Staff in tears as hospital radio station closes

L&D Radio has broadcast from Futures House in Marsh Farm, Luton, since 2019

Volunteers at a hospital radio station were left in tears when they heard it would came off air after broadcasting for six decades.

Trustees at Luton and Dunstable Hospital Radio (L&D Radio) announced it would close on 30 November because "the media landscape has changed significantly".

Station manager Glyn Davies, 72, blamed the closure on a lack of recruits and dwindling finances.

"Volunteers were in tears, sadly. Everybody was. I've got one friend who has done it for 30 years," he said.

"We opened a bottle of champagne and now some people have gone on to arrange other programmes elsewhere already."

The station initially broadcast from Harpenden to hospitals in Luton, St Albans, Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City.

Mr Davies said that in the past the station had 30 volunteers but towards the end there were only eight active members, and most of them were over 70.

"If you're doing a fundraising event you could get people out, but with only a small number of active members we were asking the same people all the time," he said.

'The spirit of L&D Radio'

Mr Davies said the station could draw an dedicated audience, although "it became harder" for patients to listen.

The former manager recalled: "We had one lady [who] used to ring up on a Monday morning with a list of 10 songs she wanted played.

"We were on AM and our signal was quite strong. We've had people listen in Sweden. We had somebody last week from Germany."

In a letter to listeners and staff, the trustees said: "Each of you has played a vital role in our journey, and we will cherish the memories we've created together.

"Thank you for being a part of our story. We hope to carry the spirit of L&D Radio with us as we move forward."