JustSaying - real stories about everyday life and social change
JustSaying is about people, stories, and the conversations that matter.
Hosted by Margaret, each episode explores real-life experiences, community voices, and social topics — from culture and tradition to modern challenges and everyday life.
Whether it’s a local story, a personal journey, or a bigger conversation about society, this podcast is simply about listening, sharing, and understanding each other a little better.
Please get in touch: justsayingpodcast@outlook.com.
JustSaying - real stories about everyday life and social change
From Flock to Festival - How do communities keep traditions alive in a changing world?
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this episode, Margaret explores the story behind the Findon Sheep Fair, a village tradition that has evolved into a thriving community festival.
From its origins in livestock trading to the modern-day celebration of local culture, this conversation highlights the people, history, and spirit that continue to bring the community together.
👉 A warm and engaging look at how local traditions survive and why they still matter.
Sheep have been ambling into Findon for more than 300 years, and they’ve seen it all, auctions, admirers, and now the glamour of the sheep‑judging ring. The Southdown was once the undisputed star of the show, but as the years rolled on, other breeds joined the cast, and the traditional auction eventually became too small to keep going.
Findon, however, is a village with a wonderfully stubborn heart. Rather than let the tradition drift away, the community gathered itself, as villages do, and created the Findon Sheep Fair and Village Festival to keep the story alive. Each September, Nepcote Green fills once again with wool, laughter, and the gentle chaos that only sheep can bring.
What keeps it all going isn’t just the sheep, but the goodwill and elbow grease of volunteers, the people who set up pens, guide visitors, and occasionally negotiate with a determined ewe who has her own ideas about the day.
If you can spare a few hours over the weekend of the Fair, or in the days leading up to it, the team would be delighted to welcome you. It’s fun, it’s friendly, and you’ll be helping to keep a much‑loved village tradition very much alive.
To find out more or to put your hand up, wander over to: https://findonsheepfair.org.uk/
(You can also catch up with previous episodes via justsaying@buzzsprout.com.)
If you have something you would like to #justshare or #justchat about, please get in touch - justsayingpodcast@outlook.com.