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Good Morning Surrey,
The weekend has arrived in Surrey wearing polished shoes, carrying a tote bag, and quietly pretending it did not check the mortgage rate before breakfast. There is money news, business news, a school governance agenda now peering thoughtfully at AI, and enough weekend activity to make the family calendar look as though it has been briefed by the Cabinet Office. Happily, we have sifted the pile, removed the bits not quite ready for public life, and kept the items that may actually nudge your plans, your bills, your journey, or your Sunday mood.
If you are heading anywhere near Epsom for Derby weekend, check your timings before setting off. Surrey roads have a way of turning “we’ll leave in five” into a constitutional matter. Tell us where you are going this weekend, especially if you find parking without needing a small act of Parliament.
Now in today’s edition,
Surrey governors prepare to take on school AI governance
Inflation eases, but rate-watchers are politely told to remain seated
5G+ expands across Surrey towns, smaller communities and rural villages
Farnham gets a new M&S Food store, with Godalming still in the pipeline
East Surrey’s shadow authority holds meeting before the 2027 council changeover
Derby Festival, lavender, markets, music, wine
tasting and few useful local services
Let’s take a look.
— Prince Khurram
P.S. Our Monday Update leans more towards news, and the Friday Weekender is lighter on news and fuller on events and Eat & Drink. We would really welcome your thoughts on this format and how we can improve The Surrey Digest for you.
Defense Spending Is Surging. Here's Where It's Going.
Global defense budgets are expanding, but the allocation has changed. A growing share of spending is going toward AI-enabled systems, satellite networks, and advanced aerospace, not the platforms that dominated the last generation of procurement. We identified five companies at the center of this reallocation in a single research brief. Inside, you'll find the investment case for each, the contracts driving revenue, and the risks worth understanding before you commit capital. If you want exposure to defense sector growth beyond the traditional mega-caps, this report is a practical starting point. Free, concise, and built for investors who want to move ahead of the crowd.
News
Surrey governors take on school AI
Surrey school governors and trust boards are being invited to a free governance conference in Reigate on Wednesday 10 June 2026, looking at how AI should be overseen in schools. This is a training and conference agenda shared on behalf of Schools Alliance for Excellence, not a Surrey County Council policy announcement.
The event is from 3:30pm to 6pm at Woodhatch Place, Surrey County HQ, Reigate.
Registration and afternoon tea start from 3:30pm, keynote session from 4:45pm
Agenda: Governing AI adoption and using AI to support governance practice.
Practical themes include AI strategy, risk, data protection, safeguarding and tools.
The useful question for governors is not whether every classroom suddenly needs a chatbot with a lanyard. It is whether boards know what to ask before AI quietly appears in procurement, assessment, workload planning and school data.
Click here: To book a free place and read the event details
5G+ expands across Surrey
Virgin Media O2 says its next-generation 5G+ connectivity is now available across 33 large towns, 48 smaller towns and 194 rural villages in Surrey. This is one for anyone who has ever lost signal halfway through saying “I’m just outside Guildford”.
The rollout is countywide, not just focused on the biggest town centres.
Rural villages are included, which matters for work, travel, home admin and emergency contact.
Coverage still depends on device, location and network conditions, as mobile signals remain an oddly philosophical matter.
Click here: To check 5G+ rollout details
National headlines for Surrey
Mortgage approvals rise as new rates edge up
Bank of England data shows mortgage approvals rose to 65,900, while the effective new mortgage rate rose to 4.08%. Good for market movement, less charming for anyone staring at a remortgage letter with a brave face.
Click here: To read mortgage and credit data
MESSAGE FROM HIRE5 MENSWEAR GUILDFORD
County Updates
Surrey business support for high streets and founders
Business Surrey says more than 440 high-street businesses have been supported, and Surrey Venture Studios’ first incubation programme is now under way. One helps established traders adapt; the other helps founders avoid learning every lesson the expensive way.
The support is for helping businesses diversify income and reach new customers.
The Venture Studio programme is aimed at founder support, including grant potential.
Click here: To read the high-street business support update
Community Digest
M&S opens in Farnham, with Godalming still to come
Source: corporate.marksandspencer.com
Marks & Spencer has opened a new Food store in Farnham, while a Godalming store remains in the wider pipeline. Future store plans should still be treated as subject to the usual property and planning steps, which is to say nobody should embroider the bunting just yet. The local angle is high-street footfall, convenience shopping and whether dinner becomes “something from M&S”, again.
Click here: To read the store-opening update
The family trip your kids will still talk about at 30
Intrepid just launched eight new Premium Family trips across Borneo, Morocco, India, Costa Rica and more — small groups, experienced local guides, elevated stays, and immersive cultural experiences designed specifically for families. All the logistics sorted so you can actually enjoy it.
Events
Special Events
Derby Festival | 5-6 June | Epsom Downs Racecourse, Epsom (Info/Tickets)
Description: Derby weekend across Friday and Saturday, with the Derby listed for 4pm on Saturday. Expect crowds, polished shoes, and at least one person explaining racing form with ministerial confidence.
Wellbeing Festival | 6 June | Sunbury Manor School, Sunbury (Info/Tickets)
Description: A Spelthorne wellbeing event for Saturday. Good if you want something constructive from the weekend that does not involve wrestling a garden centre trolley.
Outdoors
Lavender Farm Opening | 6 June-23 August | Mayfield Lavender Farm, Banstead (Info/Tickets)
Description: The lavender farm opens daily from 9am to 6pm, with last entry at 5:15pm. Peak Surrey if your camera roll needs purple fields and your shoes need dust.
Picnic in the Park | 7 June | Gatton Park, Reigate (Info/Tickets)
Description: Gatton Park’s open day picnic runs from 12pm to 5pm. A sensible choice if you want gardens, fresh air and a picnic that remains upright for more than seven minutes.
Music & Gigs
Evening Concert | 5 June | Farnham (Info/Tickets)
Description: A Friday evening concert listed from 7pm to 9:15pm. Civilised, provided nobody says “shall we just get one drink first” and derails the timetable.
Live Music | 6 June | Cranleigh Arts, Cranleigh (Info/Tickets)
Description: A Saturday evening gig listed for 7:30pm. Check the live programme before booking, as arts listings do like to keep one alert.
Theatre & Performances
Riverdance Screening | 7 June | The Leatherhead Theatre, Leatherhead (Info/Tickets)
Description: A screening rather than a live stage show. Useful distinction, especially if someone in your group was expecting the floorboards to receive a personal apology.
Markets
Maltings Monthly Market | 6 June | Farnham Maltings, Farnham (Info)
Description: The monthly market returns on Saturday, with stalls and local browsing under one roof. A good place for buying “just one thing” and leaving with three.
Haslemere Farmers Market | 6 June | Haslemere (Info)
Description: Farmers market verified for 10am to 1:30pm. Good for local produce, weekend supplies and pretending the nice cheese was always part of the plan.
Walton-on-Thames Market | 6 June | Outside The Heart / New Zealand Avenue area, Walton-on-Thames (Info)
Description: Walton’s first-Saturday market is on the list for this weekend. Expect the usual market mix, and check details before travelling if the weather becomes theatrical.
Epsom Market | 7 June | Epsom (Info)
Description: Epsom’s first-Sunday market fits Sunday 7 June. Handy if Saturday has already been claimed by sport, family admin or a quiet lie-down after looking at interest rates.
Eat and Drink
Restaurant of the Week | Lomri
Source: https://www.thestaffcanteen.com
Location: Foxhills, Ottershaw
Description: Lomri is the new restaurant at Foxhills, and it is worth treating as a polished Surrey dining option rather than a breathless “drop everything” announcement. The Visit Surrey feature frames it as a new dining destination, so the sensible reader move is to check menus, booking terms and the current offer before promising the household something grand.
This is the sort of place that may suit a grown-up dinner, a family occasion, or the pleasant fiction that nobody will discuss traffic on the way home. Expect the setting to do some of the heavy lifting. As ever with hotel and resort dining, check prices and availability before setting off in shoes that require commitment.
Click here: To see sample menus and restaurant information
Vineyard Tour and Tasting | 6 June | Albury Vineyard, Silent Pool, Albury (Info/Tickets)
Description: A vineyard tour and tasting from 11am to 12:30pm, with event cost listed at £27.50. Includes an introduction to English wine, a vineyard walk and a tasting, which is a respectable Saturday before lunch.
Directory
Bryant Electrical | Ongoing | Woking, Guildford, Knaphill and surrounding Surrey areas (Info/Quote)
Description: Local electrical services for planned work and household fixes. Sensible for the moment a switch, socket or light fitting begins behaving like it has inherited a title.
Suddies | Ongoing | Surrey (Info/Quote)
Description: Domestic appliance repairs for the day the washing machine decides it has served the realm long enough. Useful before anyone starts measuring up for a replacement in a mood.
Stitch Studio | Ongoing | Epsom (Info/Quote)
Description: Alterations and dry-cleaning services in Epsom. Handy before weddings, interviews, race days and any event where “it’ll probably fit” is not a strategy.
Buckland Carpets & Flooring | Ongoing | Redhill (Info/Quote)
Description: Carpets and flooring for homes that have reached the “we really must do something about that room” stage. Also useful if cream carpet and family life are no longer natural allies.
Illuminations | Ongoing | Camberley (Info/Quote)
Description: Independent lighting showroom in Camberley. Useful if your current lighting scheme can best be described as interrogation room with lampshade.
Pearson’s Removals | Ongoing | Farnham (Info/Quote)
Description: Removals and storage services for house moves, office moves and the noble Surrey tradition of owning more boxes than one admits to publicly.
And Finally,
A gentle reminder that Surrey in June operates on two settings, glorious countryside and oddly complicated parking. Take the useful bits, check what needs checking, and leave a little room for doing absolutely nothing. It is underrated, deeply local, and rarely requires a booking fee.
Have a good weekend, Surrey.
Thank for reading. Let’s chat on Monday.
