FORMER presenters who have gone on to become renowned media personalities broadcasted live from the hospital radio station that gave them their first break.


TEAM Volunteers at Radio Lonsdale, from left, Graham Cottie, Candice Wright, Jayne Wright, Pete Chesher, Pete Sexton at the mike, Karen Davies and station manager Tom Brownlee MILTON HAWORTH They were making the guest appearances to mark Radio Lonsdale's 50th anniversary.

The voluntary radio station for Furness General Hospital officially adopted the name “Radio Lonsdale” on 22 December 1965.

To mark the golden anniversary, members have organised today's celebration for patients, staff and visitors - with everyone welcome to come and have a look at the studios and learn about the huge strides the station has made in recent years.

Past presenters have travelled from all over the UK to present a bumper schedule of two-hour live slots between 10am and 10pm.

They include The Bay’s Darren Milby and Peter Story, ex-BBC Radio Cumbria Sport’s voice of Barrow AFC Ron Duxbury, Sky News anchor Steve Dixon, and Stoke University’s station manager and presenter Luke Plevin.

They were joining a number of other past Radio Lonsdale favourites including Dave Chubb, Lottie Howsley, Bill Clark, James Edmond, Becky Took and Pete Last for a full 12 hours of celebration and music.

The station is enjoying a renaissance after almost folding in the early 2000s due to a fall in members and the loss of their FM licence, which had meant it could be broadcast to radios in homes in the surrounding area, including patient’s private FM (87.7) receivers.

Since that time, a second production-oriented studio has been added to the complex, providing the capability to produce more off-air content, and train new members.

In the past year, they have re-introduced live football commentary from Holker Street for all Barrow AFC home matches, for the first time in 20 years.

And in May, the station had its first live broadcast from the Keswick to Barrow Walk and celebrated the return of live concert broadcasts to patients' bedsides from The Forum.

Pete Chesher, the station's chief engineer, has been with the station almost three years, having travelled the world as a controls systems engineer during his career.

In that short time, the 50-year-old, of Haverigg, says there has been a great deal of change, but the priority has always remained the patients.

Mr Chesher, an MBE who does the Bluebirds commentary and has his own show, said: "We do ward visits to speak with patients and get them registered to listen with the Hospedia (unit locates at their bedside).

"But where possible, we don't rush it.

"Some days we sit and chat with with elderly ladies who might be feeling lonely.

"So it's not only about doing the radio and registering people to listen, it's about being a part of the hospital.

"The main objective, and the thing we always remind younger members, is that we're here to entertain the patients and to make life a bit better for them while they're in here.

"Yes, we do have dreams of eventually going out on the internet all the time once we've got more funding, but our number one priority is the patients. 

"Our job isn't to be prima donnas, but the more exposure we get, the more publicity and the better chance of funding we have.

"Everyone does it for different reasons. I'm 50 and I've had my career. Some of the younger ones do it because they may want a career in the media, so it's good experience for them."

A lot of hospital radio stations have folded over the years, but at Radio Lonsdale, with around 25 members now on board, Friday is the only day they don't have a live show.

There will even be live shows on Christmas Day.

Pete Sexton, of Ulverston, is the programme controller, but was the station manager and chairman for many years.

He has been with the station since 1992 and has been involved with hospital radio since 1978.

Mr Sexton, a nurse before retirement, said: "Over the last two or three years we've brought our second studio up to date and we're in the midst of bringing our first studio up to date and refurbishing it.

"We're raising funds to kit it out so we can be more user friendly with our guests and bands who come in to entertain.

"In terms of the range of programmes going out now and the size of membership, it's grown over the last four or five years - it had got down to two members at one time.

"Today, the membership is quite young, which is unusual for hospital radio, which generally has a lot of retired people.

"But we're constantly looking for new opportunities."

Looking ahead to future anniversaries, Mr Sexton says the station is well set to be in an even better position in the years to come.

He said: "I would like to see membership grow further and see us have greater involvement with our patients and ward staff.

"And there's a lot of developments we're looking to make, but that will require a lot of fundraising.

"Cando FM (which now has an FM and internet radio service) are looking to take some of our programmes, particularly the football coverage, to the local community, so there are things that are happening as spin-offs from the growth that we're having.

"But the core value of the patients has never changed - if we didn't have patients, there would be no need for us to exist."

<u> High points in history of a ground-breaking station </u>

High Carley Hospital was the first, in 1948, to host an internal radio station in the area. At first, it was only for clinical information but was soon used for an "on air” get together with staff and patients, one evening per week.

Live sports broadcasting was introduced to hospitals in the area (by landline) in 1953 but took until 1965 for a programme of music and sketches and requests to be introduced – being fed back down the line to the other hospitals in the region via the Holker Street Football Club’s terminal.

Soon after, the service moved to the North Lonsdale Hospital using makeshift equipment until 1974 when it became a registered charity, being now known formally as Radio Lonsdale.

A year later Radio Lonsdale moved to Roose Hospital.

A ‘Community’ Bingo game was introduced in 1981 – participants having to phone in “bingo” from Roose, North Lonsdale or Risedale Hospital.

A purpose built radio station was established in the new Furness General Hospital – the first phase being opened in 1984. 

The expanded facilities boasted a record library and office space and were formally opened in October 1989 by the then Miss Great Britain.

A steady increase in programs saw Radio Lonsdale being voted, in 1991, the ‘Best Hospital Radio Station’ in Britain in a national competition.

Trials in 1995 led to Radio Lonsdale, in 1996, becoming the first hospital radio station in the country to be awarded a full-time restricted service licence. 

This meant it could broadcast to receivers in homes in the surrounding area, including patient’s private FM (87.7) receivers. 

After a lull in volunteer numbers, the FM broadcasting facility lapsed but interest is now increasing and a variety of live programs are now broadcast on the internal network of FGH on most evenings of the week and during the day on weekends.