Congratulations and our appreciation were recently expressed to our
Secretary/Engineer PJ who has now completed 25 years as a League Of
Friends Volunteer.
We the other presenters, thought that we'd surprise Pete by an
impromptu visit to the studio on a training night. After assembling in
the Canteen the team arrived on mass accompanied by David our Station
Manager (PJ's elder brother who has completed 26 years service!) and
Roy Ryman the Chairman of the League of Friends.
Roge and PJ were quite happily training Marie and Katie who were in on
the surprise. For once our PJ was speechless especially when he saw
the last of our 'special guests' to arrive, his missus Denise!.
Denise has been behind Pete every inch of the way for all that he has
done for Radio Heatherwood encouraging him. The team acknowledged her
contribution by presenting Denise with a flower arrangement and a kiss
from Roge!.
PJ was presented by Roy Ryman with a certificate of achievement from
the National Association of Hospital Broadcasting and a digital camera
from the League of Friends in recognition of his service.
Sarah from Tuesdays wrote:
Well what can we say about PJ ? Well that's printable anyway!
He is our Station Engineer, Secretary, Administrator, IT Guru, Washer
Up, Cleaner, Decorator, Librarian, Window Cleaner, Locksmith, Stores
Officer, Trainer, Telephone System Adviser, General Handyman and very
occasionally actually gets to sit in the big chair and present a show.
Most of all to each and every one of us at the Radio Station Pete is a
very reliable friend.
PJ has given twenty five years of service to the league of friends
hospital radio service, Radio Heatherwood, which amount to over 1,300
weeks! During that time PJ and his dedicated lovely wife Denise (Dirty
Den) has been the backbone of our organization indeed even during the
time when he was laid low with his own backbone problems Pete kept on
doing his best to assist the station.
Without our Pete Radio Heatherwood would not be what it is today, a
flagship among Hospital Radio Stations, bringing hours and hours of
pleasure to hundreds of patients.
Your fellow colleagues and presenters salute you, and take our hats
off to you and raise three hearty cheers
After the surprise of the presentation for 25 years service, PJ penned
an email to staff:-
Hi Guys
What a pleasant surprise last night. Thinks I shall have to write a
new rule for the blue book. No reminders or surprises for the older
members of staff, could be detrimental to their health.
If I had to say PJ you have been here 25 years I would think to myself
it can't be, it seems like only yesterday that I joined. then I
realize and start thinking about all the events which have taken place
and yes the reality hits home. 25 Years This is more than the great
train robbers got!.
Having been surprised last night and gob smacked, Yours truly stuck
for words ( Never ). I'm not sure I said all the things that perhaps I
should have said. It's like watching the Oscars when you go to these
events you think what would I say?
When I joined all those years ago, it was a very different place to
today. I would like to think that for the newer members of staff we
are actually giving them a much better grounding in the art of being a
hospital radio presenter. My training buddy(Roge) has worked really
hard and on occasions gives me the reality check and that keeps me
sane for another week. Thanks Roge for all your stonkers and to Ada
and even your late father, you have all contributed to Radio
Heatherwood and encouraged me to stay.
Why do I stay ? I can't answer that question. If there is an easy
answer someone let me know. Over the years all the aspects of the
radio doing the engineering, meeting the patients and having a joke,
doing the secretarial bit have all kept me out of mischief and have
contributed to why I enjoy doing the radio. If I just had to do a
program I think probably I would have left some years ago. More often
than not as the older guys will tell you I have had to forgo doing
programs whilst I wrestle with some new task.
In more recent years I have thought about calling it a day, but then
something happens to lift the spirits and we move onto the next phase
of the radio. In hindsight what have been the most memorable events
for me, Hindsight is great thing why can't we have it before we make a
pigs ear of something.
Yes it would be nice to think we have been perfect in everything we
have done and we know what we are doing. But as 25 years service we
are still a new boy and yes we have made some good calls and some bad
ones.
When David took over as manager in the early eighty's, the
introduction of the no wards, no program set the wheels in motion for
our blue book today and the need for a set of rules and discipline
that was previously lacking. Our old friend hindsight never told us
the aggro which would ensue over the years as we catalogued various
misdemeanours and implemented rules to prevent further bad practice.
The blue book has been the backbone of our service and has projected a
better image of the station as presenters past and present adhere to a
code of conduct.
Our image of a professional or semi professional outfit has made it
easier for us to secure funding from the various sponsors over the
years. We had fifteen years of selling Grand Draw tickets on the high
streets throughout the summer month's and I was happy for this to end.
We could have not envisaged asking the league to grant aid us each
year if we were the station prior to the blue book.
In the early days presenters more often than not would not go round
the wards. Excuse me for stating the obvious here, but hospital radio
is for patient and staff not for the individuals personal broadcasting
aspirations.
Returning to our old friend hindsight the next big mile stone in our
history has got to be the introduction of the AM service. Still
working today and providing the service for the ward radio's it's been
our lifeline. Had we not introduced this and raised the money at the
time we did, radio Heatherwood would definitely not be here today.
During the years when there was not a bedhead service and our loan
radio's were out on the wards, we were able to deliver a service not
perfect and yes patients did have to buy batteries for their radio's
it kept our service alive. No Am Service no radio it was as simple as
that. This was one of our good calls and although I came close to
chucking in the towel at the end of the fundraising for this, I'm
proud today to say what a godsend this service has been. It was
Windsor and Maidenhead council who put up 66% of the cost. At that
time I was doing everything on a typewriter so having submitted a
project folder to the council to ask for assistance I was overjoyed
that they would put up £6,700. but it did mean it had to be spent in
the same year as application which meant we had 9 month's left to
raise the rest, but that's another story.
Over the years our interface with the hospital has had varying degrees
of success. On a ward level with staff on the wards and various
departments we have had a good relationship. The administration staff
of various management structures over the years has been a different
story. I still believe to this day that the admin staff of the
hospital don't realize the asset they have in the radio service we
have. To this day despite numerous attempts at getting them to
participate and use the radio for promoting aspects of the hospital we
are still treated with contempt and response to any request to them
can fall on deaf ears a lot of the time. Which I think is a great
shame.
The statement above is in here because in 1998/9 we were getting
feedback from the works department staff who knew us that they had
seen plans that the studio was going to be shifted to another part of
the hospital site. After a number of denials by the admin we were
subsequently called to attend a meeting in December 1999 that yes we
were to be moved. I sat there at that meeting and no planning
whatsoever had gone into the move and they didn't have a clue about
the technical aspect and the costs involved.
Well the rest is history In April 2000 they were working on moving us
to the summer house. It did however give me the opportunity to design
the whole layout of how we would like the new studio's. After some
frantic weeks putting together a set of professional looking drawings
and dealing with the technical bit. I am very pleased with our studio
set-up and I think it has made a great difference to the staff who
have been working here. Our old friend hindsight said to us yeah would
you have done things differently, yes we would have we would have
picked a building that doesn't have a leaky roof.
2005 Year Twenty Nine Story Unfolds
2005 was a very busy year for the station management and as the year
unfolded there was much to do and organise
For further information about this year:- Follow the links
In the production area of the studio's is a poster on the wall in a
frame. The next time you are at the studio's read what it says and
then reflect on my earlier statement about the admin.
After the studio move and 1 year on from the move date, I had
completed the additional work on the studio complex. Within weeks my
health took a tumble and I was not at the 25 years celebrations of the
studio opening or for the next 6 months as I recovered from a crushed
disc in my back. It was during this time having spent a week and a bit
in Wexham that this gave me the drive to push for the 24 hour service
delivered by a computer system.
On returning to reasonable health I put together a new project and
costed up the Rhapsody service for £9000. We did our promoting bit
with a number of sponsors we had not contacted for a number of years
and we secured the £9000 plus a further £1400 from the league to
purchase an additional computer and the atomic clock.
The rhapsody service has changed the way the radio is perceived by the
wards and today over two years on we are able to develop and deliver a
service with the type of music and info which is entertaining and
informative.
During the introduction of the rhapsody service we have had the major
change on the wards with the removal of the loan radios and the
addition of the bed head service and a stereo signal. I won't dwell on
this, like my earlier statement about admin. They deemed it not
important for us to be at the meetings prior to the introduction of
the system, subsequently we are paying the price a year on from this
service being introduced, we still have no meaningful dialogue with
this company and the admin have just ignored an email which I know
they have received earlier in the year.
What of the future I don't know? In all honesty there are a number of
ideas that we would like to implement, but at the moment I'm
concentrating on proper training for all newcomers and the development
of the league and radio web sites.
I have rambled on a bit here, but 25 years and at my time of life I'm
entitled.
A Big Big Thankyou to everyone for turning up last night, I have
counted the kisses on my card and their is 25 so I think it's only
right and proper for the female members of staff to start issuing them
every time they see me. I'll keep the count and let you know when we
have reached the twenty five. ( An old man has got to have some dreams
at this time in his life ).
Finally the word “Bar steward” to my brother for making
this all possible!!!
“ It was a really nice surprise to receive the thanks of
the current staff for all my contributions over the years.
Whilst it might be me that deals with all the back room stuff,
it's the presenters past and present which run the radio and
have made Radio Heatherwood the hospital radio service what it
is today.
We can all be proud of their contributions.
I have had a great time and have met some marvellous people
over the years on both sides of the mike.
Hospital radio started out as a hobby but is now a second job
in my life which has given me some wonderful times.
When I see the patients as I go around the wards who benefit
from our service that gives me a real buzz”
