Search History Web Site:-

1979 Year Three

1979 Diary Page

The hyper baric unit were the recipients of a colour television purchased by the radio station funds.

The station entered the Ascot Carnival with their own float in May. They also ran the stall at Thames auto jumble.

John Walters
Voluntary Service:- 1976 to 1984
8 Years
©RadioHeritage
John Walters
Ward Visiting Circa 1978
 
Click to Enlarge:- 

The stall was also setup at at Ascot Horticultural society show and this raised about £40.

A portable tape recorder was purchased for producing interviews outside of the station. this was funded with a donation of £75 from ASTMS (? ASTMS taken from league minutes not sure who they are ).

Headsets were being replaced on the wards at a cost of £200 a year by 1979.

Hospital Fete

This years fete was opened by Howard Lang Captain Baines from the popular TV series the Onedin Line.

The radio fundraising paid for the nurses swimming pool repair to the filter unit, at a cost of £300.

The replacement headsets for the bed head units were costing £3.50 ea. Bulk ordering would allow the purchase price of £1.50ea. This was instigated with the view that the works department, buy them for all the hospitals in the group.

Following the success of the 1978 210 link at Christmas. A Sunday afternoon program of two way links to Heatherwood commenced, it was Broadcast between 4pm-5pm every fifth Sunday with presenters from Heatherwood going to radio 210,and manning the phones for the requests, then broadcasting them from the studio in Reading.

The manager Dave Smith joined the presenting staff on a Saturday evening.

Press Report ASCOT

HEATHERWOOD Hospital,Ascot, will be one of the hospitals taking part in a Hospital Radio link-up programme between 4 and 5pm each week on Radio 210 from Sunday.

A DJ from each hospital radio will help in the broadcasting of the programme from the 210 studios, on a rota basis John Walters from Radio Heatherwood will help in the presentation of the programme on October 21.

Friends and relatives in any of the hospitals may phone in their dedications to 210 studios on Reading 25622 between 2 and 4pm on the Sunday afternoon; dedications for Heatherwood patients may be phoned into Radio Heatherwood on Ascot 25818 any day between 7 and 10pm.

Ascot & Bracknell & Wokingham Times 11/10/1979

A survey carried out in 1979 amongst the patients of Heatherwood of the type of radio they would like to hear. The result was a resounding yes to patients requests.

The web master was contacted recently by a former volunteer to the radio,who after visiting the web site spotted his handy work.

Roger Crunden Writes :-

“I was delighted to find the link in your reply to the hospital radio history site. I found my survey reports of 1979 – page 3 has my name and signature. I conducted surveys in a smaller way on a number of occasions and although it was sometimes disappointing to find very few patients actually listening to Radio Heatherwood it was always my view that the most valuable part of the DJ’s job was at the point of asking the patient what tune they would like to hear and the chatting involved.

Ron Mason was in charge at the time. I was 35 in 1979 and always did my best to play what I thought the patients wanted to hear when we had finished playing the requests. My signature tune was ‘That Happy Feeling’ played by Bert Kaempfert. My thought was that ‘feelings’ is what life is all about – and may be we can brighten peoples feelings even when they may not be well. What- ever we strive for is to serve our or other peoples feelings. I didn't’ perhaps have the sparkle of some of the lads (DJs). Some were emerging ‘Kenny Everett's’ and sometimes played music more suited to younger listeners although we all enjoyed ‘Boney M’ I remember.

Roger Crunden
Voluntary Service:- 1976/77 to 1981/82 4/5 Years
©RadioHeritage
Roger Crunden
Recent Picture
Wednesday Team
Click to Enlarge:- 

I recall one of the patients asking for the tune ‘Ascot Gavotte’ which I’ve always remembered and have just included it in a short video featuring all the hustle and bustle of people arriving at the races in Ascot Week and of the Royal Family climbing into their horse drawn coaches in Windsor Great Park on their way to the races.

Robert Morley

I think I worked on Wednesday nights (?), usually with an older lady named Grace Browning. In 1980 or 81 Grace and I visited the late Robert Morley’s home in Wargrave and interviewed him and his son Sheridan Morley. We played the result on the hospital Radio.

On another occasion we interviewed a young princess from Malaysia whom was attending a Finishing School near here. She came to my home and Grace and Ron were there when I did the interview recording.

I was part of the Hospital Radio Team for about 4 or 5 years, leaving around 1981/2. I have done various voluntary jobs since then and currently have been back at Heatherwood since 2013 mostly doing receptionist type of work and patient surveys. I enjoy being involved in other things from time to time. It’s good to still feel useful in later years”.

Roger Crunden March 2018

Comment:- It's always nice to receive stories from former volunteers of their time with the radio, Many Thanks Roger.

Back to Top

1979 Picture Gallery

Back to Top

Archive Gems

Just some extra's we found:-

Patient Booklet

As the year drew to a close the finishing touches to the first hospital radio booklet were being made. At the printers it would become available early in 1980.

Staff Joining This Year 9 Staff Leaving 5

That was the year that was “1979”

Back to Top