This summer was packed with Scouts travelling on International Expeditions and trips and Surrey Scouts joined in on the fun. Scouts from 3rd Epsom & 8th/14th Epsom joined 700 other young people from across Surrey to have their own summer adventure.

The Scouts attended Surrey’s Kix. Challenging themselves to take part activities over a week at Kandersteg International Scout Centre (KISC), Kandersteg, Switzerland.

This year sees the centenary of KISC, where at the beginning on August, saw Dignatories from Switzerland and members of WOSM (World Scout Scout Movement) and members of the Commissioner team from UK Scouting take part in the festivities.

While Surrey Scouts were on site, they met Scouts from Australia, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Israel, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal and other parts of the UK.

Thirteen coaches set off from Cobham Services (thanks to them for accommodating their departure and return). Apart from the UK contingent visiting south Korea for the World Scout Jamboree, this expedition was the largest contingent of Scouts from the UK visiting overseas this year.

While in Switzerland, Scouts Walked high into the Mountains with our trained (and KISC trained) Mountain walkers, rafted from Thun to Bern (as well as getting to visit Thun & Bern), went high into the trees as part of a High Rope course in Interlaken (as well as getting to visit Interlaken).

All Troops also helped out on site and got to visit the local area. Troops also chose a Troop day, where some Scouts went up the Schithorn (the one in the Bond movie), Jungfrau, Rothorn (via a steam ship and train), visited the Thermal pools in Brigerbad, Toboganning at Lake Oeschinen, Zip Wire and Trotti bikes in Grindelwald amongst other things.

Ian MacQueen Expedition leader said “KIX 2023 took two years to plan with and aim to give 700 Scouts and leaders the opportunity to try new activities, make new friends and learn skills for life. I think it is safe to say we achieved our aim and more. My thanks to the staff and leaders who made the event a success. We will now start to plan KIX 2026”

Owen a Scout from 1st Nork said “My favourite thing about KIX was the river rafting and being able to invade all the other boats”.

Caramay a Scout from 3rd Epsom said “My favourite bit of the week was the trip to the Thermal baths because it gave an opportunity to rest during the active week”.

Samuel a Scout from 3rd Epsom said The rafting was the best because the experience was enjoyable and the scenery was amazing.”

Scouts are for Boys and Girls aged 10.5 to 14. Pre-pandemic youth membership was 479,000 (2020)
Up until the pandemic, The Scouts enjoyed a sustained period of growth, with total membership rising by nearly 200,000 between 2006 and 2020

2020 to 2021, youth membership fell from 480,083 to 362,752 – a 24.5% decline – and adult membership fell from 155,907 to 141,863. 2021 to 2022 membership growth is 362,668 to 421,852 – an increase of 16%

All genders, races and backgrounds are welcome at Scouts. Every week, it gives almost over a third of a million people aged 6-25 the skills they need for school, college, university, the job interview, the important speech, the tricky challenge and the big dreams: the skills they need for life.

Individuals are 15% less likely to suffer from mood swings and anxiety if you’ve been a Scout or Guide, according to a Cohort study by the University of Edinburgh and Glasgow, 2016.

Neil Wibberley

Related Reports:

Epsom scouts on Korean jamboree

Dutch scouts go English in Epsom & Ewell

Would you be able to provide a temporary home for a cat in need? Cats Protection Epsom Ewell and District branch has been helping local cats since 1988 and is in urgent need of volunteer indoor fosterers.

They are looking for people who can provide temporary foster care in their own homes for cats like Kelly. Kelly was handed over to Cats Protection when her owner could no longer care for her.

Volunteering to foster a cat can be hugely rewarding; all you need is time, a safe space, and a love of cats. As a fosterer, you would be taking care of a cat in need until they find them their “forever” home.

Cats Protection will provide you with full training, to enhance your skills and knowledge and will cover the cost of equipment, food, and vet bills.

Current volunteer fosterer Helen says “I love the company of cats and by fostering I get to help lots of cats. Of course, I get attached to each cat I foster, but I can then help another cat find their new home. There are so many cats which need our help.”

Why become a fosterer?

It is a wonderful and rewarding experience.
It provides the opportunity of having the company of cats in your home, without the responsibility of ownership or expense.
It means that you can take time out e.g., to accommodate planned breaks.

They are looking for people who:

Can provide a safe, secure, indoor environment with sufficient space to allow the cat to eat, sleep and play.

Have the time to feed, groom, play and clean the bedding and equipment.

Own their own home or have permission from the landlord for a pet and are 18 years or older.

Cats Protection Epsom Ewell and District branch is run by a small team of dedicated, cat-loving volunteers, all of whom are passionate about improving the lives of cats and kittens in Epsom, Ewell, and the surrounding area.

They work hard to find loving new homes for local cats in our care, offer support and help with the cost of neutering, provide advice on lost and found cats, as well arranging education / welfare talks within the Epsom and Ewell area.

They also have a charity shop in Banstead High Street.

To find out more about becoming a fosterer you can email volunteering@epsom.cats.org.uk

To find out more about all the work they see https://www.cats.org.uk/epsom

Cats Protection’s Epsom Ewell and District branch is part of a national network of 256 volunteer-run
branches and 30 centres that together help over 166,000 cats and kittens each year.

Scouts from across Surrey, including Epsom and Ewell, arrived in South Korea for the 25^th World Scout Jamboree being held  from August 1^st – 12^th 2023. The Jamboree is a two-week event holding significant historical value as the first Jamboree dates back to 1920. Scouts from 150 countries across the globe come together once every four years to promote unity, community and togetherness.

This year the event is hosted in Gunsan-si, South Korea and it is the second time in the country as the 17th World Scout Jamboree was held in the country back in 1991. Festivities kicked off from August 1^st and will end on the 12^th. During this time, young scouts will bask in skill development, learn new skills, experience new cultures, and make international bonds with fellow scouts who may not share the same mother tongue but hold the same values as one another.

Those heading to the Jamboree will also have the amazing opportunity of exploring Seoul for three days and also embark on the popular Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) tour – where they will see the original demarcation line between North Korea and South Korea.

Scouts from Surrey and 5,000 other members across the UK, have joined over 40,000 scouts from almost every country in the world this year. Many Scouts spend years looking forward to this event as only Scouts ages 14- to 17 are eligible to apply for the Jamboree. Participants are selected two years ahead of the event so the Scouts can focus on their fundraising skills to fund their trip. Adults are also entitled to join the Jamboree as scoutmasters or event staff.

The Jamboree is a one in a lifetime opportunity for young scouts. These young people do not only gain practical skills but also make bonds for life, connected by one thing – Scouting.

As has been widely reported in the national media a heat-wave disrupted the Jamboree but still Epsom Scouts feel positive about the experience:

Ben, from Epsom & Ewell district, said: “Although the event was cut short I feel incredibly lucky that I got to experience a camp of that scale with that amount of diversity and culture and even though I am gutted the Jamboree experience is over I think the skills, memories and friends we have all gained from this once of a lifetime experience will stay with us forever.”

Chief Scout Bear Grylls said: ‘Scouts from all corners of the UK are travelling over 12 hours to South Korea for the 25^th World Scouts Jamboree. This year five thousand talented young people from the UK and 40 thousand from over 150 countries across the globe will come together to take on new adventures, make lifelong friendships and experience this once in a life time opportunity. This year is extra special, as it will mark the 100th anniversary of the Korean Scout, a milestone we will all be able to celebrate together at the 2023 World Jamboree.

‘The theme of the Jamboree this year is to “Draw your Dream”, representing our willingness to accept young people’s ideas and opinions, and create an opportunity for them to make their Jamboree dreams come true.

I’m so proud to be a part of a movement that puts young people first by helping almost half a million people develop skills for life.”

Neil Wibberley

A £2.8million grant has been awarded to a wildlife charity as it aims to fulfil its founder’s last wishes.
The Wildlife Aid Foundation, based in Leatherhead, was founded 40 years ago by Simon Cowell.

The money, which Surrey County Council’s cabinet approved today (Tuesday 25th July) will be used to build a community hub for hosting school, college and community groups, as well as family sessions and talks. The £2.8m represents just less than a quarter of the project cost, with the remainder being raised by the charity.

The Wildlife SOS star, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2022, launched a Simon’s Last Wish appeal to help the charity after his death.

Documents for the cabinet meeting, which made the decision on awarding the funding as part of the Your Fund Surrey money that community projects can bid for, say the project has the “potential to have a long-lasting positive impact on the environment and wildlife in Surrey”.

A planned wildlife centre would restore land bordered by the M25 and the River Mole, and give the charity a future rescuing and rehabilitating animals in Surrey.

Mr Cowell said the charity had got far bigger than he ever thought it would when he founded it 40 years ago and praised the 400 volunteers at the charity.

He told the LDRS earlier in the year: “They just do an amazing job, and without them we would not be here. It’s as simple as that.”

On his cancer diagnosis, Mr Cowell said he was in “total denial of the whole thing”. He said: “We all think we won’t get it, and when you do get cancer, you’ve got two choices. You sit in the corner and sulk, or you just ignore it and get on with it while you can. So I’ve done that, basically.”

Emily Coady-Stemp LDRS

Epsom and Ewell Times adds:

After the grant was announced Simon Cowell said: “It’s an astonishing fact that a third of Surrey’s biodiversity is either locally extinct or heading that way. The power of the Wildlife Aid Centre shows that, by all of us working together, we will be able to change this. We will inspire visitors to carry out regular, small actions which will have significant, positive impact on the environment. And by all of us doing it, our joint strength is enormous.

This amazing funding means we can finish creating the habitats and build a visitor centre that will welcome everyone. I am thrilled that Your Fund Surrey is supporting the Wildlife Aid Centre; together we will create a replicable movement for environmental good that is driven by our communities.”

Surrey County Council Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Communities and Community Safety Councillor Denise Turner-Stewart said: “I would like to congratulate the Wildlife Aid Foundation who have been successful in their application to Your Fund Surrey’s Community Project Fund.

“This is fantastic news for the Wildlife Aid Foundation and indeed for Surrey’s residents. This is a truly ambitious and inspiring community legacy project. The new centre aligns with our ambition to promote a greener future in Surrey, to help restore and protect the future of the county’s natural environment and encourage nature and wildlife to thrive. It will also offer huge benefit, opening the doors for people of all ages and backgrounds to learn more about wildlife conservation.”

A £2.9m award given to Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in June saw the total amount of money given out from the pot reach £10m since its launch in November 2020.

_{The Wildlife Aid Foundation is a charity dedicated to the rescue, care and rehabilitation of sick, injured and orphaned animals. Based in Leatherhead, Surrey, UK, the centre operates Surrey County’s only wildlife hospital (one of the three largest such hospitals in the UK) and maintains a referral service for wildlife hospitals throughout Europe. The organisation also carries out environmental activist and educational roles. Wildlife Aid has attracted media attention for its rescues of photogenic wild animals like young foxes and baby badgers; Animal Planet’s TV program Wildlife SOS chronicles the activities of Wildlife Aid volunteers as they rescue imperiled animals}

Another tragic life that ended in Epsom and a burial in Europe’s largest and now abandoned asylum cemetery. The Friends of Horton Cemetery‘s research project is bringing back to life the lives of the 9000 patients.

Kate Bailey née Cheer was born in 1882 in Abingdon, Berkshire to a farming family. Unfortunately, there is little cheer in this family’s story, which makes for a very sad read, tinged with a little mystery as to why her life unravelled. 

It is most sad because her death in 1914 left two very young children who were then to lose their father later that year at Ypres, fighting in WW1.

Theresa Kenefick-Conway tells the full story on the website www.hortoncemetery.org

A team of obstetricians, gynaecologists, neonatologists and nurses who work at Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust have raised nearly £10,000 for Bliss, the UK’s leading charity for babies born premature or sick.

Radhika Viswanatha, Nina Underwood, Ramesh Ganapathy, Demetri Panayi, Salim Yasin, Charlotte Pearse, Vicky Minns, Cristina Arias-Rey and Sharon Young took part in a skydive on 28 May 2023 at the Old Sarum Park in Salisbury.

1 in every 7 babies born in the UK will need specialist care and the group have a special link to Bliss, as they each look after women and their babies during pregnancy and delivery and beyond at Epsom and St Helier Hospital.

Some of the babies they deliver are more vulnerable than others, so are looked after by the hospital’s neonatal team.

Demetri Panayi said: “Our charity skydive was born out of moments of madness, midlife crises and irrational personal desire! But it gave us the opportunity to raise money for a cause close to our hearts, and to our patients.”

Donations to their skydive are helping Bliss to drive improvements in neonatal care, to ensure that the needs of babies are at the heart of policy and planning for the future, and to provide information and support to all families with a baby born premature or sick.

Richard Moody, Director of Fundraising at Bliss, said: “We are so grateful for the exceptional fundraising efforts of Demetri and his colleagues. Each donation to Bliss is going towards our mission of helping all babies born premature or sick in the UK have the best chance of survival and quality of life.

“This is a great example of how a perinatal team can come together to raise awareness and money for Bliss.”

You can find more information and donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/skydive2023

Molly Gorman

Cub Scouts and Brownies from Epsom & Ewell districts joined over 2700 Cub Scouts, Brownies and leaders from across Surrey for a day of fun and adventure at an activity day called SCRAM at Hook Arena, Epsom on Saturday 17^th June 2023.

Cub Scouts and Brownies were able to try many new and large activities that cannot be organised in groups or districts as well as being able to mix with Cubs and Brownies from other districts.

Over 200 activities were on offer including pedal karts, high ropes, bungy trampolines, Assault course Wire, bungee running and zorbing as well as smaller activities like making popcorn, Grand Prix table game, firing water rockets and much more. As well as having fun and enjoying the activities on offer, many activities taught them #skills for life.

During the day, a number of local Mayors from around the County visited to see what was on offer as well as CJ Ledger, Deputy UK Commissioner (Support) who spoke to the young people during the day as well as seeing what Surrey Scouting had to offer.

Oliver a Cub Scout from Surrey aged 9 said “I liked the inflatable that you had to jump over so you don’t get knocked over, I think it helped that we played a similar game at Cubs which helps with co-ordination skills”

Lauren a Cub Scout from Surrey aged 10 said “I liked the bungy trampoline because it was fun and exciting”.

Max a Cub Scout from Surrey aged 8 said “I liked the zorbing because it was fun and I haven’t done it before”.

Sarah a Brownie from Surrey aged 8 said “I liked the activities and the excitement of the day, there was lots to do”.

Ali Tickett, Organiser of SCRAM for Surrey said “What a day! 2,700 cubs, Brownies and leaders came to Hook Road Arena to celebrate just how brilliant being a Cub Scout and Brownie is! The cubs and Brownies had an incredible range of activities to try including a cave bus, metal detecting, pancake making as well as a high ropes course and many, many more. Some activities were just for fun and other were a real challenge all supporting the fact that Scouting helps young people develop Skills For Life.”

Related reports:

Epsom Beavers away in Surrey woods

Dutch scouts go English in Epsom & Ewell

_{Cub Scouts are for Boys and Girls aged 8 to 10.5
Brownies are for girls aged 7- 9
Brownies are part of Girlguiding UK
Pre-pandemic youth membership was 479,000 (2020)
Up until the pandemic, The Scouts enjoyed a sustained period of growth, with total membership rising by nearly 200,000 between 2006 and 2020
2020 to 2021, youth membership fell from 480,083 to 362,752 – a 24.5% decline – and adult membership fell from 155,907 to 141,863
2021 to 2022 membership growth is 362,668 to 421,852 – an increase of 16%}

The Epsom Common Association (ECA) has a membership of around five hundred households, and works closely with Epsom & Ewell Borough Council’s Countryside Team and the Lower Mole Partnership to protect and improve the Common.

On Tuesday evenings, from June until the end of August, ECA will be hand-pulling bracken for a couple of hours to prevent selected areas of heath or grassland from becoming smothered. During the autumn they will hold the three remaining conservation tasks of the year’s programme of eight. Each task runs for two days, usually the third Sunday of the month and the following Monday. The programme is agreed with the Countryside Team, guided by the Council’s Hundred Year Management Plan. The work typically involves removing scrub and small trees to maintain and improve areas of grass and heath or rejuvenate scrub.

Sustainable Epsom and Ewell in partnership with St Martin’s Church are looking forward to hosting their 3rd Eco Fair on Saturday July 1st between 10:00 and 14:00. The event is free for all to attend and will include activities for children. Hot food and cakes will be available on the day.

Sustainable Epsom and Ewell is delighted to welcome again to our 3rd event the the Epsom Common Association. Further details about the work they do can be found on the website

https://www.sustainableepsomewell.co.uk.

Around fifteen cattle will be grazing across three separate pastures, following in the footsteps of their wild and subsequently domesticated ancestors. Every day the cattle must be checked for health, as must the fences and water troughs. Each week the ECA provides four of the daily checks; without this contribution it is unlikely that grazing could continue.

As well as conservation work, each year ECA publish three newsletters, hold two public meetings with guest speakers, and arrange several expert led guided walks. Of this summer’s programme, walks for: butterflies (2nd July) and bush crickets (6th August) are still to take place; and residents are very welcome to come along.

Finally, ECA make excellent hardwood charcoal from logs harvested during conservation work. Two years ago, thanks to funding from the Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy, they were able to take delivery of a modern charcoal retort, which has greatly reduced the smoke whilst increasing the yield. Their charcoal is available at local retailers, the sales help finance activities.

Last September, funded from a generous legacy in memory of Dave Berry, a volunteer on the Common, ECA worked with the Lower Mole Partnership to create a new pond. Despite a dry start, by early spring it was full and should provide a new habitat for invertebrates and amphibians. Some funds remain and ECA are considering overgrown and silted ponds for future restoration.

In February ECA funded the installation of two Kestrel nest boxes high up in Oak trees. At least one now appears to have been occupied. Might this suggest a shortage of natural nest sites, despite the substantial number of large trees? Many organisations, including the Countryside Team and members of the ECA, contribute significant effort to monitoring a wide range of animals and plants on the Common.

Previously unrecorded species including various dragonflies and the Black Hairstreak butterfly (probably introduced but now breeding); the third year of Grey Herons nesting at Great Pond; and continuing good numbers of many species all suggest that in many respects the habitat management is successful.

However losses such as breeding Willow Warblers, declining across the south and east of the UK, demonstrate the limits of individual nature reserves, which have only a tiny impact on climate change and none on damage to other areas of the planet that may be essential for a particular creature’s life cycle.

Next year will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Association. ECA are considering what celebration might be appropriate, suggestions welcome. If you would like to help the ECA on its next fifty years please do get in touch. It is not all outdoor work, there is also plenty to be done in organisation, publicity and the like.

Details of activities and contacts can found at: https://epsomcommon.org.uk/ 
or
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EpsomCommonAssociation

David King

_{Top image: Berry Pond – Epsom Common}

Related reports:

Flagging Up Epsom Common

Storm Eunice – Can the Epsom Common Ducks handle it?

Epsom Common Bird Walk Poem

The Epsom and Ewell Tree Advisory Board (EETAB) founded in 1994 is a partnership of environmentally minded volunteers from the local community who work together to safeguard and promote the value of trees in the borough.

EETAB operates via volunteer TREE CHAMPIONS who feel that trees matter and who help to care for trees in their road or local park. Their aim is to ensure that they pass on to future generations a borough that is at least as leafy as the one we have inherited. EETAB is part of the wider Surrey Tree Warden Network.

One of the key roles EETAB has is to monitor Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) and Conservation Area planning applications.  EETAB seeks to ensure that major planning applications include appropriate soft landscaping requirements and tree planting to enhance the townscape. They provide scrutiny to these applications and this role is vital to maintain mature trees and ensure leafiness is maintained within the Borough. Both these activities often require site visits or follow up reviews to ensure any tree work or developments are aligned with the planning application.

Sustainable Epsom and Ewell in partnership with St Martin’s Church are looking forward to hosting their 3rd Eco Fair on Saturday July 1st between 10:00 and 14:00. The event is free for all to attend and will include activities for children. Hot food and cakes will be available on the day.

One of the aims of the Eco fair is to highlight the work of the many fantastic local green groups and businesses active in the Borough and provide an opportunity for our residents to find out about the work they do and how they can support these groups and businesses. Sustainable Epsom and Ewell are therefore delighted to welcome again to our 3rd event the Epsom and Ewell Tree Advisory Board

Further details about the work they do can be found on the website
https://www.sustainableepsomewell.co.uk.

In addition to this work, EETAB also undertakes many practical tree planting work within the borough working both in establishing tree planting projects in local communities and supporting Surrey County Council to get more street trees planted. Some of the ongoing projects include:

Allotment Tree Nursery

EETAB operates a small tree nursery at the Alexandra Road allotment site. They use this site to care for young trees so that there is ready stock for tree planting projects. They have several hundred trees in pots at the nursery. A team of volunteers look after the saplings there and help maintain the plot and we are always in need of extra help with this work.

Planting Projects

Over the past year EETAB has been involved in planting projects at various sites in the borough, the largest of which has been helping to plant a 120m long section of hedge at the Epsom Riding for the Disabled site in January, followed by a further 25m section of hedge in March this year. Species planted included hazel, field maple, hawthorn, hornbeam, willow, rowan, ash, dogwood, and dog rose.

Street Trees Planting

When familiar trees are lost (due to age/disease/extreme weather) and not replaced, the appearance of a neighbourhood is altered, so the topic of street trees stirs some strong emotions amongst residents. In the planting season 2021/2022 just 10 new street trees were planted in our borough, a figure far lower than the number of street trees lost. EETAB ran a campaign highlighting the loss of street trees and the increasing numbers of stumps left in our verges to put pressure on Surrey County Council to plant more trees.

As a result of this campaign progress has been made and almost 30 street trees were planted in the borough in the 2022/2023. They worked with Surrey County Council to get 44 planted in the 2023/2024 season. There is still concern in some areas about a continuing decline in numbers of street trees, particularly in the tree lined 1930s estates of the north eastern side of the borough. EETAB appreciate residents’ frustration about the reduction in the number of trees. Replacement trees are not being planted in some of these verges as they do not pass the criteria set by Surrey County Council for street tree planting, often due to the narrow width of the verge, or due to the presence of utilities underground.

Tree care and watering

Although there is often much focus on tree planting in the media, the ongoing care and watering of these newly planted trees is equally important. EETAB volunteers regularly check on the newly planted trees in the borough, clearing vegetation around the base of the tree (to reduce competition for water and to prevent strimmer and mower damage), putting down mulch and checking the tree ties and supports. Young trees need watering regularly for the first few years after they are planted with increased frequency during spells of hot dry weather. In the summer months there is a huge need for Tree Champion volunteers to help with watering young street trees. They have a list of trees in need of a champion and would welcome additional help with this.

If you would like to find out more about the Epsom and Ewell Tree Advisory Board, please check their website: www.eetab.org.uk, follow on Facebook @EpsomEwellTreeAdvisoryBoard or email them at epsomandewelltab@gmail.com

Vicki Rees

_{Top image: EETAB Allotment Tree Nursery at Alexandra Road allotments.}

Related reports:

Council Meeting: Does Epsom need more trees?

More trees please for Surrey

Any more trees please?

Back in 1978 two patients in Epsom District Hospital were having a discussion about music. It turned out that they were both DJs and between them they decided to launch Epsom District Hospital Radio. It took a couple of years to acquire funding, equipment and support but in 1981 the station broadcast its first programmes.

Over the ensuing years the station has grown in both size and reputation, continuing to entertain and amuse the patients as well as hosting events such as school fetes, the Dorking Big Weekend, the Epsom Common Day and the Epsom and Ewell Community Fayre.

2023 marks the 45th anniversary of the station and is a landmark year. Surrey’s finest and fastest growing hospital radio station will now be broadcasting on the internet. Thanks to generous donations from Epsom and Ewell Times, Kane Construction, 3ti and the on-going support of Epsom Rotary Club, from Wednesday 31st May you will be able to listen to Epsom Hospital Radio wherever you are in the UK. The online launch at 8pm begins with a guest appearance by Epsom Rotary, one of the sponsors of EHR Online.

Epsom Hospital Radio’s President Trevor Leonard, who recently celebrated 40 years as a member, is thrilled by the latest development. “This is a pivotal moment in the 45 year history of Epsom Hospital Radio as we will now able to more actively engage with our wider local community, while still ensuring the patients of Epsom Hospital remain absolutely at the heart of everything we do.

“As well as the superb efforts of our current Station Manager, Chief Engineer, Management Team and members who have made internet broadcasting possible, this major development is also accredited to all those who have volunteered at Epsom Hospital Radio throughout the years and in doing so, helped to lay the foundations for us to take this major step forward today”.

Current Station Manager Ian Daggett said it reflected the station’s desire to progress over the last couple of years. “It’s a small step in the world of broadcasting, but for Epsom Hospital Radio it’s a giant leap. Being on the internet is something we’ve wanted to do for quite a while and we’re really looking forward to reaching out to the people of Epsom and Ewell and the surrounding areas”.

If you want to tune in to Epsom Hospital Radio, a click to listen link is now available on the homepage, which is

www.epsomhospitalradio.org.uk

You will be able to enjoy Epsom Hospital Radio playing your favourite hits from across the decades, alongside an eclectic mix of themed programs from classical to comedy, country to rock, specialist music genres, interviews with local people and the occasional celebrity as well.

You can also request a song for a patient in the hospital or a listener anywhere via the request line which is 01372 735999 or via email studio@epsomhospitalradio.org.uk