Cannock Chase

Overview

On this week's programme, the team are in the wilds of Cannock Chase in Staffordshire. Julia Bradbury explores how with more than two million visitors a year coming on foot, mountain bike and horseback, volunteers are key to managing the landscape. She'll also be at the ancestral home of the Earl of Lichfield, Shugborough Hall, seeing how the local council manage a stately home. Matt Baker is celebrating the centenary of Staffordshire's county council farms. He joins in at milking time for first time farmers Giles and Emily and has a surprise for one farmer who first appeared on Countryfile as a teenager in 1995. As Countryfile marks Remembrance Sunday, Jules Hudson looks at the role Cannock Chase played as a training ground for troops. From the spread of Spanish slugs to disease resistant ash trees, Tom Heap is finding out why more and more organisations are using the public to gather and analyse huge amounts of information about the countryside. But can people power ever be as effective as the work of trained professionals? Adam Henson is in Ireland. This year the country has suffered its worst ever fodder crisis. Adam meets the man who thinks he's got the solution, he can grow fresh green fodder every day of the year - whatever the weather!