There is something I’ve always found fascinating about people who have a deep connection with the countryside: however familiar their job, their surroundings or their interests might appear from the outside, every person has their own reasons for being there, their own passions and their own way of seeing the world, and I’m endlessly curious about what draws someone towards a particular way of life, what keeps them there, and what it is that matters to them.
That is one of the reasons I enjoy making the Gamekeepers’ Welfare Trust podcast so much. I’ve now recorded twenty episodes, which feels like quite a milestone, and twenty conversations means twenty opportunities to sit down with someone and discover a little more about what makes them tick. The conversations are deliberately varied. Sometimes we have a particular subject we want to explore, perhaps something affecting gamekeeping or stalking, rural employment, countryside management or one of the many issues surrounding the work and lives of people who make their living in the countryside. At other times, there is no particular agenda beyond talking to someone about their life, their work and the things they care passionately about. Those are often my favourite conversations.
I like finding out how someone arrived at where they are, what first caught their interest and why, years later, they are still fascinated by it. There is something wonderfully revealing about asking people what they love about what they do, because the answer is rarely just about the job itself. It might be a particular landscape, the animals they work with, the rhythm of the seasons, the independence of working outdoors, the people they have met along the way or simply the satisfaction of becoming really good at something.
And sometimes, of course, the conversation takes an unexpected turn, which is part of the pleasure of talking to people. You start with one subject and find yourself somewhere entirely different, discovering a childhood influence, an unusual career path, a family story, an interest with a particular animal or place, or a passion that has shaped someone’s life without ever appearing on their CV. The more conversations I have, the more I realise how little you can ever assume about someone from what they do. Two people can have remarkably similar jobs and completely different reasons for loving them, just as someone whose work appears familiar can have a story you would never have guessed. And that is what keeps me interested.
I already have plenty more people lined up for future episodes, which is rather exciting because every new name on the list means another conversation I haven’t had yet, another life to discover and another opportunity to ask that simple question: what is it about this that matters so much to you? I can’t wait to find out.
🥬Twenty episodes of the Gamekeepers’ Welfare Trust podcast, with more to come. Listen to the GWT podcasts → here