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Good morning, Surrey! Simon here. This is Inspired Surrey, and how many times this week are you going to hear “I can’t believe it’s December already!” - 6, 7, 8!?

In today’s Inspired Surrey:

• Don’t Miss Brian Cox 🌌

• Tingle Creek This Weekend 🐎

• The World-Famous Monday Wordle 🧠

• What’s on Guide for this week 📅

Let’s get to it.

🌌 Just announced: Professor Brian Cox - Warm-Up at G Live

🗓️ Friday 6 February 2026, 7:30pm
📍 G Live Main Auditorium, Guildford
🎟️ £41 + up to £3.95 fee | Online sales only

After the arena-scale success of Horizons, Professor Brian Cox is back with an intimate warm-up show, a chance to hear new material while it’s still being honed.

Expect big ideas made clear: cosmology, space-time, origins and endings, and our place in the universe, with fewer stage effects and more straight, thoughtful explanation.

Why this matters: it’s just announced, in a smaller room than his tour venues, and these warm-ups go fast. If you prefer explanations over spectacle, this is your night. ✨

What To Expect:

• Big topics made approachable: cosmology, space-time, origins and endings, and our place in the universe.

• Less spectacle than the arena show; more diagrams, thought experiments, and plain-English science.

• Occasional audience interaction as he refines the new material.

⭐“Stunning” — Liverpool Echo • “Jaw-dropping… human life both irrelevant and hugely precious” — The Guardian

👉 Tickets via G Live (online only).

@InspiredSurrey 📸

📸 @surrey_snaps | 📍 Harry Edwards Foundation, Surrey Hills

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🐎 Tingle Creek Christmas Festival – Sandown’s Big Festive Raceday Weekend

🗓️ Friday 5 & Saturday 6 December 2025
📍 Sandown Park Racecourse, Esher
🎟️ Tickets via The Jockey Club

If you fancy a proper Surrey tradition with a bit of winter cheer thrown in, the Tingle Creek Christmas Festival at Sandown Park is a brilliant way to kick off December. It’s two days of top-class jump racing, good food, plenty of atmosphere, and that unmistakable buzz that only Sandown seems to pull off.

Friday is the quieter, inside-knowledge day. It’s a cracker for racing fans who like following future stars, with one of the standout races being the Winter Novices’ Hurdle — a glimpse at horses that often go on to big things later in the season.

Saturday is the showstopper. This is when the crowds come out in force for one of the biggest races in the sport, the Tingle Creek Chase. It’s fast, dramatic, and usually over in a blur — the kind of race that has the stands roaring whether you came for the sport, the atmosphere, or just the social side of it all.

You’ll find plenty of food and drink on site, a festive buzz in the air, and a real mix of people — from hardcore racing fans with binoculars to groups of mates just enjoying a great winter day out.

Worth knowing:
• Easy to get to from across Surrey
• Loads of places to grab food and a warming drink
• Friday is calmer, Saturday is louder and livelier
• Wrap up warm – it’s December after all

Whether you’re going all-in on the racing or just fancy a different kind of Christmas outing, this one’s a Surrey classic.

👉 Click here for your tickets.

Ottershaw Christmas Tree Farm & Santa’s Grotto 🎅

If you’re ready to make Christmas official, Ottershaw Christmas Tree Farm is now open and running right through to 23rd December. It’s one of those proper festive spots where you can pick your tree in the fresh air and let the kids meet Father Christmas in his woodland cabin — and the best bit? The grotto visit is free when you buy a tree.

They’re open every day:

• Weekdays: 9am–7:30pm

• Weekends: 7:30am–7:30pm

You’ll find them just outside Ottershaw on the A320 toward Chertsey, right by the ambulance station and close to M25 Junction 11 (postcode KT16 0PJ).

The Monday Wordle: Episode 43 🧠

It’s Monday, so you know what that means, Wordle time!

Click here to play.

Last week’s answer: spice

We Are Now On Instagram 📸 

If you are on Instagram, please follow @inspiredsurrey if you can. It would be much appreciated. The account was only started recently, so we still barely have any friends/followers, I’d very much appreciate a follow!

Thank you so much to everyone who followed us! You’re the best! 😊

The Digest 🗞️😀

Tucked away in Guildford’s research park, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) has been revolutionising space since 1981: Long before Elon made it cool. Born out of the University of Surrey, SSTL flipped the satellite industry on its head by proving you could build small, affordable satellites using commercial parts. Since then, they’ve built over 70 satellites, partnered with NASA and ESA, and helped 22 countries take their first steps into orbit. Not bad for a company that started with a “why not?” 🚀🌍

Families in Ashtead, Bookham, Dorking, and Leatherhead are in for a treat, as Mole Valley District Council has approved a whopping £3.9 million investment to revamp local parks and playgrounds. Funded through the Community Infrastructure Levy on developers, the upgrades aim to improve outdoor spaces and boost quality of life across the district. Councillor Nick Wright called it a “fantastic opportunity” for families, and with playgrounds playing such a vital role in community life, the timing couldn’t be better. Read more here. 🎉🛝

Guildford's own Matthew Phillips, a three-time paraclimbing world champion, is setting his sights on making history at the 2028 Paralympics, where the sport will debut for the first time. Competing in the AU2 category (upper arm amputation), Matthew returned to the wall this year after a brief retirement — inspired by the chance to be one of the sport’s first Paralympians. The 25-year-old trains and works at Surrey Summit, calling it both his “peaceful place” and a space where he still burns off competitors with unique skills shaped by his limb difference. 🥇🧱

Surrey residents are being urged to prepare for a bout of heavy rain and strong winds early next week, as the Met Office issues a yellow weather warning across the South East. The warning runs from 8am Monday to 6am Tuesday, with 20–30mm of rain expected and a risk of localised flooding, travel disruption, and even power cuts. Roads could become waterlogged, so if you're heading out, keep a close eye on conditions and plan ahead — it might be a good week to dig out the waterproofs and avoid low-lying routes. ☔🚗

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What’s On This Week 📅

East Surrey

🔨 Caterham Repair Cafe
The Westway, Community Centre, Caterham, Saturday 6th, 10:30am | More info

💼 Careers Fair
Bluehouse Lane, Oxted, Tuesday 2nd, 9:00am | More info

🏇 The Betfair Tingle Creek Festival
Sandown Park Racecourse, Esher, Friday-Saturday 6th, 11:00am | More info

⭐ Light up a Life
Princess Alice Hospice, Esher, Sunday 7th, 4:30pm | More info

🎅 Christmas Evening Market at Denbies
Denbies Wine Estate, Dorking, Tuesday 2nd, 4:30pm | More info

🍷 The Little Sip and Shop
The Queens Head Nutfield, Redhill, Thursday 4th, 7:00pm | More info

😋 Little Pickles Market
Merstham Park School, Redhill, Sunday 7th, 10:00am | More info

West Surrey

🤶 Guildford Santa Fun Run 2025
Stoke Park, Guildford, Sunday 7th, 9:00am | More info

🎵 The Specials Ltd Too Much To Young 45th Anniversary
The Holroyd Arms, Guildford, Friday 5th, 7:30pm | More info

🎁 Milford Village Christmas Market
Milford Village Hall, Milford, Saturday 6th, 10:00am | More info

🎄 Christmas Tree Festival
St Georges Church, Badshot Lea, Friday-Sunday 7th | More info

🤶 Meet Mrs Claus
Elphicks, Farnham, Saturday 6th, 11:00am | More info

✨ Light Up Chobham
Station Road, Chobham, Friday 5th, 3:00pm | More info

🦌 Ripley Christmas Fair
Ripley Village, Woking, Sunday 7th, 11:00am | More info

🛋️ Upholstery & Soft Furnishings Class
Chobham Village Hall, Chobham, Tuesday 2nd, 10:00am | More info

🥂 Bubbles & Baubles: Festive Crafting
Eggham on Toast Cafe, Staines, Thursday 4th, 6:00pm | More info

Weather

Monday
12° 🌡️ 6° | 🌧️💨 | A proper soggy start to December. Cloudy, windy and often wet, with outbreaks of rain that could turn heavy at times. Highs around 12 °C, lows near 6 °C. Definitely a “school run in full waterproofs and hope for the best” kind of day.

Tuesday
11° 🌡️ 4° | 🌤️🌦️ | A brighter, fresher feel. Sunny intervals with a few passing showers, but plenty of dry spells in between. Highs near 11 °C, dropping to about 4 °C overnight. A decent day to grab a lunchtime walk or sneak in a coffee outside if you wrap up.

Wednesday
10° 🌡️ 5° | 🌤️ | Probably the pick of the week. Mostly dry with good sunny spells and just the odd light shower lurking. Highs around 10 °C, lows about 5 °C. Chilly in the shade, but if you’re out and about, you might actually see some blue sky for once.

Thursday
10° 🌡️ 5° | 🌧️💨 | Back to blustery. Cloud thickens up again, and a band of rain looks set to push through, with winds picking up through the day. Highs near 10 °C. One for indoor Christmas shopping rather than leisurely market browsing.

Friday
10° 🌡️ 7° | ☁️💨 | Low cloud and an increasingly windy feel to end the working week. Mostly dry but a bit of drizzle possible here and there. Highs around 10 °C, with a milder night near 7 °C. Not exactly festive postcard weather, but good for getting from A to B without being totally drenched.

Thank you! 👍

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