MOTTISFONT will be featured on Meridian Broadcasting's award-winning Country Ways series soon.

Countywide Films - which makes the series for Meridian - shot the footage for the programme featuring life on the National Trust's Mottisfont Estate last July. It will be shown on Meridian on Thursday, June 12th, at 7.30pm.

'Mottisfont in July' looks at the work of waterkeeper, Ralph Collins. He can be seen weed cutting on the River Test and chatting to fishermen. Estate forestry chief John Surplice was filmed building bird nesting boxes, felling trees and carrying out other duties at Mottisfont woodyard.

Also appearing in the documentary is Mottisfont Abbey's head gardener, David Stone. He will be in the former Augustinian monastery's world-famous rose garden created by the late Graham Stuart Thomas.

Viewers will be able to see former Mottisfont gamekeeper Ian Kew - who left the village in the spring to take up a new job at Broad Chalke, near Salisbury - walking his gundogs, feeding pheasants and cleaning out game pens.

Ex-parish councillor Alan Lawrence, who built his Pride of Mottisfont narrow boat in the National Trust's Abbey Farmyard, was also caught on camera. He will be seen mowing the lawns outside the old Mottisfont Post Office and Tea Rooms and taking his dog for a walk.

Alan was born and bred in the village and no doubt he will have a tale or two to share will viewers about Mottisfont. And costume designer Serena Brown is featured attending to her work in the 30-minute programme presented by keen ornithologist and naturalist Jim Flegg.

Meridian's Country Ways is Britain's longest running regional programme and the producers Katie and Stuart Judd from Countrywide Films are now working on the 20th series which will be broadcast next year. Katie's parents Anthony and Elisabeth Howard founded the highly popular series. Anthony is now freelance director but his wife has retired. Stuart said: "Country Ways is as popular as ever. People say it is just very pleasant to watch. We get lots of mail requesting more and people saying that it's fantastic."