3. Stroud

Available for over a year

Paddy O'Connell travels the country with his dog, Bob, talking to the people he meets - perfect strangers who act as guides to where they live. Arriving in Gloucestershire, the locals of Stroud are fiercely proud of their independent retail tradition and the independent spirit it reflects. From the owner of a health food shop opened in 1927 to a New Zealand artist who's made the town his home, people seem to agree that there's something rather special about Stroud. Producer: Jo Coombs A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2016.