I tend to get a bit nostalgic around spring time, not least because of the memories that come flooding back along with the sunshine.

I realise I was very lucky to grow up in Suffolk, and I had the luxury of being able to roam around pretty freely as a kid. The longer, warmer days meant that my freedom felt greater, especially as I headed into my teenage years.

I think back to when our family first moved to Suffolk, and how much I loved spending hours upon hours playing football in the garden with my neighbour Oli (I’m not sure how grateful my younger brother Nathan was that he was always the designated goalkeeper).

Sometimes, when Nathan was bored of picking the ball out of the goal, Oli and I would switch to hitting cricket and hockey balls around instead. It was a miracle only one window was ever broken, and I maintain that wasn’t my fault, even though I got the blame.

Perhaps to give my poor brother some respite, I was sent up to Eye & District Cricket Club where I would spend entire weekends over the summer.

Although my appearances have now become more infrequent, my bowling is slower than ever, and my time batting could be best described as ‘brief’, there are few things I love more than playing with ‘the Ramshackle’ even 20 years later. 

When I wasn’t kicking or hitting a ball around, I’d be off camping by the river in Bungay. Our trips started over two decades ago when I was at Earl Soham Primary School.

Although I usually only ‘pop in’ now, it’s an annual tradition that my mum and her friends have carried on with, despite the original ‘children’ all growing up. Some, of course, have been replaced by grandchildren.

And then take your pick of the beaches. There are so many to choose from. Aldeburgh, where I worked my first proper job after I passed my driving test, is a special place for me and my family. The history and mystique of Dunwich. Crabbing at Walberswick. The juxtaposition of Sizewell’s beach next to its nuclear power stations. The arcades at Felixstowe. Southwold’s pier and pubs. Suffolk has it all.

I think a lot too about the times my friends and I spent with each other. I can’t say we were the most ambitious of teenagers, and usually settled in the sunny garden of whichever one of our parents could tolerate us on that given day. Max’s Mum and Dad generously hosted us every Friday night after we all went to different sixth-forms and that kept our group together. They were some of the very best times.

The warmer weather meant that we could walk back home in the early hours of the morning from a party, BBQ or wherever we had ended up that day. These mini-treks went through fields and down country roads and took hours, but you can’t help but miss that sort of spontaneity and absence of any real responsibility. 

As we got older, house parties were supplemented with nights out in Ipswich, with our evenings starting at the Golden Lion before weaving their way slowly to Liquid, usually taking in the Swan, New York Exchange and Sin on the way.

Of course, our friendship group has adapted and expanded as we’ve grown older, with everyone scattered all over the place, and children and partners being welcomed into the fold. Yet, the bonds that we still have now were forged all those years ago during those long sunny months as teenagers are as strong as ever. I feel very grateful for that.

Little bits of my life are rooted all over Suffolk, with so many of my memories connected to this time of year. We know that Suffolk is a special place to live and grow up in, and I’ll keep banging the drum to make sure we aren’t forgotten and get the support and investment we need.