Sheffield Hospital Radio raises funds to get back on air

Steve Flowers, volunteers at the Sheffield Hospital Radio charity

Volunteers who provide hospital radio services in Sheffield are raising funds to return to the airwaves.

The Sheffield Hospital Radio charity has been broadcasting for nearly 50 years, but fell silent two years ago when its studio at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital was deemed unsafe.

It has since found a new home in the Hallamshire grounds but needs to raise £10,000 for equipment and licences.

Charity chair Neil Saunderson said the service could "make a patient's day".

The service launched at the Lodge Moor Hospital in 1976.

It ceased broadcasting after Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust found its studio was unsafe and the lease was not renewed.

The charity says it needs to raise £10,000 to cover the cost of refurbished equipment and obtaining various radio licences.

Project lead Steve Flowers said the old kit was no longer fit for purpose, adding: "It's over 20 years old and starting to break down."

The charity hopes to upgrade its equipment and secure radio licences

Despite the changes in technology over the years, with bedside units removed from wards and the new service likely to be online-only, the team still believes it is a vital service.

Mr Saunderson said the relationship between patient and radio volunteer was "special".

"We have to be careful because we're coming into their space but many patients don't have any visitors so if we can chat to them for five minutes and play a song, that can make there day."

The charity hopes to relaunch from its new studio in mid-2024.

Prof Chris Morley, chief nurse at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Hospital radio has been a part of patients' stay both here in Sheffield and across the NHS throughout the years with committed volunteers putting many hours into making it interesting and enjoyable."