1977 Year One
1977
The station arranged for car stickers and request forms to be printed.
February this year saw the publication of the Radio Times, for Radio Heatherwood.
The first jingle advertising the trolley shop was created and broadcast.
In March a link to the chapel for relaying services was completed after nine month's.
A record librarian was appointed and he had obtained several more records.
Radio Heatherwood entered a float for the Ascot carnival in June. The following day a team of presenters and nurses played Ascot united in a charity football match which raised £20.
The first birthday of the station produces glowing reports in the local press of the success of the service.
One of the many characters which have become part of the history of Radio Heatherwood, was the lady Mrs Cox, who was known to all the staff as the Duchess, a patient on Ward 4.
July this year, saw the introduction of programs, for the first time on a Saturday evening. The station also purchased a cassette recorder for £172
A League of Friends AGM was informed that the running costs would be in the region of £200 to £300 a year.
In September Radio Heatherwood provided the music and PA system for the fete. The nett profit from the fete this year was £712.77
In November seventy five headsets were replaced at a cost of £136. A problem throughout the first year was the shortage of headsets.
The annual carol service was covered by the radio. On Christmas eve the station linked up with local radio station radio 210.
Staff Joining This Year 6 Staff Leaving 3
Radio Times
In 2011 a revue of the files finds this publication although not marked as radio times, it fits in with details in the minutes of the day stating publication.
Local traders paid for the publication through adverts carried in the publication.
Published February 1977.
Radio TimesBrief Resume of the league's history. Click to enlarge:-
Radio Times
League History Part 2
Radio TimesMichael Parkinson Then Honorary President tells of a life experience Click to enlarge:-
Michael Parkinson
Message From The President
Radio TimesLocal Traders Jackson's & Ascot Newsagency Click to enlarge:-
Radio Times
Local Traders Jackson's & Ascot Newsagency
Radio TimesBroadcast Times Very Basic
Notice the word D J's Selection. The word DJ was dropped in the eighties and all staff were referred to as presentersClick to enlarge:-
Radio Times
Programme Details
Radio TimesStag Public Hse Ann & Tommy McCarthy were supporting the service from the start and in 1986 they were awarded a special thankyou by the radio staff.Click to enlarge:-
Radio Times
Stag Public Hse
Radio TimesLocal Traders PF Jones &
Red Lion Public Hse Click to enlarge:-
Radio Times
Local Traders PF Jones & Red Lion Public Hse
Radio Heatherwood Calling
Radio Heatherwood First Anniversary Press Report
It's a dismal experience to be stuck in a hospital bed especially after all the grapes have been eaten and the magazine small ads read twice.
For many patients their only respite from boredom is the set of radio earphones beside every bed.
Heatherwood Hospital is one of the places where teams of volunteers aim to take the patients out of their bed and back to their lounges with the logical extension of local radio, hospital radio.
Last Friday the Heatherwood radio system celebrated its first birthday as a regular service, although a one man operation had been limping from breakdown to breakdown for four years before that.
But it was on June 10th 1976 that the new studio under the wing of Heatherwood Hospital's League of Friends was opened in the maternity ward by Michael Parkinson and Diana Dors.
The League put up £6,000 for the work and the hospital authorities chipped in with £1,000 and a room to build a studio in.
"This room was given to us and it just grew" explained League of Friends Chairman Ron Mason, who was one of the prime movers of the scheme.
Therapy
The station began by putting out shows three night a week but has already doubled its output to presentations every night except Saturday, to the 250 beds.
Now Ron reckons that about half the patients listen in most nights.
He says the programme's are good therapy for them simply by being enjoyable.
" We could quote lots of instances where patients have got depressed in hospital and we have helped them get up and go. I think it's because we break through to them away from officialdom"
The radio scheme aims to take the patients' minds off actually being in hospital. "We reckon that if a D.J. can put a patient back in his own lounge listening to the radio for a second then they have done their job."
To do this the DJ.s have got to meet the patients. So each of the nightly teams goes round the hospital before their programme is prepared to collect the patients' requests and chat with them.
It follows that the content of the. programme's are almost totally controlled by the listeners, and D.J.s who step out of line are very smartly told so on their next trip round the wards.
But, each team has its own individual way of presenting the requests which make up 90 per cent of the air time, so the show's don't become the same.
During its' year of existence Radio Heatherwood has come forward a great deal both in content and the professionalism of presentation. But more changes are planned by the radio sub-committee of the League of Friends.
Changes
The biggest change likely to come over the next year is an additional studio and a change in channel away from the present Radio 4 slot on the internal system.
" We'd like to see the broadcasting time extended as well," says Ron, " to take in Saturday evening, and perhaps all day production." But the whole systems runs on voluntary labour and donations of records and cash to keep the library and technical equipment up to date and up to scratch.
There will now be a short commercial break.
'"We'd like to ask the public to donate any old records they don't want or don't like the sound of any more to the Radio Heatherwood Library " •is the plea from Ron.
But as important if not more important are the people who put the records on, chat to the patients, and generally help them to get over their stay in hospital. " We're thinking of approaching local organisations to get teams to handle the Saturday evening slot," explains Ron. "
But if we're going to get the all-day presentation off the ground we will really need shift workers who can spare a bit of time and we are always after more people to join the present teams."
So if you fancy the station's philosophy of contact with the patient for the patient and think you can help, in any way. Ron will be only too pleased to hear from you at Radio Heatherwood.
Source Unknown.
As with all press reports from time to time the facts aren't strictly correct!
Picture Gallery
Some rather faded press photo cuttings from 1977
Pete Crosland fronting the friday team but who are the others ?Click to enlarge:-
Friday Team
Pete Crosland & Team
Top Saturday Programs
Those early days hasn't thrown up any copies of program scheduling, which took place.
The program schedule below was rescued from a notice board. some years later:-
| 2 - 3 | Children's Hour | Spud/Shirley |
| 3 - 4 | Light Classics Shows, Dance Music | Neil/Colin |
| 4 - 5 | Country & Western | Shirley/Andy |
| 5 - 6 | Hard Core And Pop Music | Andrew/Spud |
| 6 - 7 | Light Classics Mantovani etc | Neil/Colin |
| 7 - 8 | 40's 50's & 60's | Chris/Andrew |
| 8 - 10 | Popular Music Country & Western Etc | Chris |
That was the year that was 1977.
