A FOLK music duo who planted a woodland in Dorset will appear on BBC's Countryfile tomorrow.

Jon Whitley and Jay LaBouchardiere planted 1,000 native English trees and 200 shrubs on three acres of land in Gillingham to form ‘The Ninebarrow Woodland’ and will be featured on rural affairs programme Countryfile tomorrow at 6pm.

The pair, who are both from Dorset, were shocked to discover the impact their touring was having on the environment and calculated that throughout their touring career, which started in 2012 and could span approximately 25-30 years, they would generate nearly 1,000 tonnes of CO2.

Dorset Echo: Ninebarrow are due to appear on BBC One’s flagship rural affairs programme Countryfile this Sunday March 28 at 6pm (PHOTO: Jon Whitley)Ninebarrow are due to appear on BBC One’s flagship rural affairs programme Countryfile this Sunday March 28 at 6pm (PHOTO: Jon Whitley)

So, to celebrate the March 5 release of their album, A Pocketful of Acorns, the pair decided to fulfill a long-held wish to redress their touring carbon footprint.

Supported by a 75 per cent grant from The Woodland Trust as part of their MOREwoods initiative and 25 per cent from a Crowdfunder, the project also ties in with the Plant Britain campaign, a two year challenge launched by BBC Countryfile, aimed at getting the nation planting in response to climate change.

Filming for the BBC programme took place at the tree-planting site and RSPB Arne overlooking Poole Harbour.

Named after Nine Barrow Down in the Purbeck Hills, Jon and Jay relinquished their full-time jobs as a teacher and GP back in 2012 and took a leap of faith into the music business.

Jon said: “Our music will always be inspired by the incredible landscape and history of our native Dorset as well as our sense of home and belonging. But these days we can’t help but be moved by the many changes happening to our planet and society - we hope this fourth studio album reflects that.”

The new album has been met with significant critical acclaim including a 4 star review in The Observer, airplay on BBC Radio 2 and 6 and a number one position in Amazon’s Folk Best Sellers.

Dorset Echo: Ninebarrow released their album, A Pocketful of Acorns, on March 5 (PHOTO: Greg Funnell)Ninebarrow released their album, A Pocketful of Acorns, on March 5 (PHOTO: Greg Funnell)

They were also nominated for Best Emerging Act at the 2017 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards are known for their stand-out songs inspired by Dorset and the great outdoors and, until the coronavirus outbreak, had a busy UK touring schedule.