Stoke Mandeville Hospital Radio celebrates 45th anniversary

Stoke Mandeville Hospital Radio has celebrated its 45th birthday.

Earlier this month members of the radio team at the hospital celebrated 45 years of broadcasting.

On 4 December current presenters and some of the founding members who launched the project in the late 70s celebrated the occasion.

The radio station first went on air on Monday 4 December, 1978, and has been broadcasting to the hospital ever since. Special shows were broadcast that included interviews, requests and dedications for patients and staff, a chart show from December 1978. Also a historic show was aired discussing the history of the station along with music from the past 45 years.

Current presenter, Martin Kinch, also spoke to founding members of the station that were there at the very start including Bernard Shirley who was also a member of Aylesbury Round Table at the time.

Bernard told Martin that the team of people putting the radio station together applied to Aylesbury Round Table for funds towards the cost of putting the station on air and the group ended up paying for the mixing desk, the turntables and headphones. Also the hospital radio received funds from other local businesses that supplied chairs, carpets and wood to build the studios and shelves for the records. Bernard went on to become chairman and record librarian of the radio station.

Stoke Mandeville Hospital Radio is a registered charity and broadcasts to the Hospital on 101.8 FM and online here.

Requests and dedications can be made on 01296 331575, via email, or via the hospital’s website and app.