RADIO YSBYTY GLAN CLWYD
2007 – A year in review
Well it has been another smashing year here at Radio Ysbyty Glan Clwyd. Your very own hospital radio service has been very busy and very successful during 2007.
Our biggest achievement this year was being given a commended award in the ‘Station of the Year’ category in the National Hospital Broadcasting Awards. It is a great honour to know that we are one of the top 10 hospital radio stations in the UK, and we saw off competition from around the country. Andy Hayes and Ceri Jones attended the Hospital Broadcasting Association Spring conference in Northampton back in March, in which the award ceremony was held. It was a great event, and allowed us to make contacts from hospital radio stations from across the UK. There were a number of interesting seminars and workshops, and the award ceremony itself was fantastic. Look out stations across the UK – Glan Clwyd are heading for the top!
(June Snowden from HBA presenting RYGC award certificate to Andy Hayes at Northampton)
A big thank you to everyone who supported the annual raffle. We started selling tickets in February, and managed to sell a record 3000 tickets this year, which will bring in urgently required funds to keep the service going. Thanks to Dorothy and Tony for overseeing the raffle. The draw was done in October and we had the pleasure of inviting guests Ann Jones AM and Mr David Thomas, Mayor of Rhyl, to do the draw.
(photo Ann Jones AM, Tonny Mannix and Dorothy Thomas selling annual raffle)
Also on the draw day, we ran a 12 hour marathon of shows between 10am and 10pm and we had displays of the work of hospital radio in the foyer. The marathon broadcast made hospital radio history, where at one point we were linked up live with Ayr hospital radio in Scotland, and we did a joint broadcast led by Ceri, Andy and Glyn at our end, and Mike Manley and his team up in Ayr. The whole day was a great success. It was a great pleasure to interview Richard Smith from the A to Z of pop during the marathon as well. Richard records off air programmes for hospital radios throughout the country and it was amazing to discover where this simple idea came from and now he records for 59 hospital radio station. Our greatest thanks goes to him and for more information about Richard and the work he does please contact him. It a good service for all hospital radios.
We had a very interesting day when we attended The Welsh Assembly in Cardiff and visit Ann Jones AM her work environment. We spent some time in the gallery where it was question time with Rhodri Morgan, First Minister of Wales. Our thanks goes to Ann for the warm welcome down at Cardiff Bay.
Guests to the station during this year have included Miss Rhyl 2007, Dr David Gozzard, the medical director of Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, Rev Alan Cliff (childrens author), and representatives from local charities such as Childline and the WRVS.
In February, Andy Hayes and Dave Jones were invited to give a talk on Radio Ysbyty Glan Clwyd to the Abergele Rotary Club. It was a great success and brought in some much needed funds to the station.
We have continued our links with the local theatres, and we thank the management of the Venue Cymru, Llandudno and more especially the Pavillion Theatre in Rhyl for their donation of tickets as prizes and for their involvement in hospital radio. Thanks Brenda for all of your hard work in keeping these links going.
The outside broadcast schedule has been as busy as ever, and has included functions such as the Prestatyn Carnival, the Gwaenynog show, Caerwys Classic Car Show, and Tesco at Christmas. Thanks to Tony and the team for another successful year.
(Photo Lisa Cunnah on mike with Tony Mannix on CD)
We have increased our amount of Welsh broadcasting by 50%. We have had a brand new website designed and managed by Ceri Jones, and it is online at www.rygc.btik.com.
Since we have appointed a press officer, RYGC have featured many times throughout the year in the local press and also in Hospital Radio Circulars, promoting the work that goes on here at Radio Ysbyty Glan Clwyd on a local and national basis. Keep up the good work Brenda!
2007 has also been a very difficult year for Radio Ysbyty Glan Clwyd. August saw the reforming of the committee with a newly appointed chairman, president, treasurer and secretary. We have also had problems with our sustain service, which we hope to resolve as soon as possible and look forward to relaunching a brand new and improved 24 hour service.
Also this year, we have welcomed many new members and presenters. It is great to have all of this extra help, and we urge anyone interested in joining the hospital radio, whether as a presenter, ward visitor or to help with fundraising, to contact us.