Stories and snippets of information taken from the staff newsletter and from behind the scenes.
A look back at 2008 at Radio Heatherwood and all the events of the year.
The league of friends celebrates 50 years, radio heatherwood loses some cherished long term volunteers, breakdowns in service and struggles to keep nights open.
Promotion of the league's web shop
Under the tag line Shop Till You Drop copies of the posters posted around the wards and can be made available to you if you want some for your work. In two sizes A4 or smaller A5.
In addition to the paper promotion rhapsody is carrying the promotion of the web shop.
Rhapsody during the day will promote the shop every three hours.
The first of the league's 50 year mugs are given away. Bruce Dunsford is the grateful patient.
Ward three previously closed for some time is to gain the medical records dept.
At the end of January Alan Holder has to take a back seat because of health problems
Web shop Small Leaflets.
Feb 9th, Pink leaflets advertising the web shop are made available.
League 50 Year Press Release
Feb 16th, League of Friends Heatherwood Celebrates 50th Anniversary
A very special charity group has clocked up an incredible 50 years of voluntary support for Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot. The League of Friends Heatherwood celebrates its milestone birthday on 26th February 2008, and can reflect with pride over the huge amount of help they have provided over the last half-century. Over the decades, they have raised almost £260,000 from 341 fundraising projects.
Major donations include the refurbishment of the new Discharge Lounge and cardiac monitoring equipment, a fax machine for patient records, bed end folder holders, a recliner chair for the stroke unit, a combined interferential and ultrasound machine for the physiotherapy department and furnishings for the maternity unit including dining table and chairs, a suite for the patients’ sitting room, bedside lockers and chairs for the delivery rooms. The League also makes annual Christmas gifts to the wards.
The League of Friends Trolley Shop, which began in 1972, operates on the wards three afternoons a week, and the ever popular Radio Heatherwood, which broadcasts requests 24 hours a day, seven days a week, has been making patients’ stays brighter since its establishment in 1976.
In addition to providing these services, the League also raises funds for the hospital, to enable them to purchase medical equipment, or make monetary donations to patient and staff projects. Their latest innovative fundraising idea is a web shop, This website features over 100 well-known retailers who provide exclusive offers to buyers, whilst simultaneously generating commission to the League of Friends for every purchase made through the site. There is no extra cost to the customer, who can order from retail giants like Marks and Spencer, Tesco, and HMV through the web shop.
Through their dedication to the well being of Heatherwood Hospital and its staff, the League continues to work with hospital management to ensure a better patient experience for all. Trust Chairman Dr Timothy Lincoln said “Congratulations to the League of Friends Heatherwood on their golden anniversary. Their support over the years has been invaluable and I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all of the ‘friends’ over the 50 years, whose dedication to Heatherwood Hospital has truly benefited the staff and patients who have walked through our doors. I wish them every success for the next 50 years”.
Other donations include:
Adjustable examination couch, aroma therapy room, hospital chapel, redecoration of nurses rooms, rehabilitation equipment, support for the Nurses’ Association, two pocket foetal heart detectors, orthopaedic chairs, cardiograph trolley, King’s Fund beds, oxygen tents, music therapy tapes and records and washing machines.
League 50 Year Press Release
Feb 23rd, 2008,The fifty years of the league has made the standard free giveaway this week. Also On Friday Morning David was interviewed on BBC Radio Berkshire about the League.
Trolley shop ladies and Katie were photographed by the hospital press department and hopefully we should see some copy this coming week.
Web Site Profile Changes
Mar 16th, The falling staff level has dictated a change to the web site profiles for nights. I have removed the team night pages and replaced with boy's and girls pages for the station.
Library Program Update
Mar 8th, This new version when accessing any of the rhapsody section will give you the opportunity to listen to any song by clicking on the play button or F3 and then selecting the song in the green box,
This will launch media player and copy the file into it for listening. You no longer need to launch wave cart if you want to hear what a song sounds like.
Back to Top15 February 2008
Subject:- League of Friends Webshop
What Is The League of Friends Web Shop ?
The League of Friends is asking its supporters to shop online at www.buy.at/FriendsHeatherwood and raise money at no extra cost for the league.
Over 100 retailers are accessible through the webshop, including Amazon, Tesco, Marks & Spencer, John Lewis and Waterstones. Many retailers provide exclusive offers to the webshop, such as discounts or offering free delivery to the customer, providing more reasons for supporters to buy products through the league of friends webshop.
The webshop is straight forward to use and no technical knowledge is required.
The webshop facility is such a simple but effective idea. We receive a commission on each purchase users make. Donating to the league of friends Heatherwood couldn’t be easier!.
This new an easy way to support the league of friends will help us raise much needed funds for our voluntary work at Heatherwood including funding for the hospital radio service Radio Heatherwood.
Do tell your family and friends they can also help support the hospital by shopping with the league, using this web site.
Please find enclosed two copies of the league’s latest posters which advertises the league’s new fundraising venture for our on-line webshop.
The league would appreciate it if you could display these notices at some suitable location on your staff/public noticeboards.We have laminated the posters so that they may be cleaned, if needed.
The league thanks you all, for your continued support and help to our volunteers.
Radio Times
Apr 15th, The new look radio times is now available to be given out to patients. The new leaflet carries Patience on the front as well as the webshop address added to one of the pages.
Tuesdays is closed out through staff illness.
Radio Heatherwood on-Line Scrapbook
May 5th, In 1990 I started to compile the scrapbooks in the studio. In more recent times because of other project commitments these have not been added to. Today see the first pages of the scrapbooks added to the radio web site.
2008 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
What Happens Next At Heatherwood with The Radio?
Jul 29th, I attended a meeting of the league last night and also on Sunday I sent an email to the trust seeking clarification on any potential development at Heatherwood.
We have all read the papers and seen that things will be staying or going and building work will no doubt play a part.
At this stage we know nothing, I'm hoping we can plan for the future better if we know what shape the hospital might take.
Tuesdays Closed
Sep 19th, The departure of Sylvia Dungate has left us with an impossible situation now, as we have no presenters who can move to Tuesdays with Roger.
Tuesdays will remain closed until next year with an estimate that two new recruits who will be joining within the next few weeks will be trained and they will form the nucleus of the new Tuesday team hoping to re-open Tuesdays by March/April 2009.
In the meantime it's business as usual for the Mondays And Saturday Teams.
Back to Top2008 Year Of The Bed Head System Failures 11 breakdowns.
New Volunteers Booklet
Oct 9th, A new volunteers booklet commissioned by the voluntary services department is now available in local volunteers centre's and carries pages extolling the virtue's of joining the league and the radio service. Patience the bear features on our page.
Rhapsody 2
To have a backup plan for the rhapsody computer which has been running for 5 years the station engineer removes the production computer to create a fully working rhapsody 2 computer complete with soundcard. a second hand computer is installed to take over the production computer tasks. started in October all work is complete by December.
Music Library Program Review
Nov 1st, 2008, The first draft version of the new library is on the library pc. If you wish to have a play you can access it by minimizing the current library page and click on the icon on the desktop which says “new music library”
Presenters were asked what improvements they would like to the library program, these were investigated and by December, some changes were made to the program.
Nov 23rd, I have now set the new look library as the default start-up for the library PC. There is no update to the library companion, but I'm sure you will find it easy to use. If you want to use the old style you can get to it from the front page of the new library.
Dec 18th, Last night I have updated the music library with a new draft plus the music library companion has now been updated and placed alongside the library computer. A copy is available from the training board if you wish to download.
A late change to the page layout on the combined library will now show files that can't be played are in red and those that can show up in green.
£250 Donation From Round Table
Dec 6th,The Ascot fireworks display which took place back in November was compared by Roge And Josh. through their efforts the League has gained £250 with the possibility of some more later.
League Web Shop
Dec 24th, This posting in November 2007 launched the campaign to promote the web shop. Today I have received the first commission based on the first years referrals.£23.90 A nice sum for just displaying the links, it's an unknown quantity, but it would be nice if this sum picks up in the next year as any money is better than no money at all.
Archive Gems
Just some extra's we found:-
Email Requests
Subject: I would like to send a message to My Friend/Relative in Heatherwood
The request to be played for Roger Chamberlin who is On Ward 12
They would like a record by Belle and Sebastian and the song The Boy w/ the Arab Strap if not second choice of Bob Dylan Mr.Tambourine Man
The following message to be relayed:-
Hi Dad, thinking of you and hoping you're doing ok. See you soon.
Love Shaun
Subject: I would like to send a message to My Friend/Relative in Heatherwood
The request to be played for All my friends at Radio Heatherwood
Request Details
They would like a record by It Takes Two and the song Tina Turner if not second choice of Artist Song
The following message to be relayed:-
I fondly thought of you guys recently when I was on the Labour Ward at Heatherwood having some routine tests. I am now only a few weeks away from the impending arrival of my twin boys and thought it only fitting to request a song on my favourite radio station - Radio Heatherwood! My song request is quite apt given the circumstances - although it was difficult to not request Daniel O'Donnell who I know Katie loves! I just wanted to commend the great work you all do and say I still miss you and my presenting days. I hope you can play this request and I wish you all the very best!
Thanks Helen.
Dear Maestros
Hi it's Margaret again ex ward 10 c3 2007.
Can we have requests please for all the folks young and old in hospital at this time in August.
How about John Lennon starting over and Diana Ross when you tell me that you love me.
Something for the hard working staff at Heatherwood, sometime from Porgy and Bess.
Yours Truly
Margaret White
Xmas card
Dear Maestros
Could you play Cliff Richard miss you nights and Daddy's home for all the folks in hospital and something for the staff on ward 10 who took great care of me.
Yours Faithfully
Margaret White
December 2008
2008 The Story Continues!
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