1981 Diary Page
The radio station this year was entered for the Thames valley road
safety quiz, coming third in the competition. DJ's Roger Winterburn
Penny Goldsmith, Dee and Mick Flarry represented Radio Heatherwood.
Radio Heatherwood was represented at the Ascot carnival and in spite
of poor weather raised £44.
Dave Smith from Saturdays was looking after the librarian duties at
the station. An article about his role was carried in the third
edition of the radio magazine. Previously Val Mason was looking after
the library but commitments elsewhere prevented her from carrying on.
A bed race was organized for the Ascot horticultural show this year.
Our price records, were the latest shop to help the radio this year by
giving discount, against all the record purchases. Lucky dip by the
Saturday crew, was in full swing with a box of chocolates; being given
away every Saturday for a request pulled out of the hat. Keeble's the
newsagents of South Ascot; were the sponsors.
Thames Valley Police Hospital Radio Road Safety Quiz Year
?.
These pictures were found in the archives and were taken either in
1981 or 1982 and feature other hospital radio's taking part.
The fete this year was opened by the actor John Junkin.
A presenter at Radio Heatherwood Neil Crocker swam the nurses Swimming
Pool, a total of five miles to raise funds for the Radio Station.
The average age of patients in the hospital, ranges from 35 to 65. A
filler record in the period 76 until 1984 would quite often be a
record from the charts, which sat on the console area. It was always
too easy to use them, because of being close at hand. The age group of
the presenters also influenced the type of filler.
At the end of July this year the station paid £279.02 for two
turntables from Panasonic, these SL1200's were the best decision ever
made with regard to equipment buying
( 2016 35 years on, they are sold off as part of the studio
dismantle ).
At a meeting of the league the hospital finally advised that once the
switchboard moves, there could be an opportunity for more space for
the radio station.
In October the two way hospital link with radio 210 was reduced to a
half an hour on a Sunday afternoon.
In November the WD2 children's show, was first broadcast. The
presenter would go down to the children's ward and interview the
children staff and parents then broadcast Sometimes with hilarious
results. The first presenter was Nick Westlake but he departed from
the station and PJ took over in 1982. It ran until December 1984.
A new cassette player was purchased this year at a cost of £135.29.
Press Report CHRISTMAS SPECIAL A behind the scenes look at very
special radio station
Radio Heatherwood service to the sick when Radio Heatherwood crackled
into life at Ascot's Heatherwood Hospital in June 1976, few people
could have expected it to become such an important, everyday component
of life on the wards.
It began with a handful of records an even smaller number of
volunteers, and a huge chunk of hope.But as the record collection
multiplied, and with it the volunteers, Radio Heatherwood's portion of
hope has become redundant.
Now as the service prepares for its fifth Christmas there can be
little doubt. Heatherwood Radio is here to stay.
It began as the brainchild of Mr Ron Mason - once a patient at
Heatherwood and now chairman of the League of Friends who is still
responsible for the radio station.
Editor:- This statement is not true it was
Bill Berry who founded the radio.
But although it has come a long way from those early days in the
mid-seventies, Ron's philosophies on running the station are still
very much as they were. As at the beginning, Radio Heatherwood is all
about getting to know the patients.
Radio Heatherwood is now staffed by around 40 volunteers who are still
based in a tiny cubby hole in the hospital's maternity block. And it
is not just a case of DJ's locking themselves away and playing obscure
records all night long for their own self indulgence. "Everyone has to
go round the wards before his show," said Mr Mason.
Soft hearted
"They have to meet the people they are playing records for. I can tell
straight away if someone is on the air but has not been round the
wards. Going round the wards makes or breaks the people who come
here," he said. Working for Radio Heatherwood is not a job for the
soft hearted.
Nor is it a job for the volunteer with delusions of becoming a famous
national radio disc-jockey. Said Mr Mason: "We mould our DJs into our
way of doing things."
The station is manned by four DJs a night with one of them crew
leader. They take it in turns to go on the air between 7pm and 10 each
and every night for a mixture of requested music, old time music hall
and stories.
The studio is barely big enough for two people at a time. "We have
outgrown ourselves and would like to move to a new studio," said
Ron."The hospital has promised us extra facilities but we have got to
raise the money for that first."
A behind-the-scenes look at a very special radio station Radio
Heatherwood costs around £600 a year to run, but proudly boasts it is
self sufficient.It was born five years ago out of surplus funds the
Friends of Heatherwood had and has not cost them a penny since its
initial funding.
They install all their own equipment and service it although they are
reliant on local traders for giving them some of their basics.
Each four man crew is responsible for what goes out each night. And
this Christmas each crew has taken the opportunity to line up
something just a little different."I came in here the other night when
the Wednesday crew were rigging something up for Christmas Eve with a
famous personality," said Ron."I haven't got a clue what they are
doing and they won't tell me."
Likewise each night in Heatherwood there is a different competition
with prizes donated from local traders. Monday is plant of the
week,Tuesday is cacti night, and Friday cake of the week. But the most
popular is Thursday night bingo.
All the DJs not on the air scatter themselves round the wards while
the numbers are called out on the radio. "You can hear a pin drop on
the wards while people are listening to the numbers,'said Ron. "As
soon as there's a winner the DJ on the ward dashes to a phone and
rings the studio. "Once the phone rings the DJ on the air knows
somewhere there is a winner and stops calling."
After the DJs have all assembled back at the studio Ron or the crew
leader goes off to meet the lucky winner and hand over the prize.
Away from bingo the DJs spend much of their time when they are not on
the air meeting the patients and collecting their requests. "When they
go on air and know who the request is for it adds something to the
service," said Ron.
This Christmas one of the service's keenest and most dedicated helpers
Mrs Audrey Woof will be playing Father Christmas to all the children
at Heatherwood on Christmas Eve. It will be just one of Radio
Heatherwood's attempts to take the children's minds off the hospital
for a split second at this very special time of year.
Ascot & Bracknell & Wokingham Times 24/12/1981
