Being part of a community radio station in the town where I grew up is a real honour. It’s always interesting when I meet people and tell them what I do — I often get asked which celebrities I’ve interviewed. There have been a few over the years, and it’s always surreal to be in the company of someone famous. If I’m a big fan, I’ll admit I can get a bit starstruck. I remember interviewing a Coronation Street star at the opening of a Co-op in Chertsey, speaking to Philip Hammond at an event marking the anniversary of the Magna Carta in Runnymede, and chatting to 80s pop star Limahl on Zoom — which gave us a glimpse into his home and his funky blue Christmas tree.

Whilst it’s fun to speak to well-known names, part of me prefers chatting to everyday people — the ones with stories that haven’t been heard yet and are just itching to be told. When someone tells me it’s their first-ever radio interview, I get excited. It’s a fresh new story being told for the first time, as opposed to a celebrity repeating the same tale for the twelfth time that week. Everyone has a story — and I love giving them the space to tell it.

Recently, my Radio Woking colleague Luke McNamara and I took a trip to Wey Valley House care home in Farnham to meet the residents and record their summer memories from childhood, which we’re now sharing with our listeners over the summer.

I had previously connected with Nathan Cripps, the deputy manager at Wey Valley House, who came on my show to talk about a fundraising ‘I’m a Celeb’-style eating challenge the staff were doing to raise money for resident entertainment. There was some real dedication there from the hard-working team. We also spoke about the Abbeyfield Wey Valley Society, the charitable organisation that runs care homes like Wey Valley House.

After that first interview, we arranged a visit to the home and spent time recording the residents’ summer memories. One lady, Pat, told me about her experience as a child evacuee during the Second World War, when she was sent to Norfolk.

These conversations are so special — for me, they really brought history to life, with first-hand accounts from those who were actually there. We also shared some school day memories and found out what everyone was like at school.

It was particularly special having Luke there, as he’s a Gen Z just starting out on his university journey. He was able to gain some valuable life advice from the older generation at Wey Valley House.

These recordings are being broadcast across the summer on my Sunday morning programme on Radio Woking and are also available on demand on my podcast page: www.jonandrews01.podbean.com

Listen to my shows on Radio Woking: Sundays, 9am to 12pm, Wednesdays, 7am to 9am

To get in touch, email [email protected] or send a voice note via www.speakpipe.com/jonandrews