Harrogate Hospital Radio's plea for volunteers to be its ‘visible face’ and boost the lives of patients

Harrogate Hospital Radio, which first broadcast in 1977, is looking for new volunteers to visit wards and take music requests from patients, family members and friends.

The award-winning station’s Chairman Mark Oldfield said: “Since our first broadcast 45 years ago, patient request shows have been at the heart of our programming.

“Our request collectors are the visible face of Harrogate Hospital Radio.

"They are the ones who visit the wards and speak to staff, patients and visitors.

"It is a very rewarding role, and without request collectors there are no request shows.”

Harrogate Hospital Radio provides entertainment online to patients, staff and visitors of Harrogate District Hospital on its free APP and on smart speaker.

It also offers on-loan radios to patients and staff.

Last September saw the registered charity win a five-year licence from Ofcom to takes to the FM airwaves on 95.3FM.

The station currently has more than 50 members in a number of roles.

All are volunteers who share the same passion – to provide a high quality entertainment service to patients, staff and visitors to Harrogate District Hospital and the surrounding area.

Request collectors play a particularly key role within the organisation.

Its flagship show, The Evening Request Show, airs from 8pm-10pm Monday-Friday.

Requests, dedications are mainly collected by a team of request collectors who visit the wards weekday afternoons from 2pm.

With volunteers back on the wards collecting requests following the end of Covid lockdown, the charity broadcaster is looking to boost the ranks of its key request collecting team.

Mr Oldfield said those interested in becoming a request collector should be able to spare a few hours a week, during the early afternoon, on a regular basis, be interested in music, have good “bedside manner” and legible hand-writing.”

Anyone wanting to find out more about becoming a Harrogate Hospital Radio request collector is asked to email Mr Oldfield at [email protected]

Further information about Harrogate Hospital Radio, and the work it does, is available at: https://www.harrogatehospitalradio.org.uk