Today's programme features a different kind of entertainment that's available to everyone at no cost - it's absolutely free!

We hear from Helen Phillips, the chief executive of the new countryside agency known as Natural England. It has been set up to be a source of advice and help for farmers, a protector of the environment and to make the countryside available to everyone.

Before you listen to the programme look at the comprehension questions below. You can hear the answers in the programme and check your understanding by trying the quiz in the 'Extras' section below. You can also download the programme and the transcript.

1: How much money is going to farmers and other people in rural communities?
2: How will this money be spent?
3: Is the coast an important area for Natural England?

Listen
	British Countryside

Vocabulary from the programme

urban
in a city or town

rural
in, of or like the countryside

to enhance
to improve

habitats
natural surroundings in which a plant or animal usually lives

species
a set or animals or plants in which the members have similar characteristics and can breed with each other

uplands
areas of land that are situated high up a hill or mountain

peat lands
areas of land covered in a dark brown earth-like substance formed by plants dying

to emit
to send out

Programme script (pdf - 10k)

Download this programme (mp3 - 2 mb)