Fitz in the Community: Royal appointment with one of the king's men

Fitz in the Community is a podcast attached to this paper and basically does what it ‘says on the tin’. I wander around the county talking to anyone about anything which encapsulates the community in which we live. I usually get wet, as well. Launched every Monday on the website of this paper, we have already taken in celebrities and sausages, birdwatching, and beer, plus anniversaries and local history. You can listen back to all the podcasts at your leisure on Spotify.

We start this week with Mr David Fursdon, The Lord Lieutenant of Devon, the King’s representative within the county. I caught up with him just after another royal visit and asked him about his background and what the role entails.
‘It has been a fascinating career which started within the military,’ said David in his Exeter office. ‘I then went on into farming and agriculture, which still takes up a large part of my life and now as Lord Lieutenant, I have an even busier diary. We have just had His Royal Highness, The Duke of Gloucester within the county, asking questions some of which I just could not answer. He is a fascinating man, fascinated by everything.’    

(David Fursdon)

Ben Nealon is a very familiar face to television and theatre fans probably best known for his role in Solider Solider playing Jeremy Forsythe. He returns to Torquay this week to The Princess Theatre in Twelve Angry Men and by return, I mean back to his native Devon. Born in Exeter, I first met him nearly forty years ago, lost touch and then strangely saw each other on television. He was sat in Africa watching me on Sky News, I was sat in London looking at a very familiar face on Solider Solider! He has played in many of the Agatha Christie productions that have come to the bay and is back in this dramatic stage adaptation.

Pippa Quelch was a long-time colleague of mine in the BBC but now finds herself surrounded in horses and ponies. She has found a dream job with The Mare and Foal Society in Devon. She invited me over to one of the many sanctuaries.
‘We have five separate sites and nearly six hundred equines, not all of them live with us, some are re homed. It’s a great scheme and remember this is care for life. We have one site near Holsworthy, another at Newton Abbot, a moorland facility in Yelverton and Combe Park near Littlehempston.’

Pippa stresses the dedication of the staff and the volunteers and fits in beautifully to the caring role.
‘It has been a real learning curve. Despite the name ‘Pippa’ meaning a lover of horses, I have had to take on so much information. Some of the cases are very sad indeed but once the animals are with us, they are safe and sound, well-fed and looked after. You can also adopt a horse or pony. Just go onto our website mareandfoal.org.’                
Fitz in the Community, a podcast coming to your community … why not get in touch?