Wiltshire Life Awards 2018: Local Hero of the Year

In March 2018, we acknowledged the efforts of George Gordon, the hero of the Burbage Christmas Tree Sale and Market.

Enter the Wiltshire Life Awards 2019 today

The Wiltshire Life Awards give nominees recognition and wider publicity​ and past nominees and winners describe them as a hugely worthwhile undertaking. There is a wide range of categories and you are sure to find one that suits your nomination, so don't delay, get online today at www.wiltshirelifeawards.co.uk and make someone a winner in just five minutes.

Video: Maul's Wine Bar in Salisbury

This relatively new venture is a fresh approach to the wine bar and it appears to be just what the city of Salisbury wants.

Video: The Bell at Ramsbury

The Bell has just appointed a new chef, although new to the pub Tom Mackins, is no stranger to the county, he is a Wiltshire boy who has returned home and all I can say is how lucky we are to have such a talented and creative cook right here on our doorstep.

Video: At home with Wiltshire based carriage driver Karen Scott-Barrett

Wiltshire based, Karen Scott-Barrett is a familiar face on the driving trials circuit, she inherited her love of horses from her parents and this summer is hoping to be a part of Team GB. Georgie Green met up with Karen at her yard in the south of the county, to discover how her family first became involved with the sport.

What's on in July?

Sip champagne and enjoy the thrill of polo or camp at an eclectic music festival.

Marlborough: blooming marvellous

​The summer months are always busy in Marlborough and there is a real vibrancy about the place, with so much to do, see and take part in. It is worth getting a plan together and booking a few dates in the diary. Start in the heart of the town, possibly with a morning coffee or a bit of lunch. There are new restaurants to try out, alongside old favourites, and they cater for just about all tastes.

Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy

Simon Heptinstall puts on his trilby to meet spy expert Professor Andrew. It’s early evening. A forbidding mist hangs over west Wiltshire. An unfamiliar dark car screeches away on the wet cobbles. Under the streetlight, a tall figure appears from the gloom, wearing a trilby and dark overcoat. The stranger hands me a briefcase. “The rabbit is in the haystack,” he says, confirming the secret password...

The secret life of chalk streams

​Sam Stork from Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s Water Team reveals what lies beneath. To the inexperienced eye a river seems a simple thing. The elegant sweep of the channel with banks lined with reeds, water forget-me-not and purple loosestrife; otter and water vole peeping out of the vegetation and wild brown trout leaving ripples on the surface. However, dig a bit deeper and scoop up a handful of the river bed and you will discover an entirely different world.

VIDEO INTERVIEW: Eating Out in Wiltshire - The George & Dragon at Rowde