Field Day

The shop and post office, the school, the pub, the church and the village hall are traditionally seen as the heart of our villages.

Without them, the character of the place – and quality of life for the people who live there – drops.

There's a story doing the rounds that would have immediately raised my suspicions had it come to light on 1st April.

Changes to tax rules threaten the future of public toilets in rural Wales, according to a news article on the BBC website today.

Community councils apparently can't afford to maintain public loos following the end of a rate rebate scheme designed to help the rural economy after the 2001 foot-and-mouth crisis.

One small rural council, which has an annual budget of £750, has been landed with a bill of £604. Another council can no longer to employ a toilet cleaner.

Bad news for country dwellers today, as the government announces its plans for rural post offices.

The details are only now filtering out, but the shake-up announced by Trade and Industry secretary Alistair Darling could see 2500 rural post offices disappear.

Talking about interesting names, when it comes to curious and quirky ones pubs often score highly.

One that was actually named after a farmer is The Tom Cobley Tavern in Spreyton on Dartmoor.

Tom Cobley was an 18th century farmer (made famous by the folk song Widdacombe Fair) who left from the spot on a horse to attend the Fair.

Haven't been to the pub myself, but I hear it's very good - and its recently been named as the Campaign for Real Ales national pub of the year.

As I mentioned when I was talking about my friend, the best-selling author, world-famous chef and international tv star Clarissa Dickson Wright, I’m not one to name drop.

I was thinking this again recently when asked to join the billionaire’s son and future PM (that’s what some people reckon) Zac Goldsmith, and the associate editor of the Daily Telegraph, Simon Heffer, on the judging panel of Britain’s Best Rural Retailer 2007 competition.

Most of us already sensed this was happening, I guess, but this new research by The Sunday Telegraph highlights the dire state of rural bus and train services.

You might think I'm a bit of a cynic when it comes to politicians after my sideswipe at them the other day, but credit where credit's due - the Department for Transport has been doing some important work recently highlighting how dangerous rural roads are.

This is something I feel strongly about. It's easy to assume that because there isn't as much traffic on country lanes that they're not as dangerous as urban ones. This simply isn't the case.

I've often used the expression 'use it or lose it' in connection with village services.

Whether it's the shop, the post office or - and this is one I feel the adage particularly applies to - the village pub. So it's great to hear a positive story about a rural boozer.

I've been let out twice in a week!

Just dashing up to London now for a meeting to do with the Britain's Best Rural Retailer competition, which I'm on the judging panel of.

It's at a restaurant called Browns which looks very posh. Now don't get the wrong idea, I don't get lunches like this very often!

Events are moving on apace with Britain's Best Rural Retailer Competition, for which I'm one of the judges.

The four winners in Wales have been announced in this Countryside Alliance-organised contest. They were honoured recently by Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones AM at a Senedd reception. These winners are listed below - they will now go forward to the UK final.

Village shopkeepers should concentrate on improving stores rather than fighting to keep their post office counters open, according to the Rural Shops Alliance.

RSA boss Ken Parsons, quoted in The Grocer magazine, reckons it’s “inevitable” that many post offices would shut as part of the government’s plans for re-structuring the sector.

Am off shortly for a get-together with the other national judges of the Britain's Best Rural Retailer competition. By the end of today (assuming any differences in opinion are reconcilable!) we should have picked our winners. Will let you know how it goes...

I went to a tiny village primary school. Three things stand out about it in my memory now: the portacabins, the mad headmistress who made us learn our alphabet backwards (seriously) and the day a dog got into the playground.

It had a lovely friendly, safe feel about it though - unlike my senior school which was a right bear pit. There'll be a lot fewer small village schools around soon though, according to this article in yesterday's Observer.

It's only five days until the results of the Best Rural Retailer competition are announced.

With a lot of village schools facing the threat of closure, some people are saying such small schools simply aren’t worth saving.

I disagree - and so was heartened by the recent demonstrations against possible closures. I still remember my village primary school – it was like a extended family and a great environment in which to learn. Have I just got my rose-tinted spectacles on here?

I’ve just got back from the House of Lords where the four national winners in the Best Rural Retailer competition have been announced - here are details of these four inspirational businesses.

You can also check out the BRR site for details of all the regional winners and commended entries - and if you want to know five things I've learnt today during my trip to the smoke, see below.

You know I mentioned how tight the security was at the House of Lords yesterday.

It's not just shops and post offices that are at risk in rural areas - libraries are, too, according to the Lib Dems.

Talking of the Lib Dems and village services, rural pubs might have found their takings down, too, since their ex-leader Charles Kennedy quit the booze!

A few years back, incidentally, I spent a day travelling round rural west Kent with one of the County Council's mobile libraries. The article I wrote about my experience is below.

Talking of booze, this sounds like a splendid idea - and one that could provide a much-needed boost for village pubs: CAMRA's Community Pub Week. It kicks off this weekend.

... and while we're on the subject of rural services, we've been contacted by a lady called Ailsa in the village of Childrey in Oxfordshire.

They're working hard to ensure the survival of their post office, and there are details on the village website. Good luck with it.

What a great idea this is - a scheme which sees rural churches and post offices working together to protect village services.

Below is a sneak preview of an article Tessa Gates has written for next week's Farmers Weekly about the subject.

Seems like even members of the government aren't convinced that closing rural post offices is a good idea. Funny, that, seeing as they all originally agreed to it!

Shocker. Even more villages are facing a 'pub-less' future, according to the British Beer and Pub Association.

Only one thing for it: get out there and support your local.

We're supposed to be a nation of shopkeepers (at least, that's what Napoleon said).

Fitting, then, that Prince Charles is today opening his own shop in Tetbury. It will sell everything from organic carrots to breakfast bowls painted with pictures of the royal hens.

HRH opened his shop yesterday. Looks as if it sells some great stuff. Probably not the place to go for a four-pack of lager and 40 B&H.

I completely missed this (shamefully, I haven't been in a 'proper' butcher's shop for weeks) but it sounds like National Butchers Week was a great initiative.

Hopefully events like this will help halt the closure of High Street butchers which are disappearing at an alarming rate.

Sounds like the government's plans to close 2500 rural post offices was almost kicked into touch by Parliament yesterday. Sadly, though, not quite...

I know I had a moan at The Independent over that rural accents business - but at least they're covering the issue of rural services.

I like country post offices and I like dogs and I like beer. So this story works on a number of levels for me!

Speaking of posties, I once spent a day with one who had one of the most rural rounds in Britain. Here's the article I wrote for Farmers Weekly, if you're interested:

Two pubs, a quarry, a youth hostel, an outdoor centre, a tiny village school and, of course, lots of hill farms all get their deliveries from Co Durham postman Norman Dunbar.

"It's nothing like being a town postie - it's a different job altogether," says Norman, whose working day starts at 5am.

Norman's round starts in Barnard Castle but soon takes him out into the Teesdale countryside. He covers about 65 miles on a typical day, with the remotest farm on his patch about five miles from its nearest neighbour. "In winter, you can't hear a single thing up here," he says.

It's a glorious July day when Farmers Weekly visits - one of the best, Norman says, in what's been a dreadful season. The sun's out, the farmers are itching to get haymaking and Norman has a quick word with some as he delivers their mail.

What's happening on the farm is a key topic of conversation and Norman - a self-confessed townie - has got to know a lot about agriculture since starting this round about 12 years ago. On one occasion, a woman even asked him to help deliver a calf.

Winters, however, can be tough on this remote and high ground. "I've always got a shovel in the back of the van.

"That's about the only downside of the job - it's often dark and windy and cold. When you get right up on top," he laughs. "If the wind drops, the people fall over."

Another day, another do.

Not that I get to go to many of these, you understand. I'd hate you to get the wrong idea. But tonight I'll be donning a black tie and heading into London for the glittering Farmers Weekly Awards 2008 at the Grosvenor House Hotel.

I was lucky enough to be one of the judges in this prestigious competition, and tonight is the big night for all our lucky winners. It'll also be a chance to eat some nice food, drink some nice wine and stutt my stuff on the dance floor (not a pretty sight, I have to say).

As per last year (when I feared myself and co-presenter Hugh Broom would come across like The Krankies) I'll also be on filming duty. I'll share the video with you when it's ready.

For now, though, here's one of the highlights from last year: the interview we did with impressionist Jon Culshaw.