Escape to the Country: Hope Marlborough town will be boosted

Marlborough in Wiltshire was temporarily given a national spotlight in April when it was featured on an episode of the BBC daytime show Escape to the Country.

The episode saw presenter Jules Hudson explore the Wiltshire countryside to help Londoner Mercy find her dream home - and Marlborough was a strong consideration.

Kat runs Curate, an independent boutique on Marlborough's High Street, and was among those in Wiltshire invited to be on the show.

Speaking to the Wiltshire Gazette and Herald after the episode aired, she said: "They [BBC producers] first approached me on Instagram because they saw I had a boutique in Marlborough and they asked if I'd want to be featured on Escape to the Country.

Boutique owner Kat behind the scenes on Escape to the Country (Image: Curate)

"It was within a couple of weeks from when they asked that the whole thing was filmed. It was a really easy process, and the BBC was really relaxed.

“The main concept was what’s great about Marlborough, and I love Wiltshire and Marlborough so it was a joy to talk about.

"I really hope that it gives a bit more great publicity to the town and encourages people to come and see what we're all about."

Despite putting a spotlight on the town, not all of the reaction in Marlborough has been positive.

After the episode aired, Kat was the victim of online trolling on social media due to a comment she made on the show about the history of Marlborough's High Street.

Kat (left) received an outpouring of positive comments, but was also trolled online (Image: Curate)

“I couldn't believe much reach it had and how people had seen it quite quickly.

“But I was actually trolled online for it because of what I said about the High Street being really wide for the market, and not mentioning the historic fire.

“You didn’t have much time to get your point across and then it is obviously edited so not all of what I spoke about made the cut."

She added: "But at the same time, I've had so many lovely comments from other people I know. Overall, my experience on Escape from the Country was a fleeting moment and it was absolutely grand.

Sara, who manages St Peter's Church in Marlborough, was also among those invited to speak about her love of the town and its history on TV.

St Peter's Church doesn't actually hold religious services but is instead used as a community hub for events, clubs and more.

The BBC show saw multiple local people interviewed (including Genevieve Clark pictured) (Image: Genevieve Clark) Sara told the Gazette and Herald: "I think not a lot of people know we're there because they just assume it's a regular church.

"So it would be great if people see the episode and do think 'oh I didn't know that was there' and pop along to see us.

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"There's been a church building on the site since the 1100s but the church abandoned it in the 70s and so now we're all about preserving this and offering it up as a community space.

"There's nowhere else in Marlborough as open to the community as us and the events we put on are very much for the people of Marlborough.

"The episode has had such a positive reaction from the community so far and I think it's just great to get the word out that we're here and we've got a lot to offer."