Station History
| Radio Redhill was the brainchild of Les Fowler and his son Andrew and was founded in November 1974. The first broadcast to the patients of Redhill General Hospital took place in February 1975. The studio in those early days was on top of a filing cabinet in the Chapel vestry and the station boasted six members. The equipment consisted of a couple of tape decks, a microphone and a four channel mixer. At the latter end of 1976 thieves broke in and stole vital equipment but show-business magnate Lord Grade heard about it and stepped in to help.. |  Irwyn and Jack Parker collecting
their 15 years' Service Awards in 2002.
|
|
Radio
Redhill stayed in the chapel vestry for five years until Loctite UK Ltd
donated their demonstration caravan to the station in the autumn of
1980. Although this cost several thousand pounds to equip, it
was
big enough to create two small studios inside. It enabled
Radio
Redhill to develop further and to extend its range of programmes to the
patients. Comedy actor Melvin Hayes visited the station and cut the
ribbon. A new stage in the station’s history was
born.
|
 Nicholas
Owen with Irwyn Davies in 2004
|
 June Snowden opens
Radio Redhill’s new studio in 2002.
|
When
phase one of the then new East Surrey Hospital
opened a few
years later, Radio Redhill acquired some space on the first floor in
which to build a studio. Broadcasting from both hospitals had
begun. The new studio was opened by the late Jean Metcalfe on
February 16th 1985. After the closure of Redhill General Hospital in 1991, the caravan was no more. However a brand new studio was opened in phase two of the East Surrey Hospital. |
| In
April 2005, Radio Redhill celebrated its 30th Birthday by broadcasting
to Redhill and Reigate on 87.7FM for two weeks. On the opening day of
the broadcast, news came through that Radio Redhill had won the HBA
Awards and was Hospital Radio Station of the Year 2005. Radio Redhill membership currently stands at around seventy volunteers of all ages and of all walks of life but with one common purpose – a commitment to provide a service to its hospital listeners that no other station, however local, can offer. |
Last Updated 17th January 2006
