Area to feature on BBC Countryfile

Montgomeryshire will be put firmly on the national map with a range of organisations and individuals appearing on the popular BBC Countryfile programme tonight after presenters and crew spent a number of days in the area.

Cultivate in Newtown, Hilltop Honey, Monty's Brewery and Powis Castle at Welshpool are among those to be featured in the programme which is on BBC1 tonight (Sunday) at 6pm.

Presenter Matt Baker will explore Powis Castle. He is joined by volunteer and local man Peter Watkin, who remembers when the castle first opened its gates to visitors back in 1953.

He will join Scott Davies of Caersws based Hilltop Honey to harvest the castle’s first hive.

The BBC said he then experiences the Alice in Wonderland like gardens for himself, which host a particularly distinctive feature. 

Accompanied by National Trust gardeners he gets a unique view of the garden’s 40ft high, 300 year old yew hedges as he lends a hand on their annual trim.

Presenter Anita Rani also meets Pam Honeyman of Monty’s Brewery and local farm Ifor Humphreys who feeds the brewery’s ale to his herd of Wagyu cattle.

Anita then heads to Newtown to meet volunteers and supporters of the Cultivate project growing fresh vegetables and heads to the newly renovated Newtown Market Hall to see them sold.

They also visit the Dyfi Osprey Project near Machynlleth.

The programme is on BBC1 at 6pm.

Photo: BBC Countryfile at Cultivate in Newtown (above, right, courtesy of Emma Maxwell) and the programme's team (above, left)