Starring role for Severn Valley Country Park in “River Walks” BBC1 programme
Shropshire Council’s outdoor partnerships team were delighted when they were recently approached by Paul Barnett of GOSH! TV productions. He had been commissioned by the BBC to film a 30-minute pilot episode of a series called “River Walks” looking at the River Severn between Bewdley and Bridgnorth.
The programme, presented by actor Shobna Gulati of Coronation Street, Dinner Ladies and, more recently, Doctor Who fame, has a similar format to the popular series “Coast”. So when looking for points of interest along this stretch of the Severn, Paul Barnett approached the team at Severn Valley Country Park.
Ed Andrews, country parks and heritage officer, took a stroll with Shobna and explained about the heritage and countryside conservation work carried out on the site by our dedicated team of volunteers.
Ed Andrews of Shropshire Council, with Shobna Gulati.
Ed Andrews said:-
“I really enjoyed working with Shobna and the TV company making the documentary. I am passionate about the scenery, heritage and wildlife of this quiet stretch of the Severn Valley. I believe the walking route between Bewdley and Bridgnorth is as good as any in the country. Hopefully this programme will help to showcase this amazing landscape and encourage more people to get out and explore it.”
The production team also wanted to tell the story of the coal mining history of the site before the transformation from coal spoil to country park. Alveley Mining Heritage Management Committee Member, Trevor Jones, who had worked in the mine, was also interviewed by Shobna.
Severn Valley Country Park is one of the many sites managed by Shropshire Council. Shropshire has the third largest Rights of Way network in the country – 5,600km, which is the same distance as Shrewsbury to New York – as well as around 13,000 ha of publically accessible parks, heritage sites and nature reserves.
For more information about Shropshire’s Great Outdoors, visit the website.
The programme will be shown on BBC1 on Monday 10 December at 7.30pm.
