Peter Stewart

I reckon we've, well, obviously 52 episodes, over a thousand events listed, nearly 200 interviews done. Places I've been to, well, of course, Rygate, Redhill, Merston, Buckland, Betchworth and Brockham, but also Lye and Charlewood and Hawley. Been to the hospital a couple of times, Mercer's Lake, Rygate Hill, Gatton. I mean, more and more places than that.

Spoken to people at their football, tennis, netball, volleyball and cricket clubs. Events covered have been in the wet. Reigate Summer Festival, anyone? Sunny, the YMCA Fun Run, the Cyclocross event. That was hot and sunny, wasn't it? I've been inside and outside.

I've spoken to officials and organisers, singers and winners and volunteers, counsellors and creatives, a poet and a songwriter, charity staff, hospital staff, authors, artists, photographers, ceramicists... a dairy farmer, a war historian, and I've brought you stories from history of Samuel Palmer and the World War II plane crash and Richard Carrington, the man who built Donata House.

And I've been to events and reported from events that other media just haven't been at or have reported on several days or sometimes a few weeks later. I thought you might be interested to know our top 10 episodes downloaded by you over the past 12 months.

And number 10, episode 25, featuring the first part of our story about, as I've just mentioned, the Reigate Hill plane crash, which we spread and told over three shows. 9.

at number nine in our top 10 of most downloaded episodes was episode 39 so ahead of the reigate summer festival one of the organizers karen took us on a walk and talk through the town telling us what acts will be performing where we also partnered with ray fest over the summer and james told us all about it incidentally this past year we also partnered with the pub in the park

the Reigate and Redhill Music and Drama Festival, the Archway Theatre, and we've got ongoing collaborations with the Children's Trust and support from the Belfrit Shopping Centre as well. In another occasional feature, Priory Bark was in episode 39. We have conversations with local dog owners about their pets, and in that episode, Ian told us about Pepper, his Siberian husky.

And also, we had memories of long-time Redhill and Reigate shopkeeper, Jimmy Bridger. Our eighth most downloaded episode from the past year was episode 32. We started telling the history of the Donata School building. Who was it built for? Why? We listed the best local bluebell woods that are near pubs. Very important.

And we heard from Jamie Amos, Redhill-based musician, composer, producer, music promoter and mentor.

Was episode 44 with Katie Beth from Inner Art Tuition and also had a big list of our summer holiday events for kids.

Our sixth most downloaded episode from the past 12 months, episode 48. We featured the swimming pool in Bancroft Road. More on that to come in the next few episodes. Also thoughts on what could be in Memorial Park going forward. We heard from four wonderful winners of local volunteer awards. And we heard about the passing of John Shinner, the man who bought Priory Farm back in 1957.

and developed it into what it is today. Also in episode 48, it was our breakdown Q&A of the reason behind the Harlequin closure.

Our fifth most popular episode from the past 12 months, episode 30, featuring Betchworth churchyard stories. Yeah, Karen, the Betchworth village archivist with a couple of stories of those buried at St Michael's. It was the anniversary of the curious case of Kevin Keegan and what happened to him on Reigate Hill when episode 30 came out.

We told you that story in episode 30 and we heard from District Commissioner for Scouting Tony Brown and also from his son Matt Brown, the leader of 17th Reigate Scouts, where you may remember this story, their minibus had been taken and torched the previous week. Episode 45 comes in at fourth place of the most listened to episode of the past 12 months.

In that episode, we spoke with various long service volunteers from across the area who had been recognised at Reigate Town Hall. A reminder that each week we mention local people who've done something good. We call it the Planet Reigate Stars. See what we did? A neighbour, a friend, stranger, shopkeeper.

Someone who's done something, maybe as a one-off or maybe regularly, that has made your life a little bit better. Yeah, we're into the top three of most listened to episodes of the Planet Reigate podcast over the last 12 months. And at number three, episode 37, in which we heard more about the Reigate Summer Festival with Tim, one of the organisers.

And just ahead of the Wimbledon tennis season, I went down to Reigate Priory Lawn Tennis Club to speak to Britt and some of the other players about what the club can offer players of all ages. And we heard from Nicky, who runs Cut Price Acupuncture Sessions in Merstham, and was telling me what she may be able to do to help you.

In second place, episode 33, where we heard about the changing face of Reigate. Yeah, Andrew Farrant, senior partner at local estate agents White & Son, was our guest. Hear how Reigate developed since the war, the influence of big business coming to the area, and how that affected the price of a house locally. What Reigate did that Dorking didn't.

that caused our town to surge ahead in popularity and pass our neighbours. We also heard from seven members of Merstham Cricket Club and the man who built the Donata School building as his home. Yeah, we continued with that story, how he got to be famous, the scandal surrounding him and his legacy today.

And we had the news that we had broken on social media a few days earlier ahead of anybody else. about the closure of the M&S in the Belfry. And, of course, the story of what replaces M&S in the Belfry still remains untold. So, those are our most popular episodes from the first year of the Planet Reigate podcast, from ten to two. But which episode have you, in effect, voted your favourite?