It was Surrey Day on Saturday, 9 May, a day to celebrate all that's great about our county - and there is a lot to celebrate!

Surrey Day is a joint initiative from BBC Radio Surrey, Visit Surrey and the Surrey Lieutenancy. It was the idea of BBC Radio Surrey’s Mark Carter who founded it back in 2019.

In the last eight years momentum has really grown and the second Saturday of May each year is now well and truly in our diary.

I was asked to report for both Radio Woking and BBC Radio Surrey from Woking United Reformed Church where the Surrey Minority Ethnic Forum (SMEF) were holding an event with representatives from the many community groups with which they work. A celebration of the rich cultural diversity we have here in Surrey.

I spoke to a few of the guests and found out about what they do and the role of SMEF in Surrey and further afield.

Elsewhere two of the young people I support at Edge had their audio pieces about favourite Surrey walks played on BBC Radio Surrey and there was a real buzz about the community as celebrations got under way.

BBC Radio Surrey had reporters all over, from the Mychett car boot sale, to the vintage day in Dorking, to Epsom where Girl Guides assembled to receive their Surrey Day Badge that had been created for this special day.

There were many events on the day I travelled around the county, popping into the Oatlands village fair then on to Dorking before heading into the Godstone Flower Farm for a coffee.

The sun always shines on Surrey Day and this year was no exception!

Each year there is an ambassador for Surrey Day. This year Dame Maggie Aderin was selected.

She is a renowned space scientist, presenter and author, and has co-presented the BBC’S The Sky at Night since 2014. Most importantly, she lives here in Surrey!

In Surrey we have good transport links to London but we are away from the city and have the best of urban and natural life on our doorsteps. Why would you want to be anywhere else?

I wonder where your favourite Surrey place is? I love the view from the A31 as you travel over the Hog’s Back towards the A3 and Guildford.

The view is breathtaking, and you can see the towers of Woking from up there too.

Surrey Day may have encouraged us to find those hidden gems right on our doorsteps or even beneath our feet.

This year’s theme was Underground Surrey, looking at the tunnels, passages and caves we have but many of us may not realise it.

I hope you had a good Surrey Day and learnt something new about the place we call home!

Listen to my radio shows on Radio Woking: Sunday 9am – noon and Wednesday 7-9am.

You can hear Emma and I on Surrey Hills Community Radio every second Monday at 9pm and Life on the Edge with Edge Disability Consultancy airs every first Monday at 10am.

Send me a voice note – www.speakpipe.com/jonandrews or email [email protected]