Common Ground is a wonderful thing, it was such a big influence on us when we started out. We were nothing short of honoured to have a chapter from the the co-founders Sue Clifford and Angela King in our first book, A Collection of Words on Water, and their own book, England in Particular is something that is always close to hand. Sue and Angela have now retired and the cause has been passed on into the trusty hands of Adrian Cooper of Little Toller Books, someone else we have great respect for and who we are happy to announce right here today that we are working with on what will be the next Caught by the River book. Yesterday, BBC Radio 4 broadcast a documentary on the work of Common Ground and it can be heard right here by way of the BBC iPlayer.

From the BBC website:

For thirty years, the arts and environment organisation Common Ground has used Dorset as a kind of laboratory for its work celebrating local distinctiveness, before rolling their projects out elsewhere around the UK. Helen Mark hears from Common Ground co-founder Sue Clifford why they began Apple Day events near her home in Shaftesbury, as a way of celebrating and protecting old apple orchards. Helen also meets the sculptor Peter Randall-Page who was commissioned to carve some small wayside sculptures along a footpath above Lulworth Cove, and the composer Karen Wimhurst reflects on Confluence, the three year music project she was involved in that celebrated the river Stour, from its source to the sea.

But now that the Common Ground co-founders are retiring, Helen also meets Adrian Cooper, who’s taken the helm, and is steering the organisation into new waters.