging, colourful and highly creative.   I have a successful track record of turning material into entertaining content across many platforms, with a strong commitment to producing high-quality work. Fluent in French and competent in a range of other foreign languages.

Fiona Clampin

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