Countryside drama by The Archers' writer

A one-woman show penned by The Archers agricultural editor, Graham Harvey is coming to Bakewell.
No Finer Life will be staged at The Medway Centre, Bakewell, on February 18.No Finer Life will be staged at The Medway Centre, Bakewell, on February 18.
No Finer Life will be staged at The Medway Centre, Bakewell, on February 18.

No Finer Life is the true story of a land girl (played by Rebecca Bailey) who goes in search of the best-selling author who transformed the way we farmed the land in post war England.

One of two London-born brothers, George wrote The Farming Ladder in 1944 telling their story, of a dream that had come true.

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In 1924, even though they had no experience, they had scraped together enough cash to pay for a small rented Cotswold farm, just as farming was entering the

deepest of recessions.

Yet their methods turned it into one of the most productive in all of England. By the time of the Second World War, when embattled Britain faced starvation, farmers by the bus-load visited the little farm to see for themselves how farming might be done at a time of crisis.

George’s book brought together wisdom about farming, anecdotes of Cotswold life and concerns for the future of the land. More than anything it offered a dream of a better life. It was an immediate hit and many of the 100,000 hardback copies sold were bought by service men and women who shared that hope.

The story moves between the 1940s and the current day, reflecting that the love of the countryside, the need to protect it and issues of national identity, are timeless.

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No Finer Life will be performed at the Medway Centre, Bakewell, on February 18 at 7.30pm.

Graham Harvey will be taking part in an after-show conversation – included in the ticket price - where he will discuss the issues in the play… and all things Ambridge!

The show features live music composed and performed by Alastair Collingwood and is directed by James Le Lacheur, who has recently spent a year in London’s West End in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Tickets cost £12. Profits in aid of the Friends of the Peak District. To book, call 0114 279 2655 or go to www.friendsofthepeak.org.uk

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