I Am Surrey

20th October 2026 | Lieutenancy News

Read by Ishaan Dharni Devesher, Grandson to the Lord-Lieutenant, at the Service of Celebration for HM Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey, Guildford Cathedral.

That is to say,
I am the acorn, pressed into nourishing soil,
Holding forests within,
Certain of the sky I’m reaching for.
I am Surrey.
I am the roar when our 89ers score a three,
the Flames cutting ice like grinding sparks in winter air.
I am mates at the cinema – back row, sunk low,
and the bus ride home
replaying every moment.
I am the noise, and I am the light,
knowing I belong.
I am the Saturday morning pitch before the whistle,
Muddy boots, sky open, shouting “man on!”
I am cricket whites on a summer green,
the last over, last light, and still not done.
I am Surrey waking up and already running.
I am Box Hill breathing.
Woodland paths where we race the sunset.
I am rivers that remember rain
and fields that hold the sound of dogs and distant cheers.
I am open space big enough for great ideas.
I am classrooms buzzing with questions,
studios humming, start-ups sowing.
I am hands raised, voices heard,
teamwork louder than doubt.
I am not waiting for the future, I am creating it.
I am Surrey.
I am friends lying on the grass after school,
families around tables, the stories shared.
I am the promise we keep showing up for,
the ground beneath our feet and the sky we’re aiming at.
I am Surrey.

Surrey Poet Laureate Adam Gary Home | Surrey Poet Laureateship was commissioned to write I Am Surrey for the installation of Neelam Devesher MBE as His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey, with the poem read by her grandson during a beautiful service at Guildford Cathedral.