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Who to Contact on the Executive Committee

President June Snowden

P.O. Box 76, Ely, CB6 3WH

Tel: 0870 321 6009e-mail: [email protected] visits, represent HBApublicly, print and present longservice certificates

Chairman Phil Moon82 Greenleaf Gardens, Polegate,E Sussex BN26 6PH

Tel: 0870 321 6000e-mail: [email protected] contact with statutory bodies.Ambassadors

Treasurer Julie CoxHospital Broadcasting Association,PO Box 341, Messingham,Scunthorpe DN15 5EG

Tel: 0870 321 6004e-mail: [email protected] matters (other thansubscriptions)

Conference Bookings Emma Sysum

Tel: 0870 321 6017e-mail: [email protected]

Technical AdviserGeoff FairbairnHospital Broadcasting Association,PO Box 341, Messingham,Scunthorpe DN15 5EG

Tel: 0870 321 6012e-mail: [email protected] matters

Deputy Chairman Iain LeeHospital Broadcasting Association,PO Box 341, Messingham,Scunthorpe DN15 5EGTel: 0870 321 6014

e-mail: [email protected]

Sub committee chairman.Special projects

General SecretaryNigel Dallard54 St. Annes Close, Badger Farm,Winchester, Hampshire SO22 4LQ

Tel: 0870 321 6003e-mail: [email protected] correspondence, CompanySecretary, annual review

Acting Public RelationsManagerSean DunderdaleHospital Broadcasting Association,PO Box 341, Messingham,Scunthorpe DN15 5EGTel: 0870 321 6008e-mail: [email protected] & public relations, charity profile

Regional Manager Dave LockyerHospital Broadcasting Association,PO Box 341, Messingham,Scunthorpe DN15 5EG

Tel: 0870 321 6005e-mail: [email protected] meetings, contacts, settingup a region etc.

EditorMichelle NewsteadHospital Broadcasting Association,PO Box 341, Messingham,Scunthorpe DN15 5EG

Tel: 0870 321 6011e-mail: [email protected] Air magazine

Sales & Advertising ExecutivePaul SysumHospital Broadcasting Association,PO Box 341, Messingham,Scunthorpe DN15 5EGTel: 0870 321 6026e-mail: [email protected] Corporate sales for HBA

Webmaster Mark VenusHospital Broadcasting Association,PO Box 341, Messingham,Scunthorpe DN15 5EG

Tel: 0870 321 6018e-mail: [email protected] of HBA website

General EnquiriesTel: 0870 321 6019e-mail: [email protected]

Training Bookings John BrysonTel: 0870 765 9615e-mail: [email protected]

Membership EnquiriesTel: 0870 321 6003e-mail: [email protected]

IFC Contacts 134 new:20 Contacts 127 31/05/2011 12:00 Page 1

in this issue ...Who to Contact on the Executive Committee ..................................IFC

Board Report .................................................................................................. 2

National Hospital Radio Awards 2011, A Scrapbook .......................... 3

National Hospital Radio Awards 2011 .................................................... 4

National Hospital Radio Awards 2011, Meet Patrick Mizha ................6

My First Conference by James Ewins ........................................................ 8

The Chairman’s Speech .............................................................................. 10

Green for Go – Bangers and Cash ........................................................ 11

85 Years of Hospital Broadcasting – Radio Magazine’s Report ........ 12

National Hospital Radio Awards 2011, Meet the Winners .............. 14

Countrywide – News from the Stations .............................................. 16

Hospital Radio Basingstoke’s Music Marathon ...................................... 21

Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud!! .......................................................................... 22

View from the Basement ..............................................................................23

The Risks of Becoming a Charity Trustee ............................................ 24

News Round-up .......................................................................................... 26

Air Radio Gets Hands on with Sonifex .................................................. 27

HBA Autumn Training Day Booking Form ............................................ 28

Regional Reps Details .............................................................................. IRC

FrONT COvEr STOrY

Winner of the John WhitneyAward, Patrick Mizha, receives hisaward from HBA President JuneSnowden.

The Official Journal of theHospital Broadcasting Association

Spring 2011 Issue 134

Address for On-Air: The Editor, On Air, 2 Falkland Close, Boreham, Chelmsford, Essex CM3 3DD

Tel: 0870 321 6011 Email: [email protected]

COPY DATE NEXT ISSUE 5th July, 2011

Hi Everyone,Welcome to a bumper Hospital Radio Awards edition of

On Air, where you will find all the winners and news items ofthe event, on what can only be described as fantastic.

Sincere thanks must to go Sean, Iain and all of theConference team on organising such a slick event. Specialthanks must also go to Emma Sysum on facilitating the bestTrade Show for years.

I often get complaints from members that they don’t get tosee a copy of On Air. Each station receives two copies of themagazine, so please make sure that they are circulated widelythroughout the station so that all members get a chance to readthem. Don’t forget also, that you can read the latest copy of OnAir, and indeed, all issues since the hundredth edition on thewebsite.

Enjoy the memories of an excellent Award ceremony andplease keep sending me your stories and photographs,

Michelle

DIARY DATESHBA National Training EventRamada Leeds Parkway Hotel2012 Conference, Northampton

2013 Conference, Blackpool

On Air is the Official Journal of the HBA which is the trading name of the National Association of HospitalBroadcasting Organisations, a Company limited by guarantee.

Registered in England No. 2750147. A Registered Charity No. 1015501.Registered office: Mariners House, 24 Nelsons Gardens, Hedge End, Southampton, SO30 2NE.

On Air is distributed free of charge to all member stations of the Association plus interested parties.All material is ©2010 of HBA and may not be reproduced in any form without the written authority of the Editor.

Views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of HBA, or the Editor but are the personal opinion of the contributor.Whilst every effort is taken to ensure the accuracy of the publication, all advertisements and articles appear in good faith

and HBA and the Editor accept no responsibility for any errors or inaccuracies.

Our Ambassadors: Dr Chris Steele, MBE; Ken Bruce and Alex Lester

01 INTRO 134:01 INTRO 127 31/05/2011 12:04 Page 1

Board Report

ON AIR <http://www.hbauk.com> Page 2 Spring 2011

Welcomes and GoodbyesThe last few months have seen

some further changes to the HBAteam. Recently David Abrey stooddown as South East Regional Rep andSteve Allen did likewise in the Wales &West region. Thanks for your hardwork gents. In their places, I'd like towelcome Jason Cook and DarranHuish respectively.Paul Easton has also stood down as

Programme Adviser after five years inthe role. Once again, thanks for yourhelp Paul.And following appeals in this

magazine and at conference, we havehad a number of new volunteers offertheir services: Brenda Massie hasjoined the conference team, JohnBryson has joined the trainingnetwork, Darren Whittenham-Grayhas volunteered to take the minutes ofTrustee Board meetings and we're inthe process of following-up on afurther offer of help. If you'd like to offer your services to

HBA in any way, please do get intouch. Let us know what your skillsare, what you'd be interested in doingand how much time you'd be able togive and we'll see what we can do.The more folks that get involved,

the more the Association can do andthe less work there is for the existingvolunteers.

Conference & AwardsCeremonyI hope that all of you who attended

our national Conference nearMaidstone back in March both enjoyedyourself and came away a little moreknowledgeable about hospitalbroadcasting than when you arrived.Thanks go from the Trustee Board tothe Conference and Awards team for avery well-run event.Congratulations must also go to all

stations and individuals who picked upan award. If you haven't done soalready, please listen to the winningentries on our website.The star of the weekend was, I'm

sure those who were there will agree,Patrick Mizha, who came all the wayfrom Zimbabwe to learn about how wedo hospital radio here in the UK andfound himself the proud recipient ofthe John Whitney award for anoutstanding contribution to hospitalradio. I'm sure that there's plenty moreabout the weekend, including a reportfrom Patrick himself, elsewhere in thismagazine, so I'll stop there, other thanto say, if you have any equipmentsurplus to requirements, please do

contact Patrick to see if it would be ofany use to Hospinet in Harare; he tellsme that they're in desperate need ofequipment to rebuild their studio andthat he has garnered support from theZimbabwean community in the UKduring his visit, so the shipping costswill not be a problem.

Membership subscriptionsImmediately on my return from

conference, I started the annualmembership renewals process. Allstations and individual associatemembers should have received aninvitation to renew by e-mail andthose requesting it will also havereceived the invitation by post.As I type, 139 stations have

renewed their membership. If yourstation has not done so (check themembership certificate that should beon the wall or contact me forconfirmation), please remind theappropriate person to do so; my timeis so much better spent doing thingsother than chasing membership fees!

HBA Training NetworkAfter the South Region's successful

Training Day on recruiting, motivatingand retaining volunteers, the Wales &West region are planning a re-run inBath in August.This year's national training event is

being held on 15th October , 2011 atthe Ramada Leeds Parkway Hotel,close to Leeds Bradford Airport.This year we hope to have Eric

Simpson covering the speech andinterview side of presentation and ahighly practical health & safetyworkshop specifically targeted at theneeds of hospital radio stations run byMartyn Smith, an ex-NHSprofessional, now a health and safetyconsultant.

More details on both of these eventsin the coming weeks on the website(www.hbauk.com/training), and viaour ‘HBA Announce’ e-mail list.

What do you want fromthe HBA?The Trustee Board is about to start

a major consultative exercise to tryand determine what it is thatmembers want from their nationalassociation, what it is that we're doingright, what we could be doing better,what we're not doing that we shouldbe doing and what we're doing that weshouldn't be.Over the coming months, please

look out for questionnaires andsurveys, discussions at regionalmeetings, etc, etc.In the meantime, if you have any

views you'd like to share, please do so.Once we've got an idea of what HBAshould be doing, we'll then be lookingat what the best structure is to enableus to deliver – which brings me back tovolunteers again!

by Nigel Dallard, Secretary

Keep on Running

Bob Sullivan and Mike Bradley ofPTS Widnes completed the Liverpoolhalf marathon in 2 hours 7 minuteson behalf of Radio Halton on 27thMarch. There were around 6,500runners competing in almost perfectconditions. It was a carnivalatmosphere as the sun broke throughto welcome the runners home. John Kenwright and Pam

Eastwood from Radio Halton werethere to cheer the lads on.Sponsorship money raised will paytowards redecorating the studio inHalton Hospital, which is in need ofa refurb. Radio Halton committeewould like to thank the lads for theirfantastic efforts and also everyonewho sponsored Mike and Bob. The amount raised will be

published on the Radio Halton website at www.radiohalton.org

02 Board Report 134:02,03 Committee report 127 31/05/2011 12:01 Page 1

Hospital Radio Awards 2011


Many thanks to Don Bannister, Sean Dunderdale and Darren Huish for the photographs

03 HR AWARDS 4.AIR:3_COLON-.AIR 31/05/2011 12:02 Page 1



This year's National Hospital RadioAwards came within seconds of beingabandoned! Those at the ceremonywill know how the start of the showwas dramatically halted when aburning smell started filling the frontof the room. Award's presenter and co-producer, Sean Dunderdale realisedsomething was wrong moments afterthe Lincolnshire band The Substitutestook to the stage, opening theceremony with their version of thePlan B song ‘She Said.’ Sean said, ‘Weknew something was burning butcouldn't tell what it was. From ourvantage point it smelt like somethingelectrical – but as we couldn't see anysmoke we wondered what it was.’ As the band finished playing, Sean

swung into his own Plan B, grabbing amicrophone and going into the crowdto chat to a few of those attending andgetting everyone to sing HappyBirthday to a member of DudleyHospital Radio. On stage, meanwhile,the team from Warwick CorporateEvents started checking all theirequipment both on and off the stage.With the burning smell getting worse,co-producer Iain Lee feared the worse.Being an electrical engineer he knewhow damaging and how quick anelectrical fire can burn out of control,so he started making his way for themain lights and was about to evacuatethe room when the culprit wasrevealed ... someone on Table11, whowill remain nameless, had turnedaround to watch the band perform,placing their napkin behind them onthe table and directly on top of a tealight candle! The quick actions ofothers at the table meant the napkinwas extinguished quickly, leavingbehind the charred remains that hadcaused the concern. Ironically, Seanlater revealed that the hotel had onlyplaced tea light candles on the tablesbecause they'd been told that usingactual candlesticks were a fire hazard!

Plymouth Play it PerfectlyIt was Hospital Radio Plymouth's

night at this year's Awards with threeGold wins: The team won Station ofthe Year prize, Best SpecialistProgramme while Kieran Crowhurstwon the prestigious Volunteer of theYear award. Andrew Hill also tookbronze in the Male Presenter of theYear category.Other successes included last year's

Newcomer of the Year, LouiseCroombs, being awarded Best FemalePresenter this time around, much tothe delight of her colleagues atHospital Radio Reading.

Anita Hepple also celebrated, as lastyear's Bronze Female Presenter wasnamed Silver at this year's ceremony.A host of guests presented the

trophies including Visit Kent'sAmanda Cottrell, FieldMedia's KevinField and awards judges BarnieChoudhury, Paul Sylvester, ScottRobert and Paul Easton.The judges told the ceremony they

were staggered at the high standardsof all the entries, not just thoseannounced as winners on the night.They agreed it had been a difficult taskin deciding an overall winner andurged many, especially those in theNewcomer and Presenter of the Yearcategories, to consider a career in full-time radio as they thought theysounded that good!The biggest loser of the night was

Awards’ host, Sean Dunderdale, whofaced a barrage of insults from hisguest presenters. Paul Sylvester,Executive producer at Absolute Radiolooked at Sean and told the ceremony:‘ So this is what Little Britain's MattLucas gets up to on a Saturday night.’Amanda Cottrell got into an argumentwith Sean as to who had the betterCathedral – Canterbury in Kent orLincoln Cathedral, Sean's home city,while HBA Chairman Phil Moon calledSean SIMON after Sean accidentallygot Phil's name wrong when invitinghim to announce the winners!The biggest cheers of the night were

for HBA Ambassadors Ken Bruce andDr Chris Steele. Both spoke, via thevideo screen, congratulatingvolunteers on the work being doneacross the country. Dr Chris alsoquoted from the last edition of On Airmagazine, agreeing with comments

made by Editor, Michelle Newsteadabout a recent report showing howplaying favourite music and gamessuch as bingo, is good for patients –and something hospital radio's beendoing now for 85 years!

PM praises a ‘Friend atthe Bedside’The Prime Minister has praised the

work of Hospital Radio volunteers; 85years after the first service took to theairwaves. David Cameron delivered avideo address to launch HospitalBroadcasting Week, as part of theNational Hospital Radio Awardsceremony in Maidstone. Here's whathe had to say:‘I'm delighted to support the

National Hospital Radio Awards and tomark the start of HospitalBroadcasting Week 2011. For 85 years,broadcasters have been bringinghumour and fun to hospital wards. Inthat time they've given comfort tomillions of people. We all know howunsettling it is to go into hospitals andhow worrying it is to see your lovedones there. That's why HospitalBroadcasting performs such animportant job. By making people listenand making them laugh, you makethem feel more at home – whether it'sinteracting with the patients, playingtheir favourite song, providing sportscommentary or playing bingo on thewards, you are a true friend at thebedside. And this doesn't just cheerpeople up, studies have shown itactually aids their recovery. So, I wantto thank those volunteers for puttingin the hours at hospitals up and downthe country. Keep up the great work.’




Volunteer of the Year:Kieran CrowhurstHospital Radio Plymouth

The judges said that KieranCrowhurst embodies all that’s greatabout Hospital Radio. He’s a relativelyyoung chap, in his early twenties, withlearning difficulties who joinedHospital Radio Plymouth last year. Station Chairman, Andrew Hill, in

his nomination, was candid in saying:‘Some at the station had considerablereservations when agreeing to takeKieran on – wondering whether he’dbe able to make much of acontribution and whether he’dintegrate well into the station ... buthe’s proved any doubters wrong andexceeded all expectations.‘Showing great enthusiasm in what

he does, never letting the stationdown and playing an important,crucial role behind the scenes.’Chairman of trustees said: ‘Kieran

has made a valuable contribution tothe work of the organisation in a veryshort space of time and should be atrue example to others’.

Hospedia Way to GetHospital Radio!Cheaper incoming calls, free

outgoing calls and – more importantlyfor Hospital Radio – an easier way toregister. That was one of the pledgesfrom Hospedia's Director ofMarketing, Ben Packman, during aseminar at this year's Conference.Mr Packman acknowledged the

current lengthy registration systemcan put some patients off using thebedside systems and says newequipment, soon to be rolled out, willmake it easier and could meanregistration disappearing completely,though not yet.

More communication has also beenpromised between Hospedia andindividual stations, with a web portalbeing examined, that could be accessedby stations to see their own individuallistening stats as well other keyinformation about the Hospediaservice.A number of new ideas were also

highlighted at the question andanswer session. Others include plansto install a catch-up TV service to thesystem, with talks already underwaywith BBC iplayer and ITVplayer.Ebooks is another possibility, with themakers of Kindle said to be interestedin developing the idea.

Mr Packman stressed that radiowould remain free of charge, tellingdelegates, ‘There is no benefit to us incharging people to use the radioservice. People register free for radioand we can then use that opportunityto offer upgrade television, telephoneand other packages off the back of it.’He also revealed that Hospital Radioremains the most tuned to radiochannel and is consistently in the topthree most tuned to channels overall,with BBC1 the most watched, HospitalRadio second and ITV1 in third place.HBA Chairman, Phil Moon, told the

seminar, ‘This is an exciting time andit's good to see there's a future forHospedia and that the company is verykeen to work even closer with HospitalRadio stations.’

The AGM and IGMHBA Chairman Phil Moon has

revealed he will stand down from thetop post at next year's AGM.His announcement came at the

Informal Meeting, straight after thisyear's AGM in Maidstone.He told delegates: ‘None of us are

getting any younger and I felt it only

right to give a year's notice to enable asuccessor to be found’.Meanwhile, Phil's deputy, Iain Lee

told delegates ‘your Association needsyou!’He urged volunteers from all

member stations to consider gettingmore involved in the HBA – in any waypossible, telling those at the meeting:‘The workload on the few of us

involved in organising events, such asthe annual conference, is huge.‘We're all volunteers who are also

heavily involved in individual hospitalradio stations and, most of us, alsohave full time jobs too. Any help thatcan be given will be a great help – bysharing the workload further, withmore people involved, it won't provesuch a burden on your time.’Iain's call came as it was revealed

fresh discussions will be held on thestructure of the HBA, after it wasdecided paying to employ a ChiefExecutive – especially in the currentclimate – didn't feel right.Phil Moon said a frank and open

discussion had taken place at a recentEC meeting and it was decided to haltthe current restructuring process andto seek the views of the widermembership once again on what theyexpect and want from the HBA.Further discussions will be held at

EC meetings later in the year and bothPhil and Iain encouraged all membersto consider what they'd like to seehappen and to feed back theirthoughts at the earliest opportunity.

HBA Chairman Phil Moon and Hospedia'sBen Packman take questions from theseminar floor

The AGM and Informal meeting

COPY DATE FORISSUE 135

5th July, 2011




This year's National Hospital RadioAwards went beyond the UK, withZimbabwe's Patrick Mizha winning theJohn Whitney Award.Since 1999, Patrick has single-

handedly pursued the vision ofreviving hospital broadcasting at

Zimbabwe’s largest referral andteaching hospital.He’s done this despite many

obstacles – not least the sheer cost,especially between 2001 and 2008when the country’s inflation hit half abillion percent!

Patrick battled on, eventuallypersuading hospital authorities that hecould revive hospital broadcasting inthe country – something which haddied out in the early nineties. To dothis, he has, at times had to walk 14kilometres to the hospital ... visitingpatients in a bid to engage their mindsaway from their illness.Now finally, through much

perseverance, Hospinet in Zimbabwehas been offered a small grant by theSwedish International DevelopmentAgency to buy basic studio equipmentto set up a station in the country ...and he says his aim is to bring hospitalradio to all major hospitals inZimbabwe and – eventually – acrossSouthern Africa.Patrick was able to attend this year’s

Annual Conference after receiving anHBA bursary, funding his weekend inMaidstone. He had no idea he'd beennominated for the award but turnedthe tables on HBA President, JuneSnowden, by handing out his ownawards when invited on stage. Patrickhad brought a few gifts fromZimbabwe to say thank you to June,Phil Moon and Nigel Dallard – whowas promoted to Secretary General byPatrick.

John Whitney AwardPatrick Mizha, Hospinet in Zimbabwe

Patrick hands his special gifts from Zimbabwe to Phil, June and Nigel

Patrick Mizha’s Conference ReportBackgroundComing to the United Kingdom to

attend the 2011 HBA Conference inMaidstone, Kent, was at the invitationand facilitation of the HospitalBroadcasting Association, whothrough the Executive Committee,kindly offered me a bursary to coverthe accommodation and conferencecosts, as well as my transport to andfrom London.Having just joined the HBA a year

earlier, Hospinet was anxious toconnect and collaborate with HBA-UK,the universal custodians. The BritishEmbassy in Harare kindly availed thefunds for air travel. So I am indebted to both the HBA's

Conference Bursary Committee:President Mrs June Snowden,Secretary, Nigel Dallard and Treasurer,Julie Cox for this bursary. I am alsograteful to Ms Cathrine Carr, anofficer with the British Embassy inHarare, as well as the goodwill andsupport from the board of trustees ofHospital Network (Hospinet) and the

Zimbabwe Association of CommunityRadio Stations, who made it possiblefor me to access funding from theBritish Embassy. Hospital Network is a registered

trust, based in Harare, Zimbabwe,with three broad objectives ofproviding therapeutic entertainmentand companionship, chaplaincyservices and compassionate support topatients, their loved ones and staff atParirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, inHarare, Zimbabwe. Parirenyatwa isZimbabwe's largest referral hospitalwith an in-patient capacity of 1,000; itemploys over 3,500 staff. It was builtin the mid seventies and was until1980, called Andrew Fleming Hospital.

HBA Conference & AGMFor me, The HBA Conference and

AGM, turned out to be a mostgruelling boot camp of sorts, a far cryfrom a mellow and laid back weekend Ihad feared it would be. I had comeeager and anxious to learn and makeas many contacts as I could. I was not

disappointed. It was a weekend wellspent, an international trip, worthevery penny invested into it!!From Friday afternoon through to

Sunday midday, the entire weekendwas packed with programmes andactivities which I found to be veryenriching, through station visits,interacting with delegates as well asparticipating in seminars.From the outset, the most inspiring

lesson I learnt was that the entire HBAand its programmes and activities wasrun by volunteers, most of whom arefull-time employees elsewhere. It wasso refreshing to see how an 85-yearold organisation, with over 200 activemembers, spanning the entire UK,could be run so efficiently andprofessionally without paid staff. As a new organisation that shares

HBA's passion for hospitalbroadcasting, Hospinet has so much tolearn: how this cuts down onoverheads and thus enhancesprogrammatic and even organisationalefficiency.

06,07 John Whitne-Patrick Mizha:3_COLON-.AIR 31/05/2011 12:07 Page 1


Patrick Mizha’s Conference Report

The challenge for Hospinet is toknow how to strike the fine balancebetween volunteerism on the onehand and efficiency andprofessionalism on the other.The whole sense of solidarity and

goodwill I received from almost alldelegates was so overwhelming, it’s afeeling and an experience I will cherishfor a very long, long time. June andNigel were always on hand, especiallyon Friday, to reassure me andintroduce me to the other delegates asthey arrived at the Ramada JarvisHotel in Maidstone.I was inspired to see how HBA has

such sustained and sustainablefundraising and corporate supportprogrammes to keep their work going.The fact that so many broadcastengineering and production companiescould invest time, personnel and otherresources for the trade show speaksvolumes of the strong partnershipsHBA has with its stakeholders, outsidethe hospitals. Seeing the Chairman and the

Treasurer bringing their annualreports that included transparent andaudited reports was a very importantlesson I will take home to HospitalNetwork in Zimbabwe.

HBA AwardsPerhaps the highlight of the entire

weekend was the National HospitalAwards and Gala Dinner. It was anevening of celebrating everyones'sefforts, big and small, in keeping theindividual stations as well as thecollective family going. Looking ateveryone impeccably dressed for theoccasion, chatting and sharing jokesand drinks, it was evident thateveryone was a winner!But for me personally, one of the

most humbling experiences I ever hadin my life was to be bestowed with theJohn Whitney Award.As I continue to trace the history of

the award and particularly theprevious winners, I am humbledbeyond words that the HBA judgesfound it fitting to put me into thatclass of achievers.

For me, I reckon the challenge is towork even harder as we pursue thedream of reviving hospitalbroadcasting in Zimbabwe, beginningwith the Parirenyatwa Group ofHospitals.The fact that the Prime Minister

sent his pre-recorded message tocongratulate the HBA on its 85thanniversary, as well as the individualwinners of the night, shows thepositive impact HBA has had over theyears, to even challenge Westminster'snotice, support and endorsement.This again, is a very important

lesson for Hospinet, which is stilltrying to find its feet and establish aformal working relationship with theGovernment of Zimbabwe. It was alsoa great honour to meet and share afew words with Amanda Cottrell,Chairman of Visit Kent and who wasthe evening's guest of honour.During my time in the UK, I had the

opportunity to visit the following HBAmember radio stations: City Beat,West Middlesex University HospitalRadio, Valley Park Radio, HarlowRadio and Radio Lion.I also had the honour of being taken

on a tour of Bush House, theheadquarters of the BBC AfricaService. I had interviews on HospitalRadio Harlow, Radio Lion and HospitalRadio Maidstone as well as featuringon BBC's Network Africa.Natalie Thomas took me on a visit

of the PPL offices in central London. Ialso visited the Senior chaplain withUniversity College of London Hospital,Father Peter Davies. I have engagedwith numerous health professionalsfrom Zimbabwe, who are based hereand who have pledged to help usmobilise resources. One such group isthe Essex Zimbabwe Association.

SuggestionsAll sessions and presentations

relating to station management,programming and engineering couldbe recorded on MP3 and madeavailable on the HBA website. Thiswould help station members that failto send representatives to accessmaterial useful to their individualstations. This will also benefit stationsthat are represented, because not onlycan they review the presentations andsessions made simultaneously.

DonationsSo far I have received the following

donations:

• Digital microphone, microphoneand cable from Jeff Brown• Mixer, CD players and Mic fromMike Sarre• Mixer and laptop from MartinSpencer

At the time of writing this report, Iwas awaiting delivery of moredonations pledged by John of EasternElectronics and Shelagh Godwin ofRadio Lion in Guildford, before I flyout on 28th May. My departure dateswere thrown into turmoil by the fourweek strike of Air Zimbabwe pilotsand cabin crew.Any more donations of any pieces of

equipment will be most welcome, as Ihave been assured of support withmeeting costs of freighting theequipment to Zimbabwe.

The FutureBeing a full and paid-up member of

the HBA, Hospinet intends to workvery closely with the ExecutiveCommittee and individual members aswe have so much to learn from theHBA.As such, we have begun the process

of raising funds to have at least onerepresentative coming to theConference in Northampton next year.We also intend to arrange for somepractical attachments for ourtechnician and producer to come andspend time learning and gleaning fromone or two HBA member radios.Hospinet is also exploring avenues oflearning best practices form clinicalchaplaincy organisations in the UK.

ConclusionAllow me to conclude this report

with my most sincere and heartfeltgratitude to the entire HBA familywho all individually and collectivelymade my visit to the UK such a hugeand landmark success, not just for mepersonally, nor for Hospinet but forZimbabwe.This visit may have been Hospinet's

and my first but it is certainly not thelast! And as I expressed during theGala, I do hope that in the next coupleof years Hospinet will be able to hostan HBA delegation, at least to seewhat will have become of our visionfor hospital broadcasting inZimbabwe, as well as to experience ourbeautiful countryside and very warmweather and beautiful people.I thank you.Patrick Mizha

06,07 John Whitne-Patrick Mizha:3_COLON-.AIR 31/05/2011 12:08 Page 2

My First Conference


It's the last weekend in March and Iam making the four and a half hourtrip from the Welsh border to the Kentcountryside ... but not for a holiday.This weekend was the HBA AnnualConference and Award Ceremony and Iwas fortunate enough to be joininglots of like-minded people from lots ofdifferent Hospital Radio stations fromall over the country to share ideas andexperiences.

I was also extremely lucky to havereceived a Bursary from the HBA forthis trip as it was my first conference,and it gave me the opportunity toexpand my knowledge and open myeyes to new ideas.

After a pleasant drive in the Springsunshine, I arrived at the hotel andwas greeted by various HBArepresentatives who seemed reallypleased to welcome me to the event.After being handed my name tag, Iwas quickly given a large 'goodie bag',best described I think as a 'party' bagfull of stationery, booklets and all theinformation I needed for the weekendahead, as well as the most importantitem of course, a bag of crisps!

After settling in for a while, the firstitem on the agenda for the weekendwas a minibus trip to Hospital RadioMaidstone. It was good to have a tripout to another Hospital Radio station,not only to meet other Hospital Radiopeople but also to take a look at howother stations are running theirservice and what they find reallyworks for their listeners.

Upon arrival at the station, it struckme just how professional these peoplewere and well equipped their studiosare too. They also demonstrated how

they provide two different programmestyles from one station and gave us alla guided tour of their three studios, aswell as allowing us plenty of time tobrowse the many awards they haveachieved over the years, demonstratedby an overwhelming array ofcertificates hanging up in the studioarea. It showed me just what can beachieved when so much hard work anddedication goes in to a Hospital Radiostation and it certainly has given meplenty of inspiration to take back toMerthyr.

After a lovely roast dinner, we weretreated to a Quiz Night, organised byHospital Radio Maidstone. I thoughtthat this was a great idea as it gave mechance to mingle with different peoplefrom different stations. Despite theefforts of my team and I, we managedto come tenth out of ten but as theysay, it's not the winning that counts,it's the taking part!

On Saturday morning, everyone wasup bright and early (after a late night),for breakfast in the hotel restaurant,swiftly followed by a choice ofseminars on subjects such as theHistory of Hospital Radio and also mychoice of seminar, Better RadioPresentation with Kevin Field. Thiswas a fantastic opportunity for myselfand others, to hear from professionalslike Kevin and also guest speakerPatrick ‘Paddy’. There were tips onkeeping the listeners hooked, showplanning and also how to target youraudience correctly to enable you to getthe best out of your programming.Having been broadcasting for undertwo years, this was a particularlyinteresting seminar for me personally,

as I was able to see what I was alreadydoing right but also highlight areas inmy own broadcasting where I canimprove and hone my skills, so Iwould recommend this sort ofseminar to anyone who is attendingthe conference weekend.

Saturday afternoon consistedchiefly of the Annual General Meetingof the HBA followed by a general,open discussion event where variouspeople were able to raise questions onvarious topics and discuss any otherbusiness of interest. There was also anopportunity to browse the manystands and see demonstrations of thelatest broadcasting technology in theTrade Stand area, as well as consumethe many different sweets and biscuitsthat were freely available at each ofthe exhibitors tables! Again, I reallyliked the concept of meeting thetraders and being able to ask anyquestions relating to the equipmenton offer as well as being able to try itout.

The climax of the weekend had tobe the Saturday Night Gala Dinnerand Awards Ceremony and havingbeen nominated for an award myself, Iwas naturally very excited about thewhole evening. It started with a lovelythree-course dinner served silverservice followed by a napkin catchingfire on my table which I spotted firstand quickly extinguished with the aidof my fellow station member DaveDuford. I always knew I'd make a goodfireman but instead opted for theworld of Hospital Radio.

With the panic over, we quicklymoved on to the award ceremonyhosted by Sean Dunderdale, which Ithought was very professional and Iliked in particular, the way in whichthey had got the 'voice of the X-Factor', Peter Dickson, to do the pre-recorded voice-overs, announcing thefinalists for each category. There wasalso a personal message from thePrime Minister, David Cameron, aswell as from two of the Ambassadorsfor Hospital Radio, Ken Bruce and DrChris Steele.

When it came to the BestNewcomer category I was sitting therewith baited breath awaiting theannouncements for Bronze, Silver andGold awards. It was apparent from theaward entry clips that the standard ofentries was very high and I'd like totake the opportunity to pass on mycongratulations to those who made itin to the top three, in particular toLouise Oliver from Hospital RadioCherwell, who picked up the Gold

08,09 First Conference.AIR:3_COLON-.AIR 31/05/2011 12:10 Page 1

My First Conference


Award for her excellent work as BestNewcomer 2011.We also had a lovely moment when

Patrick Mizha, who had travelled allthe way from Zimbabwe to be at theconference and who also picked up theJohn Whitney Award, presented threegifts from himself to some of the HBACommittee Members on stage andgave a confident speech along side it.Patrick is working hard in Zimbabwewith Hospital Radio over there and itwas lovely to hear from him. Well donePatrick and the very best of luck withyour hard work back at home.To finish off the award ceremony,

Station Of The Year was awarded toHospital Radio Plymouth and so a bigcongratulations go to them and toeveryone else who picked up an awardat the Ceremony. It struck me how much hard work is

going in to Hospital Radio nationwideand if we all keep up the good workand commitment, together we will gofrom strength to strength.After winding the clocks forward at

1am Sunday morning, we went to bedand woke up somewhat bleary-eyed afew hours later but looking forward tothe 'Meet The Judges' seminar, or the

Sunday morning 'ramble' , just toclarify that's a walk ramble not talkramble, I think the later was probablydone the night before at the bar!Personally, I chose to join the rambleand go for a stroll through thegrounds of the neighbouring LeedsCastle and very pleasant it was too. Itwas nice to see that we allremembered to wear the all importantname tags throughout, we couldn'tforget those now could we!To finish off the conference

weekend, we were treated to one lastmeal of roast beef and Yorkshirepuddings and roast potato followed bya raffle held in aid of the JapaneseDisaster Appeal.I was keeping my fingers crossed

that I might win one of the lovelyEaster Eggs on offer but after lookingdown at my belly, I did thinkafterwards, not winning the chocolatewas probably for the best. Instead Iwas content with the fact that I hadcontributed to another charitablecause and in the process, wecollectively raised around £328 for theJapanese Disaster Appeal. Well doneto everyone.If you haven't been to the

Conference before I would certainlyrecommend it to anyone. Personally, Igot a great deal from the weekend as Ibelieve it takes you out of the singularenvironment of your own station andallows you to see the Hospital Radioworld in '3D'. In other words, you geta new perspective, you pick up onideas and get inspiration that you canapply to your own station. At the endof the day, we are all doing HospitalRadio together, for the same cause,just in different parts of the country.It's great therefore, to have theopportunity to get together and sharethe experience, even if it is just once ayear. Anyway, I'm signing off for this

edition of On Air but I would like totake this opportunity to thank theHBA for all their hard work with the2011 Conference and also a big thankyou for the Bursary Award, withoutwhich I would not have had theexperience this year. I wish everyone the very best,

wherever you are Broadcasting fromand I hope to see you all again soon.

James EwinsMerthyr Hospital Broadcasting

08,09 First Conference.AIR:3_COLON-.AIR 31/05/2011 12:10 Page 2

The Chairman’s Speech


Once again the Trustee Board hasworked conscientiously to further theaims of the Association. We met on sixoccasions during the year and allmeetings were well attended.I am delighted to report that the

long-running saga of HBA Enterpriseswas brought to a close during the yearafter six years of legal struggles. TheCompanies House register now showsHBA Enterprises Ltd as having beendissolved on 12th January, 2010.Their bank account has been closedand I can confirm that we havereceived £30,382 after deduction ofsolicitors’ fees of £9,635. There hasbeen no unauthorised use of the nameor logo and as before, on behalf of theHBA, I wish to thank our SecretaryNigel Dallard who has brought thistroublesome period of the HBA’sexistence to a close.Turning to the annual Conference,

Awards and AGM, once again I paytribute to the work of the small groupof people who make the arrangementsfor the Conference weekend,administer the Awards and arrangethe Awards ceremony. Unfortunately,during the year, irreconcilabledifferences within the NationalConference and Awards Committee ledto a request from that Committee,subsequently unanimously agreed bythe Trustee Board, to change themembership of the Committee. As aresult John and Marie Harper left theCommittee some months ago. I takethis opportunity to thank John andMarie for their hard work for the HBAover many years and for the highlyprofessional way they handed over theinformation and HBA property. Ofcourse filling the vacuum left by theirdeparture was not easy but variouspeople stepped into the breach at thedifficult time and I am especiallygrateful to Julie Cox and Emma Sysumwho have borne the brunt of theadministrative work for conference.A particularly heavy workload also

falls on the shoulders of the ViceChairman Iain Lee and on our PRManager Sean Dunderdale in the caseof the Awards ceremony and I knowthat Sean and Iain work ceaselessly togive us the enjoyable and cost-effective show which the Associationexpects. I am also aware thatScunthorpe Hospital Radio is again

heavily committed to the Awardsceremony for which we should also bevery grateful.Looking forward, I can confirm that

conference venues have now beenagreed for the next two years. We'll bein Northampton in 2012 andBlackpool in 2013. Future venues areunder consideration.Once again our National Hospital

Radio Training Day, which took placein October, was a great success. Wereceived overwhelmingly positivefeedback which has been reviewed andnoted.I am now able to announce that this

year’s National Training Day will beheld on 15th October at the RamadaParkway hotel at Leeds. The contentwill include presentational trainingand also a session on Health andSafety for hospital radio stations. Briefdetails and a booking form are in thedelegates conference pack and moredetails will be contained in a flyerwhich will be sent to stations as theyrenew their membership. [There isalso a copy of the booking form in thisissue of On Air]. As usual, there islimited capacity for this event so bookearly!The hotel is pleasantly located on

the outskirts of Leeds and a specialrate has been negotiated for thosewho need to, or have to, stayovernight. The venue has movedfurther North this year since thisconference is in the South. Futureevents will be located so that thegreatest number of delegates possiblecan reach the venue.As this event has now become an

annual event, the Trustee Board hasset up a Committee headed by JimSimpson to administer this and anyregional training events. Anyone whohas ideas for training topics or venuesfor training events should talk to Jim.I now turn to the restructuring of

HBA. As many delegates will recall, theproposal to re-structure the HBAsprang from the advice of a consultant

who was originally employed to helpthe Association prepare a five-yearbusiness plan. From that beginning,we were encouraged to prepare amission statement and to seriouslyconsider re-structuring in order torelieve the heavy workload on someTrustee Board members so that theycould concentrate on the strategic rolewhich the HBA should undertake forits members without being weigheddown with the administration.As an example of the excessive

workload, our Secretary acts asMembership Secretary and MinutesSecretary as well as advising both theBoard and member stations on legaland parliamentary issues.Another example is the Vice

Chairman who is currently chairingthe National Conference and AwardsCommittee and organising the HBAAwards as well as acting as my deputy.And most of us have ‘day jobs’ as well!These are two examples but there aremany others. So the Trustee Boardundertook a very detailed look at whatwas being proposed.As well as the strategic objective I

just mentioned, we considered themethod by which this might beachieved. As we progressed it becameever more clear that there was nounanimity for the plannedemployment of a paid Chief Executiveand continuing uncertainty as towhether any one person couldundertake all the duties set down inthe Job Description that we hadagreed – and if they did, what thecosts would be to the HBA’s funds. After an open and frank discussion

at our January Trustee Board meetingit was agreed that, while the need togive the Trustees a more strategic rolewas still very necessary, we could notsupport the recruitment of paid staffuntil the purpose was much clearer. Itwas therefore unanimously agreed tohalt the restructuring process and toseek members’ views about what theyexpect from the HBA. So now is thetime to let this meeting or any TrusteeBoard member know what is requiredand if expenditure is required how theincreased income might be met.From the Trustee Board’s

perspective, we have already identifiedtasks which would greatly assist theBoard in its work. It might be helpful,

HBA National ConferenceMaidstone, 26th March, 2011

10,11 Chairmans Speech.AIR:3_COLON-.AIR 31/05/2011 12:11 Page 1

The Chairman’s Speech

Green for Go


for example, if we could recruit aqualified legal adviser, a fundraisingadviser, plus more people to help outat a regional level, with conferencesand with training.

We are already very grateful to JohnBryson for coming forward to helpwith the Training and Policy andGuidelines Committees. It's also clearthat we desperately need to devotetime to getting the message about thebenefits of hospital radio across tosenior managers in NHS Trusts up anddown the country. But as I say wewould very much appreciate yourviews and the Trustee Board willreturn to this topic at our Maymeeting. We are keen to get this rightand until we believe we have, I don’thave any problem with delaying theprogress, particularly if the proposalsinvolve spending HBA funds.

I was pleased to see that there was asudden increase of stations joining or

re-joining the HBA during the year. Ofcourse this resurgence of membershipmay be due to the sudden interest byPRS in collecting copyright fees fromnon-members but I am always pleasedto welcome stations back whatever thereason! I would simply say that thefees being requested by PRS are manytimes our annual subscription,demonstrating the added value thatHBA brings to stations.

I am pleased that a seniorrepresentative, a director, of Hospediaattended this morning. It is longoverdue but nevertheless welcome. Iam grateful to them for sponsoring anaward at tonight’s ceremony and to allthe sponsors without whom theawards ceremony would probably nottake place.

Finally, I pay tribute to the hardworking volunteers both on theTrustee Board and others whoperform a wide range of tasks to

enable us to maintain the highstandards which we have setourselves. I know it continues to be astruggle for those of us who havevolunteered in various capacities tokeep up with the demands of ourresponsibilities. Especial thanks go toPaul Easton who after five years as ourProgramming Adviser has decided tostand down.

In my case, I am finding thedemands on my time to be verydifficult and I’m not getting anyyounger. I have therefore decided togive notice that I intend to standdown at next year’s AGM. Till then Iwill continue to make every effort forthe cause and organisation aboutwhich we all care so deeply: TheHospital Broadcasting Association.

Thank you.

Phil MoonHBA Chairman

Hospital Radio Ipswich is serving upa ‘bangers and cash’ initiative as partof a novel fund-raising drive to boostits service to hospital patients.

Hospital Radio Ipswich broadcaststo patients and staff at Ipswich’sHeath Road Hospital and relies ondonations to fund its service.

To accelerate its fund-raising work,it has now become one of the firstcharities in the county to team up withGiveacar, a social enterprise whichcollects unwanted and unused cars forcharity – turning scrap into cash.

The concept mirrors one that isalready popular in the United States

and other countries – but which is stillvery much in its infancy in the UK.

Regardless of their condition, carsare collected free-of-charge byGiveacar and sold through an onlineauction, or disposed of at anauthorised treatment facility.

Proceeds from the sale are donatedto Hospital Radio Ipswich. Even if thebanger is scrapped, it still nets thehospital radio station between £40and £160.

Mark Keable, Press Officer ofHospital Radio Ipswich said, ‘We aredelighted to be working with Giveacarin this exciting new venture and wehope that local people will get behindthe initiative and donate their oldbangers to us via Giveacar rather thanjust pay someone to scrap it for you!’

Many car owners want an easy andcompletely free way to get rid of theirold car. Giveacar will help them to dothis in a legal and environmentallyfriendly way.

The scheme is intended todiscourage those irresponsible ownerswho may consider abandoning theircars, spoiling the appearance of thelocal environment and also costinglocal taxpayers’ money to remove anddispose of it.

Tom Chance, Chief Executive ofGiveacar, welcomed the partnershipwith the radio station. He said, ‘We aredelighted to be associated with

Hospital Radio Ipswich, we embracenew causes with open arms and areproud to be raising money for HRI asthey bring enjoyment to so manyhospital patients.

‘We look forward to a long andfruitful partnership and we will do allthat we can to create a valuable newsource of income for Hospital RadioIpswich’.

To get more details and starthelping Hospital Radio Ipswich, visitwww.tinyurl.com/hospitalradioipswich<http://www.tinyurl.com/hospitalradioipswich> or call the Giveacar Team on020 0011 1664, quoting HospitalRadio Ipswich as your chosen charity.

About Giveacar• Giveacar was established in

January 2010 as a not-for-profit socialenterprise.

• To date, Giveacar has processedmore than 1500 cars for salvage orscrap.

• Over 200 regional and nationalcharities are affiliated with thescheme.

• Run by Tom Chance, 23, agraduate of Nottingham University.

For further information aboutGiveacar, please [email protected], ring 0200011 1664 and ask for Tom or visitwww.giveacar.co.ukhttp://www.giveacar.co.uk>

The Wheel Deal…Tom Chance, founder ofGiveacar, the social enterprise which hasturned unwanted cars into £250,000 ofcharity cash in its first year

10,11 Chairmans Speech.AIR:3_COLON-.AIR 31/05/2011 12:11 Page 2


The Radio Magazine recentlypublished an article on 85years of Hospital Radio,

which I thought membersmight like to read – Ed

12,13 Radio mag article.AIR:3_COLON-.AIR 31/05/2011 12:12 Page 1


12,13 Radio mag article.AIR:3_COLON-.AIR 31/05/2011 12:12 Page 2

STATION OF THE YEAR

SILVERRadio Northwick Park

BRONZERadio Redhill

MALE PRESENTER OF THE YEAR

GOLDRichard PalmerRadio Cherwell

SILVERMark KeavneyHR Basingstoke

BRONZEAndrew HillHR Plymouth

FEMALE PRESENTER OF THE YEAR

GOLDLouise CroombsHR Reading

SILVERAnita Hepple

HWD

BRONZEShelley NobileRadio Grapevine

SPEECH PACKAGE PRODUCTION

GOLDRadio Tyneside

SILVERVictoria Radio Network

BRONZERadio Redhill

SILVEREdward Payne, White

BRONZECallum Gallacher, Radio (Grant McNaughton represe

NEWCOMER OF T

GOLDLouise Oliver, Radio (Neil Stockton represen

Hospital Radio Award

GOLDHR Plymouth

14,15 CENTRE DPS134:14,15 CENTRE DPS 31/05/2011 12:14 Page 1

JOHN WHITNEY AWARD

WINNERPatrick Mizha, Zimbabwe

WINNERKeiran Crowhurst, HR Plymouth

SPECIALIST MUSIC

GOLDHR Plymouth

SILVERVictoria Radio Network

BRONZECastle Mead Radio

STATION PROMOTION

GOLDHarlow Hospital Radio

SILVERRadio Grapevine

BRONZERadio Glamorgan

GOLDRadio Brockley

SILVERWhipps Cross HR

SPECIAL EVENT

BRONZEChoice Radio

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

ILVER e, Whitechapel AM

RONZE er, Radio Grapevine

on representing Callum

R OF THE YEAR

GOLD r, Radio Cherwell

representing Louise)

wards 2011, Maidstone

14,15 CENTRE DPS134:14,15 CENTRE DPS 31/05/2011 12:14 Page 2


Children’s TV favouritejoins Medway team

Hospital Radio Medway is delightedto announce its first celebrity patron.Children’s TV star Phil Gallagher haspledged to support the charity whichbroadcasts to patients at MedwayMaritime Hospital in Gillingham.The BAFTA-nominated presenter,

best known for his role as CBeebies’Mister Maker, became involved withthe station after visiting the studioslast Christmas. Phil was starring inpanto at Chatham’s Central Theatreand took part in a show with the restof the cast.Phil, who grew up in Gillingham,

has been back in the studio to record aspecial show to mark the start of hispatronage. During the one-hourprogramme, Phil talked about his 13-year career in children’s TV and chosesome of his favourite songs.Phil hopes to be a regular visitor to

the studio and to be able to help raisefunds for the station.He said, ‘I am very pleased and

proud to be asked to become anofficial supporter of Hospital RadioMedway.‘I know that the station's efforts

mean so much to the patients andstaff at Medway Maritime Hospital.The volunteers work so hard to keepbroadcasting 24 hours a day, sevendays a week – it is an honour to bepart of their extended team.‘I look forward to helping Hospital

Radio Medway in the future ... andgetting as many Pet Shop Boys and A-ha songs played as possible!’

Medway Pride

Volunteers at Hospital RadioMedway attended a glittering awardsceremony celebrating unsung heroes.The team based at Medway

Maritime Hospital in Gillingham, wereamong 40 finalists at this year’s Pridein Medway Awards.The awards, run by the Medway

Messenger newspaper, recognisepeople in the Medway Towns(Chatham, Gillingham and Rochesterin Kent) who go that extra mile.The station, which marked its 40th

year on air last year, was nominated bylocal councillor Teresa Murray, whofelt the 60-strong team deservedrecognition for giving patients anexcellent service 24-hours a day, sevendays a week.Last October Cllr Murray joined the

Hospital Radio Medway team for its24-hour broadcast HalloweenSpookathon, organised to raise moneyfor the children’s wards at the site. Ateam of presenters was sponsored totake part and listeners could donateonline. The broadcast included anumber of special shows – including aguest spot by veteran DJ TonyBlackburn and an interview with thecaptain of Gillingham FC Barry Fuller.Trevor Fox, vice-chairman at the

station, said, ‘It was wonderful to benominated for a Pride in MedwayAward and then chosen as one of thefinalists. Although we did not win, theawards ceremony was a brilliantevening. The host, former BBC newspresenter Geoff Clarke, gave us aspecial mention because he used to bea hospital radio volunteer and praisedus for the work we do.‘Another highlight was one of our

volunteers, Richard Bartlett, who wascelebrating his birthday, was presentedwith a cake by Geoff and had 100guests singing him Happy Birthday.”

Fun Run SpecialHospital Radio Chelmsford is proud

to be invited to host the 27th GreatBaddow Charity Races on Sunday22nd May 2011.The event, organised by Mildmay

Rotary Club, features a 10 mile and 2mile run to raise money for charitiesacross Chelmsford and this year,Hospital Radio Chelmsford is one ofthe benefactors from the event.Before the races, the hospital radio

team have a full programme ofentertainment, games, music andimportant information for theathletes, fun runners and well wishersalike. This year, presenter John Barkerwill be broadcasting live from theRecreation Ground in Great Baddowsupported by a team of reportersaround the 10 mile circuit.HR Chelmsford Chairman, Graham

Medhurst said it was a privilege to beinvolved with this prestigious sportingevent for so many years and membersjump at the opportunity to getinvolved, whether running in theraces, hosting the roadshow orrelaying the action back to BroomfieldHospital.A special website has been created

for anyone who wishes to leavemessages of support for the runners,clubs or charities that are beingsupported by the event.Details at www.hrc.org.uk or by

following the station on twitter@hr_chelmsford.

... Countrywide ... news from the stations ...

Phil Gallagher

16 Countrywide 1 134:14,15 Countrywide 31/05/2011 12:15 Page 1


In their 30th year, Channel OneNewport Hospital Radio, based atNewport's Royal Gwent Hospital inSouth Wales, recently staged anincredible event by hosting theirlongest ever two-man show!When Andrew Williams and Ryan

Young sat down together afterpresenting their ‘Boys Night In’ showone Wednesday, they came up with theidea for the sponsored marathonshow, which very soon became areality.Ideas were soon put together as

station members rallied round toobtain sponsorship. Special guestswere booked to visit the studio and/orring in, ready to start the marathonbroadcast at 09.00 on Saturday 30thApril 2011.Many of the station's volunteers

came in to give the marathon show agreat kick start. During the 24 hours,the pair were joined by members ofChannel One, patients, staff and iconssuch as Michele Monro, daughter ofthe legendary singer Matt Monro,famed for many hits including BornFree. Actor and local radio DJ, TonyWright, also rang in during themarathon performance.The fun and laughter continued all

the way through, with much help fromcaffeine and constant visitors. Andrewand Ryan had no sleep until the tiringend at 09.00 on Sunday morning whenthe team made their weary way homefrom the studio. It was an amazingfeat.

The sponsored broadcast was stagedto help purchase a new 'Myriad'computerised system for the studio, toenable Channel One to broadcast tothe patients 24 hours a day.Chairman, Dave Ravenhill, gave his

verdict. ‘The happiness overflowed’,he said. ‘It was an incredible effort bythese two young presenters – whatwill they get up to next? Watch thisspace ...!’There is talk of more record breaking

in the future … let's hope they leavethe vinyl collection well alone!

Radio Hillingdon bringsRoyal Wedding toHillingdonVolunteers from Hospital Radio

Hillingdon made sure that patientsstuck in hospital didn’t miss the RoyalWedding on 29th April.Steve Hickman from Yiewsley and

Katie Gaskell from Hayes, hosted afour hour Royal Wedding Special, fromtheir studio at Hillingdon Hospital.Armed with a wealth of facts and

figures about the wedding, they keptthe patients up-to-date with what washappening in Central London and atWestminster Abbey.Meanwhile Jeff Brown from

Teddington, reported back to thestudio, live from the Media Centreoutside Buckingham Palace.The station also had its Road Show

out and about at the Prince Albertpublic house in Pield Heath Roadwhere they played music for a RoyalWedding Garden Party hosted by theRed Room Restaurant.The Road Show team also reported

back to Steve and Katie in the studio,so that patients could hear what washappening locally. Steve Hickman said, ‘It was a great

day and fun was had by all involved.Radio Hillingdon is proud to have beenable to bring the special day home tothe patients’.


Andrew Williams and Ryan Young

Katie Gaskell and Steve Hickman incelebration mode

Newport’s Marathon Broadcast



Bath Hospital Radio broadcast fromthe St George’s Day rugby union gamebetween London Wasps and BathRugby from the home of Englishrugby, Twickenham on 23rd April.This was the second time that Bath

had played the London side in thisspecial patriotic game organised by theBlack and Golds to raise money forArmy, Navy and Air Force charities.Last year Bath won by 35 points to 19and the team knew that a win againstWasps would really help them towardsa European Cup place next season.Bath Hospital Radio regularly

provides match commentary of BathRugby clubs home games and has justbegun to bring live commentary oftheir away games, provided by BathRugby Supporters’ Club member GlynEdwards.On arrival at the south-west

London stadium, there was time tohave a quick look around beforegetting set up in the commentarygantry situated in the West Stand ofthe stadium. For you techies, we wereusing a Comrex Access Remote Unitwhich connected though a 3G mobilenetwork back to the studio, providedby our show’s sponsor, local companyGrapevine Communications. Theremote unit and studio rack mountwas purchased from Vortex with agrant from The Royal United HospitalLeague of Friends.The stadium opened to supporters

an hour a half hour before kick off,with patriotic music from The RoyalMarines Band comprising a sing along

to many cherished favouritesincluding Rule Britannia, Land ofHope and Glory and Jerusalem.The sports programme which was

already being broadcast, switched liveto Twickenham at 5pm to set thescene for the listeners prior to the5.30pm kick off. The pre-matchentertainment was well underwaywhich added to the atmosphere of thelive transmission. The first half wasvery entertaining with Bath taking thelead at half time 29-3.During the interval the crowd

witnessed a Guinness World Recordfor ‘The Biggest Ever Backing DanceTroupe for a Singer’ when HeatherSmall took to the hallowedTwickenham turf with over 600 youngpeople from English Schools andshattered the world record, whilstlisteners heard a live piece of Heathersinging the M-People hit single ‘Searchfor a Hero’.The second half commenced with

Bath dominating the field as in thefirst half of the game and things reallygot exciting as Bath left Waspsstanding still and forged ahead on thescoreboard. The game finished LondonWasps 10 Bath Rugby 43, whichleaves Bath in a good position for nextseason’s European Cup.Bath Hospital Radio would like to

thank everyone who made thisbroadcast possible especially TomScott and Mike Killey (studio tech-ops) also Glyn, Erica, Mike, Jan andEmma from Bath Rugby Supporters’Club.

New Chapter for HRY

Radio Yare broadcasts on 1350 kHzMW 24/7. The majority of thestation’s programming is music-basedincluding the daily request shows.Over recent years, the station has

made an attempt to give patients morevaried programming. Radio Yare hasrun regular Saturday afternoon sportsshows since its inception 34 years ago.The other long-established non-musicbroadcasts is the very popular hourreadings from the Lowestoft Journaland the Great Yarmouth Mercury bycourtesy of ‘Grapevine’, the readingservice for the blind.Six months ago it was decided to try

whole book readings over a three hourperiod every Thursday afternoon andrepeated the following Saturdayevening. The first tapes and CDs weredonated to Radio Yare by members ofthe public and more recently bought innew by the station to boost an alreadybig and varied library. Books rangefrom Dr. Who to the classics ofCharles Dickens, Jane Austen, JulesVerne among others.The books are professionally read by

the likes of Richard Briar and PatrickStewart. The books have to be heard inreal time and edited to ensure they arein good taste and within the terms ofRadio Yare’s AM broadcasting licence.Peter Burrage, programmes

manager, edits the books ably assistedby member, Diane Clarke before beingstored on the station’s computer. Thebook readings are broadcast via‘Myriad Q Next’ along with hourlynational news bulletins.When asked about the success of

the project Peter Burrage said, ‘It’samazing that all the supermarketbucket collections and outsidebroadcasts, where feedback from thepublic can be judged, many recoveredpatients have said how much theyenjoyed the talking books when inhospital.’


Darran Huish in the commentary gantry at Twickenham

Bath Broadcast Rugby



Meet Radio Maelor

Radio Maelor is a voluntary runorganisation that has beenbroadcasting to patients at the MaelorHospital in Wrexham since 1979. Thefirst programme went live on air inSeptember 1979 but previously, sincethe 1950s, broadcast footballcommentaries from the Racecourse inWrexham. The football commentarybroadcasts continue on air everySaturday at 3pm presented by PhilJones.There are currently 12 presenters

who dedicate their time to the station.Radio Maelor have recently joined

forces with Ysbyty Radio Glan Clwyd,who have been a great support toRadio Maelor, who would like to thankthem for their continuing support.Radio Maelor has a Facebook Page

where anyone can click 'like' to joinand find out further developmentsabout the station. The stationcurrently has 80 members and ispromoting this further.Radio Maelor now has a new logo

thanks to pupils from a school inWrexham who came up with somenew ideas on a fresh logo. The stationare also developing a new websitewhich will soon be available.Some presenters are now

interviewing guests on a couple of theshows from Country and Westernsingers; people come into the studiopromoting events around theWrexham area live on air. Interviews

will be soon be available on thewebsite.Radio Maelor is also looking for

further volunteers and presenters toplay patient's requests.

Catherine OllierSecretary, Radio Maleor

Radio Wexham JoinsArt Award SchemeRadio Wexham, the official radio

station for Wexham Park Hospital, isproud to announce that it has becomethe first hospital radio station to bepart of the Arts Award Welcomescheme. The partnership will enableyoung people in the Slough area todevelop creative and leadership skillsto achieve a nationally recognisedqualification.The Arts Award aims to support

young people aged 11-25 to gain onthe job experience within creativeindustries that will now includebroadcasting. Awards are gained atLevels 1, 2, and 3 (Bronze, Silver andGold) on the Qualifications and CreditFramework (QCF). The schemeassesses how young people develop intheir chosen arts activity rather thanachievement of a specific skill level.Radio Wexham will also be working

closely with St Josephs Catholic HighSchool, to support its specialist artscollege status.David Hickman, Radio Wexham

Chairman, said: ‘We are delighted tobe part of this nationally recognisedscheme. It will bring to lightundiscovered local talent and offer theopportunity for young people to get astart in media. As an establishedhospital radio station, Radio Wexhamis ideally placed to support this artsinitiative.’To learn more about the Arts Award

Welcome please visit:www.artsaward.org.uk

Pontefract HospitalRadio ClosesIt was the end of an era for

Pontefract Hospital Radio as MY Radiothe PGI’s very own radio station closeddown.Broadcasting to the PGI began

initially with Radio Ackton, whichbroadcast from Ackton Hospital toboth the PGI and Hightown hospitalsvisa a loop network.When Ackton Hospital closed and

Hightown underwent a change of use,broadcasting continued from apurpose built studio at the PGI, stillusing the name Radio Ackton, later itwould become Castle Radio then takethe name MY Radio after the MidYorkshire Health Trust. Over the years a variety of

programmes were broadcast includingcommentaries from local rugbymatches and radio plays.The station was also the first to

tackle both ME and AIDS awarenesswith special programmes including alive report from an event in Londonand took the world outside to thepatients’ bedside with a series ofhumanitarian aid missions; it was alsodue to its sustaining system able tobroadcast 24 hours a day.The last live show was presented on

February 21 by Esther Holmes, withher usual mix of mirth music andmerriment.It is not the end for MY Radio

though as there is to be a purposebuilt studio at Pinderfields hospitaland presenters take to the airwavesonce more.


Ysbyty Radio Glan Clwyd visits Radio Maelor

COPY DATE

ON AIR 135

5th July, 2011



Darlington Award

One of the longest serving membersof Radio Skerne, Darlington, has beenshortlisted for an award at the NorthEast Voluntary and Community Sectorawards in May.Frank Benson, a volunteer with

Radio Skerne for more than 18 yearswas nominated for Trustee of the Yearin the awards put together by theVoluntary Organisations’ NetworkNorth East.As well as being a Trustee for the

hospital radio station for a number ofyears, Frank also holds the job ofChairman and oversees the day to dayrunning of the station.Frank said, ‘All of the volunteers at

the station do not do it for egoreasons and I was a bit shocked tohear I’d been shortlisted for an award.The team here at Radio Skerne shouldreally be recognised as a whole fortheir efforts and if I’m lucky enough towin, I will put that down to the effortsof everyone at the charity.’Vice Chairman, John Forbes,

nominated Frank for the award andsaid that he’s been a valuable asset fornearly two decades: ‘Frank first joinedthe station to generally help out butthe more he got involved the more hewanted to take on.‘He moved onto visiting patients on

the wards to be a friendly voice andcollect requests. He then trained as apresenter and went on to winrecognition from the HBA for thequality of his radio shows. He is thefirst point of contact for newvolunteers and steers all of our

volunteers in the right direction.‘Frank has a really hands on

approach at the charity and is directlyinvolved with all aspects of running ahospital radio station that’s mannedentirely by volunteers. Even whenunwell, he was eager to get back intothe swing of things and wanted to puthis duties before his own health.’The awards ceremony takes place at

the Raddison Hotel in Durham inMay; they are designed to recognisethe work of individuals andorganisations from the voluntary andcommunity sector across the region.Frank will be attending the

ceremony with his wife Sylvia and alocal film-maker will be visiting RadioSkerne’s studios to put together ashort film highlighting his efforts andthe work that Radio Skerne doeswithin the community.

Tributes for ScunthorpeHospital Radio StalwartTributes are being paid to a man

said to have broadcast more hours ofprogramming than any other onScunthorpe's Hospital Radio Station.Richard Ireson passed away at the

weekend after a short illness. He was63 and had been a volunteer at thestation for almost forty years.Fellow volunteer and HBA Press

Officer, Sean Dunderdale told On Air:‘Richard was, very much, a unique

character with a heart of gold. He wasthere the very first night I joined SHRback in the mid 1980s and wassomething of an inspiration, taking tothe wards week after week, collectingrequests before taking to the airwaves

and playing the patients favouritesongs. He simply loved being behindthe microphone and if he had anyspare time then he'd take to theairwaves. Whenever a presenter wasn'tavailable to host their show thenRichard would be there.‘I think it's fair to say, over the

years, he's presented every show onthe station and has certainly been onair for more hours than anyone else.’In an echo to the hit Oscar-winning

movie ‘The Kings Speech’, what make'sRichard's story even more remarkableis that he suffered from a severestammer, yet he refused to let that puthim off doing what he loved themost – a fact that stunned many whoknew him.His other main passion remained a

love of Country Music and at one timewould travel the UK to see hisfavourite acts performing. Countrymusic star, Sarah Jury, who mostrecently played Van Morrison's bandon his international tour, evenperformed at Richard's own birthdayparty in Scunthorpe.Richard was, for over thirty years, a

worker at the Plate Mill at ScunthorpeSteelworks. Sean says Richard is probably best

remember though by shoppers inScunthorpe: ‘Every year, just beforeChristmas, the hospital radio teamtake to the high street for the station'sannual street collection and bedpush.We have our own hospital bed and, atone stage for 25 years in a row,Richard acted as our ‘fake patient’ inthe bed. He always used to joke that itwas the warmest place to be on a coldDecember day.’


Frank Benson

Richard Ireson as SHR's mock patient, being teased by Pantomime star's during the station'sannual Christmas bedpush in 2005



At HR Basingstoke, we were lookingfor an idea for an event to raise moneyfor the station. The idea of a broadcastmarathon for Hospital BroadcastingWeek came quickly. 2008 was the lasttime we did such an event and was thelast fundraising event from our oldstudios and it raised £4,000. It wasalso a weekend that started in brightsunshine and ended in four inches ofsnow!We decided to hold the event over

the same weekend as before – the endof Hospital Broadcasting Week – andagain combined the Friday’s showswith an open day, inviting staff of thehospital and friends of the station tosee us in action and find out moreabout what we do.It’s never certain what response

you’re going to get from open days.Last year just one person turned up.This year, visitors started arrivingsoon after the doors opened and camein a steady stream all day.First to arrive was the Mayor of

Basingstoke, Councillor KeithChapman and he chatted to presenterPaul Le Feuvre about what he does; healso had a couple of requests playedand his wife joined in by reading theHRB Diary live on air! Later we werejoined by our Trust’s Acting ChiefExecutive and Chairman. who joinedpresenter David Lawrence on air.We had some enthusiastic visitors

from the children’s ward – in fact onepatient came to see us three times!We had a visit from a local

newspaper reporter and the photo andarticle appeared the following week.The open day was only part of the

story. Called the ‘Music on Demand’

Marathon – Music on Demand beingthe name we give to our requests. Aswe broadcast 24 hours a day, weneeded to make sure we were beingsufficiently different so the aim was toplay as many requests as possible overthe course of the weekend.With the help of two ward visitors

and lots of ward rounds, we managed114 requests with many phoned in.One listener said he had been listeningall weekend!It was also a chance to do

something different on air andfollowing the success of interviewsand link ups using Skype, we pushedthe boundaries of technology onceagain.Andy McCormick, who does a

regular weekly show from his home inNew Zealand was planning to join inlive on Friday morning, formermember Scott Crozier planned an hourlive from Australia and Vernon Pearceplanned an hour live from Spain. Itdidn’t quite work according to plan.Andy miscalculated the timedifference and was 24 hours latecalling in and thanks to planecancellations, Scott hadn’t quitereached Australia, so we had to makedo with a live link from Kuala Lumpur! By happy coincidence, when Andy

did call, Vernon was already in themiddle of a live link so we had thestudio, Spain and New Zealand all onthe air at the same time! We alsolinked up with other hospital radiostations including Chelmsford, whojoined us throughout the weekend.On Sunday afternoon, we did a tin

rattle at the hospital entrance andfound a potential new member and a

fundraising contact in the process.After 59 hours of frantic fun and

requests, we came to the final hour.The idea was that other HRB memberswould give a call to the studio and abriefly remembering some of the bestbits of the weekend, would answer aquestion about the news of theweekend and win a prize for a listener.Again we had several people on the airfrom different locations all at once.We gave out 10 goodie bags and

although the contents were simple –car stickers, goodies and an HRBmagazine and CD, we received hugelycomplimentary comments, one personeven gave us a donation because they’denjoyed our programmes so much. Aperfect end to a great weekend.

HRB’s 60 Hour Music on Demand Marathon

21 Basingstokes Music on Demand:14,15 Countrywide 31/05/2011 12:20 Page 1

Mud, Mud, Glorious (?) Mud!!!!


Some members of BHR1287 spentEaster Monday broadcasting live thelegendary Maldon Mud Race back tothe staff and patients of BasildonUniversity Hospital.

Youngest presenter, Sam Brown,who is only just 18 years old, tookpark in the race alongside comedienneJo Brand, Sean Lock and presenterAndy Akinwolere from children's TVprogramme Blue Peter.

It was a fantastic day, theatmosphere was great and it broughtover 12 thousand people intoPromenade Park, in Maldon, Essex andit was all in aid of charity.

Jacqui James,ChairmanBHR1287(Hospital Radio for Basildon)

The Maldon Mud Race is a wackyfun race in which competitors competeto be the first to complete a 400 metredash over the bed of the RiverBlackwater. The race is organised bythe Lions & Rotary clubs of Maldonand raises money for charity.

The race began in 1973 when aregular of a local pub was challengedto serve a meal on the riverbankdressed in a tuxedo. It became a raceacross the river to a waiting barrel ofbeer, to consume a pint of beer andrace back. The barrel of beer has longdisappeared and the race has become acharity event with many participantswearing fancy dress. The event raisestens of thousand of pounds forcharity.

The race can only take place whenthe tide is low enough to allowparticipants to run across safely.Participants start from one bank andmake their way through water to theother side, negotiate 200 metres ofmud along the river and then returnto the original riverbank.

Although not everyone’s idea of spending a Happy Easter, some members of BHR1287spent their Easter Monday taking part and broadcasting the Maldon Mud Race ...

You’ve having a laugh if you’re expectingme to go in there!

Jo Brand declared that she would not betaking part next year!!

22 Maldon mud race:3_COLON-.AIR 31/05/2011 12:21 Page 1

View from the Basement

ON AIR <http://www.hbauk.com> Page 23 Summer 2010

Whether it be behind a barbed wire fence, clothing or amicrophone, it is human nature to ‘hide’ once in a while. Themost famous ‘hiders’ of all have not shown on any radars formany years (see Lord Lucan and Osama Bin Laden). BinLaden only a few days ago was finally found in his‘compound’ and eliminated. He was, of course, the world’smost famous (and hunted) hider, on the run for a decadeuntil he met his maker on a urine stained mattress in abedroom. With all the wealth accumulated, I am unsure whyhe ended up in a building that resembles a crack den ... butone man’s castle is another man’s hovel and all that.

Others hide for monetary gain and not out of fear. JohnDarwin famously hid in South America in order to gain asubstantial insurance payout. His undoing was his stupidity(and that of his wife’s) when they were pictured togetherafter his ‘death’. A real life Weekend at Bernie’s if ever therewas one.

Lord Brockett famously hid millions of pounds worth ofvintage cars. Not well enough though, he may concur, afterhe was released from his five year jail sentence.

Some teenagers hide behind clothing. Emo’s, Goths andthe like have confidence issues and may see the psychologicalhiding behind make up, black clothing and sunglasses as asecurity blanket impenetrable to non Goths and moreimportantly adults who wish to converse.

I myself have hidden on occasions. I once was caughthiding under a stairwell from a work colleague who was

Our columnist, Brett Ellis and his unique view on life ... no hiding place!

going to chew my proverbial ear off. She saw me. I claimed Ihad dropped ‘a pen’ and she continued to chew my ear off.You can never avoid the inevitable by hiding; you can butmerely delay it.

HR presenters in my experience frequently hide. Someenjoy the kudos of presenting their own shows and ofenjoying the more pleasurable elements of presenting. Forme, the live interviews are my Mecca, yet I will attempt tohide should it be ‘Frank Sinatra’ week. Not that I haveanything against the great man, it just doesn’t fit into thestyle of broadcast I choose to emit.

Every station has a presenter who hides. Usually it isbehind a tried and trusted genre. This could be, for example,a ‘Beatles/Stones/Abba hour’ weekly show. Safe and steadyand totally non adventurous. The saving grace is (hopefully)the listeners are all short termers and hence will not hear thesame show twice if you present weekly. For me though suchshows are a copout presented with little or no style orimagination. For safe, see dull, mundane and uninspiring.

Some hide out of pure terror and fear. Anne Frankfamously hid for two long years in Amsterdam prior to hercapture and death from typhus in March 1945 withintouching distance of the end of WWII.

The Chinese artist Wei Wei has also gone missing recently.His current whereabouts are unknown but the likelihood isthat he isn’t currently ensconced in the 5* Mandarin Hilton.Hiding through choice is a world away from hiding throughnecessity.

I once hid out of fear for my life. In Greece a decade or soago and alone in Athens (prior to a morning ferry ride to anisland), I ended up with a Greek fella having a pint that cost200 euros. Of course I was not aware of the cost of the pintprior to drinking it and soon found out the fine for nonpayment once surrounded by a group of ten Albanians whothen proceeded to try and bundle me in the back of a car. Iam a non-violent man but I admit I did head butt one of theattackers and then run across a motorway and scale a highfence (whilst being sick on myself) as they soughtretribution. Three hours later, covered in vomit and havingspent 30 minutes hiding behind a dustbin, I eventually foundmy hotel. Even in my agitated state I could see the look ofthe receptionist that said ‘typical Brit Abroad’ as I tried toretain a sense of adrenalin-fuelled decorum. In the space oftwo weeks, I went from a group of guys trying to tan myhide, to me hiding my (red, burnt and painful) tan.

Since then my holidays have been of the all inclusivepackage variety. I now hide from short cuts and embrace thesame list of cocktails and food day on day.

Would I change this life of hiding and adventure for one ofprogrammed ordinariness? Not on your hide would I!!

[email protected]

COPY DATE FOR ISSUE 135 5th July, 2011

23 View from the basement 134:09 View from the basement 127 31/05/2011 12:23 Page 1

What are the Risks of Becominga Charity Trustee?


The rewards of being a trustee andgiving back to society, shouldoutweigh any worries about liabilitieswhich potential trustees might have.However, anyone considering takingup the role will want to know whatlegal duties, responsibilities andpotential liabilities are involved. Whilemost people in the sector would find itdifficult to name a single situation inwhich a trustee has actually sufferedpersonal loss and liability, anyonewishing to become a trustee shouldknow what the potential risks couldbe. Many of us are concerned about

managing risk in the activities weundertake. Trustees will want to knowwhat risks they could potentially faceand claims that may be broughtagainst them. Despite the potentialrisks, cases where action has beentaken by the Charity Commission orby the Courts against trustees arealmost unheard of amongst the180,000 registered charities inEngland and Wales. The CharityCommission and the courts appreciatethat trustees are only volunteers andthey do not seek to punish themexcept in the most serious cases offault or neglect. So don’t be put off.

Trustees’ Duties Liabilities arise out of the duties the

trustee takes on for the organisationthey are appointed by. These arepersonal obligations which come withbeing a trustee. By accepting the ‘job’of trustee, you agree to do the ‘job’properly. The law and the governingdocument set out the minimum thatmust be done to achieve this. If youfall below that minimum, the charityitself, the Charity Commission or thecourts may take action which mayresult in personal liability. Such actionis in fact very rare. Personal liabilitygenerally only arises if the failure todischarge duties actually causes loss tothe charity or improper gain to thetrustee. Key trustees’ duties include: • Managing conflicts of interest – a

trustee must act with integrity andmust disclose any conflict of interestto the charity

• Not accepting personal benefits – atrustee can not accept or direct any

benefit from being a trustee unless itis authorised by the charity’sgoverning document or by the CharityCommission

• Acting within the objects and thepowers of the charity’s governingdocument

• Safeguarding the assets – thismeans ensuring that money isinvested prudently

• Acting with care – using specialistsand advisers when required

• Acting collectively – trustees mustact as a group despite any dominantindividuals on the Board

If trustees do not discharge theseduties they may be personally liable toreplace the loss, be liable to criminalprosecutions or be barred from being atrustee in the future.One of the main duties of a trustee

is not to receive any personal benefitsor payments, be they direct orindirect, unless the governingdocument or the Charity Commissionhas authorised it. Any such benefitthat a trustee does receive could resultin the trustee being obliged to repaythe benefit he received. This is whyindividuals cannot be paid for carryingout their duties as trustees.

Duties of Company Directors Trustees of charitable companies

have additional statutory duties. Astrustees of a charitable company theywill also be directors. Companydirectors have a series of duties underthe Companies Act 2006 which arevery similar to those of trustees. Liketrustee duties, these arise becausethey are directors of an incorporatedbody and can be enforced againstthem personally. These can besummarised as: • duty to act within the powers of

the governing document

• duty to achieve the charitablepurposes of the company but havingregard to other factors such as theconsequences for employees

• duty to exercise independentjudgement

• duty to exercise reasonable care,skill and diligence – this means notjust being careful but using thegeneral knowledge, skill andexperience that would be reasonablyexpected of someone carrying outyour functions as well as any specialskills or knowledge that you had

• duty to avoid conflicts of interest

• duty not to accept benefits fromthird parties by reason of being adirector and doing or not doingsomething

• duty to declare an interest in anyproposed transaction or arrangements

The Charity Commission hasproduced a number of helpfuldocuments summarising whattrustees’ duties are, in particular CC3The Essential Trustee and CC60Hallmarks of an Effective Charity.The Charity Commission

emphasises that it is only likely toenforce personal liability where atrustee has acted dishonestly orrecklessly.Under the Charities Act 2006 the

Charity Commission now has theability to relieve a trustee frompersonal liability for breach of trust orbreach of duty if the trustee has actedhonestly and reasonably and oughtfairly to be excused.

Where do liabilities comefrom? Liabilities fall into the two

categories of governance liabilities andoperational liabilities.Governance liabilities arise from the

duties that a trustee has. For example,where a trustee has entered into acontract with an organisation thatbenefited the trustee. The trustee hasto repay the improperly obtainedprofit. Operational liabilities are liabilities

incurred by the organisation becauseof what the organisation does. Forexample, where the trustee of anunincorporated charity signed a leasefor the organisation and it fails to paythe rent.Unlike governance duties, they do

not arise from the trustees’ personalduties.

Essential reading for Hospital Radio members thinking of taking a committee post – but pleasedon’t let it scare you. Sincere thanks to Russell-Cooke LLP, Solicitors for their words of wisdom

24, 25 Risks of becoming trustee:3_COLON-.AIR 31/05/2011 12:24 Page 1

The Risks of Becoming a Charity Trustee?


Where operational liabilitiesultimately fall will depend uponwhether the organisation isincorporated i.e. whether it wasestablished as (or has become) acompany limited by guarantee or othercorporate entity. If the charity isincorporated then operationalliabilities generally fall on theorganisation.

Incorporation will reduce the riskstrustees will face as the charity has itsown legal personality and thereforethe charity is able to enter intocontracts in the name of the charityrather than in the trustees’ names.The trustees and the members willhave limited liability and therefore thecharity itself will be responsiblepredominantly for the liabilities of thecharity.

Members’ liability is limited to theamount of their guarantee for acompany limited by guarantee. If thecharity is not incorporated and cannotmeet its obligations, the trustees arepersonally liable and the members ofan association may be liable as thecharity does not have its own separatelegal personality.

If an incorporated organisationcannot meet the liability, it may haveto be wound up. But the trustees arenot themselves personally liableexcept for in circumstances where theyhave breached their trustees’ duties orwhere, for example, they have beeninvolved in wrongful trading.Wrongful trading is the criminaloffence of carrying on running theoperation and incurring debts once itbecomes clear or should have becomeclear to a reasonable person that thereis no prospect of the organisationbeing able to meet those obligations.Once an incorporated body becomesinsolvent, the duties of its trustees are

to ensure that creditors are protectedand that no steps are taken whichwould prejudice creditors or increasetheir losses.

As operational liabilities arise out ofwhat the charity does or does not do,there is an enormous range of acts oromissions that could cause liability.The services you provide, the propertyyou own, the staff you employ, thestatements and publications youproduce, the people you interact with,the co-operations and collaborativerelationships you enter into, thecontracts you sign, the fundingagreements you enter into and theadvice your organisations give all carrypotential liability for the organisationand may in certain cases causepotential liability for the trustees.

Remember, incorporation alone willnot protect you from all liabilities.Even if you are incorporated, there aresome pieces of law under which atrustee may still be liable if they havecontravened the law, e.g. health andsafety.

Similarly, if a trustee directlyauthorises a wrong, for example libelssomeone or instructs someone to actin a way that leads to loss beingcaused by trespass, then a trustee aswell as the organisation may also beliable.

By registering at Companies Houseyou receive the protection of limitedliability but registration requires anumber of obligations such as filingannual returns and keeping properregisters of who are the members andwho are the directors. If you fail inthese duties, the company and youmay be fined or in extreme casesimprisoned.

Insuring the Organisation Insurance of the organisation and

its activities and assets is always animportant duty for trustees andtrustee indemnity insurance can offerprotection for trustees.

The Charities Act 2006 permitscharities to pay for trustee indemnityinsurance unless the governingdocument prevents it, but rememberalthough such insurance does providesome cover, trustees may be surprisedat how limited a range of cover theywill get for their premium and manycharities do not for that reason takeout such insurance. Typically it coversomission or negligence, breach ofstatutory duty, errors in investmentdecisions, breach of trust, libel andslander, wrongful trading and awrongful act in respect of an employee(e.g. discriminatory behaviour).

Like any insurance policy it willhave a number of exceptions andlimitations and it will generally notcover personal liability of trustees forcontractual claims, not provideprotection against financial claims ordebt which the organisation cannotmeet, not protect against situationswhere the trustee could be describedas having been reckless.

For further information, pleasecontact: Andrew Studd Partner 0208 394 [email protected] Sukanya Ransford Solicitor020 8394 [email protected]

This material does not give a fullstatement of the law. It is intended forguidance only and is not a substitute forprofessional advice.

No responsibility for loss occasioned as aresult of any person acting or refraining fromacting can be accepted by Russell-Cooke LLP.

© Russell-Cooke LLP. April 2011. www.russell-cooke.co.uk

Nigel Dallard received the following email from Patrick Mizha, winner of this year’s John Whitney Award and thoughtmembers would like to read what he said ...Sent: Saturday, April 02, 2011 10:48pmHi Nigel,I am having a great time here in the UK. Last week Jeff Brown invited me to the BBC World Service at Bush House; besidesbeing taken around to see their studios and the production teams for the Africa Service, I was also invited for radio andmagazine interviews for the BBC Africa service in the next two weeks.Owing to the industrial action by the Air Zimbabwe staff, I have had to push forward my departure to 6th April.In the meantime, would you remind HBA members who may have any studio equipment, PCs or laptops they want todispose of, to kindly consider giving to Hospinet. The British Embassy and Swedish International Development Agencyin Harare have emailed me to say they would facilitate that Hospinet gets financial support to meet the costs of freightof equipment donated by HBA and other well wishers in the UK.Natalie [Natalie Thomas of PPL who wanted to contact Patrick so she could promote his story to the board as an exampleof the good work they are supporting] did email me requesting for an appointment. I will be seeing her at 12.30 next weekThursday. I will update you of what will have transpired from the meeting. On Monday I will be visiting Radio Lion inSurrey.Nigel, thank you very much for your support and goodwill. Your guidance and advice has made a huge impact on my lifeand I will always be grateful.Best regards, Patrick Keep up the great work.

24, 25 Risks of becoming trustee:3_COLON-.AIR 31/05/2011 12:24 Page 2

News Round-up


From Across the Pond

A serious illness or injury involvinghospitalization, often a frighteningexperience for children, is typicallycompounded by boredom and isolationfrom days or weeks of life in aninstitutional setting. It’s now widelyrecognized that combating thesepsychological side-effects of in-patientcare can boost patient morale andimprove outcomes. With that in mind,Ryan Seacrest — American Idol host,radio personality and TV producer —established the Ryan SeacrestFoundation (RSF) to enhance the qualityof life for seriously ill and injuredchildren. In the case of RSF, the vehicleis a series of broadcast media centers,called THE VOICE, that the foundation isbuilding within pediatric hospitals toenable young patients to explore thecreative realms of radio, television, andnew media.

The first RSF media center openedrecently at Children’s Healthcare ofAtlanta at Egleston, with another due toopen this summer at The Children’sHospital of Philadelphia. Each location isdesigned and equipped as a fully-functional radio and TV broadcaststudio, giving child patients theopportunity to actively participate in thehosting and production of live showsthat will be seen and heard on closedcircuit throughout the hospital. Childrenin their hospital rooms will also be ableto participate by calling in requests andtaking part in call-in programs.

Seacrest’s broadcast engineer BrianClark, who works with RSF on THE VOICEproject, says the state-of-the-artfacilities ‘wouldn’t have been possible’without the support of a variety ofbroadcast manufacturers, including thecontribution by Electro-Voice of REfamily broadcast microphones. Seacresthimself has been using the RE27N/Dbroadcast microphone exclusively since1995 for all his radio appearances,including his daily radio show.

‘I am grateful to Electro-Voice forgenerously donating their microphonesto the broadcast media centers myfoundation is building in children’shospitals,’ Seacrest says. ‘With their

support, we are able to create a positiveform of interactive entertainment foryoung patients that provides them withan opportunity to experience being adisc jockey, play their favourite songs,and even interview celebrities.’

Through his discussions with doctorsduring his visits to children’s hospitalsover the years, Seacrest learned thatwhen kids are involved in some sort ofengaging activity they are less focusedon their pain and thus request less painmedication. That solidified Seacrest’sdetermination, Clark says, to give kids inthe hospital ‘a place to go to outside oftheir room, and also for kids who can’tleave their rooms to be able toparticipate in something by requestingsongs and communicating with kids inother rooms.’

Clark says that Seacrest thought itwould be good to expand the radiostation concept into a media center thatincorporates both an in-hospital radiostation and a video conferencingsystem. ‘The station isn’t terrestrial,’Clark says ‘but it connects throughoutthe hospital. The kids can come in andbe DJs, playing any genre of music. Theycan go down there and get on the micand start talking to other kids that are intheir rooms, who can see them onclosed circuit TV. And the kids in therooms can call down and talk or makerequests.’

The media centers also provide aplace for interviews and appearances byartists and celebrities that are arrangedby the foundation and hospital. InAtlanta, that has so far included visitsfrom players on the Atlanta Braves andAtlanta Thrashers sports teams, as wellas live performances by artists such asParachute and American Idolcontestants Crystal Bowersox, KimberlyCaldwell, and Kellie Pickler.

Clark adds that the media centers are‘physically designed to work well for thekids, and they’re large enough that anumber of kids, even if they’re inwheelchairs, can hang out there tospend some time out of their rooms.’The foundation will engage an on-sitefacility manager at each center and willtrain students from local high schoolsand colleges to run the equipment,providing them with the opportunity togain first hand experience in broadcastoperations.

To Clark, the greatest satisfaction ofRSF’s work is the chance to helpbrighten the lives of children by takingtheir minds off of the difficultiesinherent in their situation. ‘You can seehow excited the kids are when theycome into the media center,’ he says.‘It’s great to see them participating ineveryday life even though they have tobe in the hospital. They really light up,and it’s really inspiring to see them

smiling despite the challenges ofsickness.’

About the Ryan SeacrestFoundation

The Ryan Seacrest Foundation (RSF) isa non-profit organization dedicated toenhancing the quality of life for seriouslyill and injured children through uniqueprograms that utilize multimedia andinteractive platforms to enlighten,entertain, and educate.

RSF's first initiative is to buildbroadcast media centers, named THEVOICE, within pediatric hospitals forchildren to explore the creative realmsof radio, television, and new media.RSF's aim is to contribute positively tothe healing process for children andtheir families during their stay bydeveloping these centers to bring anuplifting spirit to the hospitalcommunity.

The Foundation believes that accessto multimedia experiences will bringpatients exciting and stimulatingadventures to encourage optimisticthoughts during treatment. It is alsoRSF's goal to bridge education into itsmission by creating internship programswith THE VOICE for students from localjournalism schools, colleges, anduniversities, allowing them to gain first-hand experience in broadcasting andoperating a multimedia center. For moreinformation, visitwww.ryanseacrestfoundation.org.

HosiprogOriginal drama and features for free

use by hospital radio stations, audiomagazines for the blind and communityradio stations.

Since the untimely death last year ofDennis Rookard, the founder ofHosiprog, Essex Audio Theatre and theOld Court Radio Theatre Company havecontinued to produce and record qualitymaterial, with John Rhodes as recordingengineer. The original website was apart of Dennis's telecom package, so wehave moved Hosiprog tohttp://timespast.ning.com/group/hosiprog, where you'll find more than fiftyplays and features, long and short. Morewill be added, new or from the archive,but on a highly irregular basis.

Anyone is welcome to listen to therecordings or to download them andthey may be broadcast freely byvoluntary and community-run radiostations.

These productions are available, freeof charge.

And if you have an questions,comments or compliments, pleasecontact me [email protected].

Thank you!

26 News round up 134:16 News round up 31/05/2011 12:25 Page 1

Air Radio Gets Hands on with Sonifex


Air Radio started in 2007 as asmall internet based radio station,run a few days a week, by a group of14 year old students from a schoolICT classroom. Today, it operatesfrom a small studio just outsideStafford in the UK and broadcasts athttp://www.airradiogroup.co.uk/It is currently run by seven

members aged 16 to 25 and offers aplatform for young people to gethands-on experience in radio andother media, including graphic designand live event planning.The station broadcasts 25 hours of

live programming per week, which isprovided mainly by young people andhas recently put on its first live eventin the form of a gig to promote localbands in the Stafford area.In 2009, the station bought a 15 &

5 channel split Sonifex S2 Digital I/OAnalogue Radio Broadcast Mixer,which is used as their main studioconsole.When asked why they had chosen

to buy a Sonifex product, MattGumn, one of the seven memberssaid ‘We chose the S2 mixer becauseof its flexibility and ease of use – fora station working with a singlestudio, it’s perfect because it’sdedicated Audition bus allows us to

record off-air during live output.‘The simple interface makes the

desk very simple to use for peoplewho have never used professionalbroadcast equipment before – itmeans you can spend more timethinking about your show ratherthan worrying about what you needto press next. Also, should we everrequire extra channels, we're notstuck with a fixed format unit and wedon't need to get expensive digitalcards – we can simply order a newchannel and fit it ourselves – withouttaking the station off-air if need be!‘Also, the support we have received

from Sonifex, both pre-sale and after-sale has been absolutely first rate.’The Sonifex S2 uses the latest

technology components and offersdigital audio quality with analoguereliability in a modular format. It hasa wide range of input and outputchannels, PFL/cue, fader-startoperation of equipment, automaticmonitor muting on mic-live, lightswitching remote outputs, optionalEQ on input modules, gram ampinput options and two main audiobuses, allowing you to broadcast onthe PGM bus while recording on theAUD bus, with bus output selectionon each module.

It also has both digital andanalogue input channels, togetherwith simultaneous analogue anddigital outputs.For more information about the S2

Digital I/O Analogue Radio BroadcastMixer contact our sales team at:[email protected] Air Studio is a non-profit-

making venture and in order to keepthe station going, the studio isavailable for hire to third parties whomay wish to record their voice or aradio programme.More information on this can be

obtained by contacting the groupdirectly athttp://www.airradiogroup.co.uk/

Can You Help?HBA Public Relations Manager,

Sean Dunderdale, is working with aproducer of Radio 4’s Archive Hourwith the idea of doing an hour aboutthe history of Hospital Radio.Do you have any archived material

from your station’s early history thatmay be useful to Sean. If so, pleaseget in touch with him as soon aspossible and he will be in touch.You can contact Sean on

[email protected].

Thank You, PaulPaul Easton has stepped down as

HBA Programming Advisor and willno longer be checking his HBA emailaccount which means anything sentto [email protected] will siton the mailserver unless accessed bysomeone else.If you need to contact Paul, please

do so via [email protected] he has stood down as

Programming Adviser he hopes thiswill not mean closing doorscompletely. He has indicated to Seanand Iain that he is still willing to bea judge for the Awards.He has also spoken with Jim about

a possible seminar for next year’sConference.Paul stated that, both from his

own category, as well as speakingwith Barnie, Paul and Scott, that theoverall standard of entries this yearwas very high and all winners andthe nominees have much to be proudof.

27 Sonifex edit.AIR:3_COLON-.AIR 31/05/2011 12:27 Page 1


HBA Autumn Training Day 2011The venue is The Ramada Leeds Parkway Hotel, Otley Road, Leeds, LS16 8AG

on Saturday 15th October 2011.

Training Track 1 - Presentation & Interview SkillsThis will enhance presenters’ on-air skills, including general radio presentation and interview techniques.

Training Track 2 - Health & Safety This course is designed to enhance the attendees' understanding of the legal requirements, and how they relate Hospital Radio.At the end of the course participants will understand the process of how to conduct and record a health & safety inspection andrisk assessment, thus reducing the risk of injury and of possible prosecution and litigation.

The whole day’s training, including lunch, will be provided for only £15 per delegate

Format of the Day10:00 Registration/refreshments10:30 Welcome/Introduction11:00 Training session 112:30 Lunch13:15 Training session 215:15 Refreshments15:45 Training session 317:15 Finish

The two training tracks will run in parallel. Delegates must select which track they wish to attend at time of booking.The training team can be contacted by email at: [email protected].

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

National Training Day, Saturday 15th October 2011.To secure your place, please complete and return this form to: John Bryson, 2 Lawrence Moorings, Sheering Mill Lane,

Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, CM21 9PE no later than Friday, 30th September 2011, together with a cheque for £15 perdelegate payable to ‘HBA’.Please ensure that you indicate the selected training track for each delegate and advise us of any special needs they may have.

The first name shown below will be the station's “team leader”.

Station Name ..............................................................................................................................................................

Delegate name (Please Print) E-mail address Training Track

1. ........................................................................................................................................ 1. 2.

2. ........................................................................................................................................ 1. 2.

3. ........................................................................................................................................ 1. 2.

4. ........................................................................................................................................ 1. 2.

5. ........................................................................................................................................ 1. 2.

Special needs ............................................................................................................................................................................................

To avoid disappointment, please book early, as places for each training session are limited

28 Training day:3_COLON-.AIR 31/05/2011 12:28 Page 1

Regional Reps detailsRegion Rep AddRess phone e-mAil

Regional Dave Lockyer 54 School Lane 0870 321 6005 [email protected]

Manager HighamRochesterKent ME3 7JF

Anglia Mike Sarre 0870 765 9601 [email protected]

Home Donald McFarlane 0870 765 9602 [email protected]

London Ben Hart 0870 765 9603 [email protected]

Midlands 0870 765 9604 [email protected]

North David Nicholson 0870 765 9605 [email protected]

Northern Davey Downes 0870 765 9606 [email protected]

Ireland

North West David McGealy 0870 765 9607 [email protected]

Scotland Jim Simpson 0870 765 9608 [email protected]

South Neil Ogden 0870 765 9609 [email protected]

South East Jason Cook 0870 765 9611 [email protected]

Wales & West Darran Huish 0870 765 9613 [email protected]

Yorkshire Iain Lee 0870 765 9614 [email protected]

Please address correspondence to the Regional Reps at:Hospital Broadcasting Association, PO Box 341, Messingham, Scunthorpe DN15 5EG

All members of the EC and Regional Reps are volunteers and will respond to any contact as quickly as possible. Please understand however,

that work or family commitments mean that availability may not always be immediate and may be limited to evenings and weekends.

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