JU NE 2018
Celebrating
SUFFOLK June 21 is not only the longest day of the year but, thanks to BBC Radio Suffolk’s Mark Murphy, it will be Suffolk Day too. Anne Gould finds out how it all came about
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any a true word is spoken in jest but when Mark Murphy joked on air that maybe our glorious county should have a celebratory day all to itself – he never anticipated what was going to happen next. “The phones at Radio Suffolk started ringing and then we thought that maybe it was a good idea after all.” Mark, the Breakfast Show host on BBC Radio Suffolk championed the first ever Suffolk Day last year and it was so popular that it’s not only being repeated but thanks to support from the county council it has now got its own website too. “It all came about after I did an interview on air with a chap who runs Yorkshire Day, which is something they have celebrated for a long time. For a bit of a laugh I said wouldn’t it be fun to have a Suffolk Day.
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It was a flippant throwaway remark but it grew into something a lot bigger and was more successful than we ever imagined. This year it’s going to be even bigger which is great. Suffolk Day is on June 21 because we are the sunshine county and it’s the longest day of the year so there’s even more time to celebrate.” But why Suffolk Day? “Well it’s my home county and I think it’s God’s own county – although the people from Yorkshire might say something different. I think it’s the people here that make Suffolk and although we are deeply proud of where we live we don’t always shout about it. It’s also very beautiful and incredibly diverse from the Heritage Coast to the Brecks and Constable Country through to the Wool Towns. We have a wonderful university on Ipswich Waterfront
and of course we are the birthplace of Millicent Fawcett who championed Women’s Rights.” In fact, says Mark, Suffolk Day has been such a success that it has sparked some copycat, but friendly, rivalry with neighbouring county Norfolk – which is launching its own special day in July. So what’s he planning to do on June 21? “Radio Suffolk will be doing outside broadcasts from around the county throughout the day. We’ll be starting with the early show from the Moot Hall in Aldeburgh, I’m going to be in Sudbury and Lesley will be at Ickworth.” Andrew St Leger, Head of Communications for Suffolk County Council said, “Suffolk Day is a really simple idea, it’s about opening your eyes and celebrating where we live.”