On Air Day 10th June 1976

The record request programme started by Bill Berry lasted off and on, for seven years. A spate of faulty equipment and a lack of real facilities for a radio service, prompted the help by the League of Friends; into creating the first regular service.

An injection of cash £4500, from the League of Friends enabled the first studio to be built, and the radio headsets to be provided on the wards.

A room was set aside on the ground floor of the maternity unit. The room part of the old equipment room for the switchboard which was turned into the first purpose built studio for the radio service. One of the tasks needed to be carried out before the radio could use the allocated room was the movement of some GPO equipment this was to cost £350.

The first six month's of the year was a busy time at the emerging new radio station.

The installation of the headsets on the wards and equipment in the studio came to an end at the beginning of the year.

The on-air date was set for the AGM of the League of friends.

A plea for helpers in February produced over 20 volunteers

A sub-committee with a representative on the the League of Friends was formed.

The first mixing console purchased for the radio cost £500.

1976 Other Stories

A month after the opening the Ascot & Bracknell news printed the first request form in the paper. This was done as an encouragement to readers to send requests to their relatives in Heatherwood.

The league fete this year was opened by Ian McCullough of the television series Survivors .

The programs for the station had by September grown to six days of the week.

A 100 up club was started as a way to raise funds for the station.

An idea to produce a booklet about the broadcast times of the station was given approval at the League of Friends meeting. This was to be called the radio times.

A telephone was installed in September; to allow contact for patients relatives. The Windsor lions donated £200 for the purchase of a tape player.

In November five months after the launch of the station broken headsets were reported from the ward sisters.

As the year drew to a close, work was under way to relay services from the hospital chapel.

Staff Joining This Year 23 Staff Leaving 12

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Radio Stars

Those volunteers who featured in the staff records for the day were:-

Bill Berry, Beryl Berry, Chris Garrood, Andy Morton, Mark McCarthy, John Savage, Derek Robinson, Matthew Unknown, Mike Unknown.