1991 Diary Page
January this year and the first answer machines are installed to promote 24hr request service on both phone lines.
The station was contacted by Windsor hospital radio who paid a visit and informed us that they were to close. The station also received a visit from Radio Hillingdon on the same night.
The last advert of the old style request form was printed during the last week of January. The new style carrying the station logo was printed the first week of February.
The organizer of the home furnishing and design exhibition Stan Webb paid the studio a visit and was interviewed for a special Heatherwood magazine promoting the exhibition. The program was broadcast twice a week from the end of February; until April.
The Windsor express picked up on the new style request advert which is carried in the Bracknell news and ran a front page article on the new service (w/e 15th March). In the same week the manager Dave Smith was interviewed by the Bracknell news as part of the press releases for the home furnishing exhibition.
The first of the Radio Heatherwood's supporters group trips leaves Easter weekend for a mystery trip to Cricket St Thomas. A full coach secures a £100 profit for the Radio Station.
A patient who passed away left instructions for the station to benefit from money which would have been spent on flowers. The late Frank Baxter's relatives contribute £160 for loan radio's. A special plaque is used on the radio's purchased.
The home furnishing exhibition has over 1800 visitors over the weekend. The station receives a cheque for £1300.The station secretary accepts the cheque from Stan Webb whilst the Ascot express captured the event on film.
The bank holiday charity buzz this year didn't fill both coaches but £796 was raised for the radio station.
The stethoscope headset system has reached at this date a disastrous state with hardly any units on some of the general wards working.
June 7th:The station receives a visit from the Bracknell west rangers who donate £75 to the station. The money was raised by 12 members of the rangers visiting all the places in London which are on a monopoly board.
June 8th and the fete is replaced with a car boot fair at the hospital.44 cars turn up and the radio station organizes the setting up of the fair. A special music to music from 12 midday till four is relayed to the patients and the field. The weather for the first time remains dry: the fair receives a lot of praise.
June 10th Radio Heatherwood's fifteenth birthday.
The station library has 1395 albums,180 CD's and 4280 singles. Over 34,000 song titles are available for requests.
On Sunday 16th June a special broadcast to celebrate the 15 years of Radio Heatherwood is broadcast. A patient in the wards on the day was in the hospital 15 years ago and remembers being asked for a request then.
The station received a donation of £240 worth of entrance tickets to the Air tattoo at RAF Fairford. A patient in Ward 8 was responsible.
At the end of June the secretary held a meeting with the new community liaison manager at the hospital. The end of July produces the first results from that meeting: wards three and one have new headset units installed: the first major improvement in nine years.
A chance meeting with the local community policeman Taffy Evans produces support for the station and a willing ambassador for our cause. Taffy encourages locals to help sell the raffle tickets for this years grand draw.
On Sunday 1st September; a coach departs for Swanage: on board Radio Heatherwood supporters group. The station's funds are swelled with a further £120.
The league of friends AGM this year was marred by the attack on the present management of the radio station. Five members of the radio staff sought to be elected to the league committee and to form a separate committee to run the radio station. The five had used various different means to deceive the management, the radio staff and members of the committee. The five persons were suspended from all leagues activities subsequently they were dismissed two months later. Another casualty of the events of the agm was the then chairman, who decided to stand down.
This years Grand takes place at the Stag public house winners were drawn by the landlord Brian. Twelve lucky winners shared the prizes. This year the evening was not advertised and the presenters were treated to a social get together with a buffet. Each presenter was allocated a minimum of 14 hrs ticket selling this year: this allocated the times more evenly. Ticket sales were maintained to the 1990 level but organizing costs had increased by £100.
In September an article published in the Nahbo magazine about a code of conduct for presenters produced enquiries from other stations.£30 was raised from the sale of copies.
On Saturday 21st September the station engineer closed studio one to allow modifications to the console and to effect repairs to the mixer and install a new talkback arrangement. No date has been fixed for the re-opening.
On the 5th October Des Tidbury Station commander of Bracknell fire station was interviewed by the secretary PJ. The fireman of Bracknell station had over the year raised £10,000 for the children's ward thru various fundraising ventures.
The remaining members of the radio staff held a special meeting on Tuesday 15th October. This was an opportunity for everyone to express their views and a chance for the management to air the problems which had been encountered during the past year. The special meeting also endorsed the appointment of Keith Smith as community relations representative, Lee Henty as Team leader and Roger Hawkes as Team leader.
In October the fifth edition of the code of conduct was published for Radio Heatherwood presenters. The new version was the first to be produced through the desktop publishing package. The solicitors acting on behalf of the league suggested new wording and the advice that all persons taken on at the radio station should sign the enrolment form.
During October the station engineer was contacted by the estates office with regard to radio facilities on the new fifteen bed ward to be built. A recommendation and quote was forwarded to the estates office by Wireless Workshop.
On Sunday 20th October the manager organized a crafts and hobbies fare in aid of the League of Friends in the social hall.£520 was raised.
The Crown & Anchor pub landlords raised a further £137 for the station with a raffle, etc. The pub won the CD player this year but nobody claimed it. It was raffled again.
The new Thompson local directory now carries an entry for Radio Heatherwood.
On 3rd November Kingston hospital radio paid the studio a visit to get ideas on how best to use the space. They have been offered brand new premises.
Total Requests.
A calculation by the secretary this year on how many requests Radio Heatherwood had processed to date.
In early November the bed head system on the general hospital lost channel four.
The studio manager Gordon Young had gained a new job in his spare time: unpaid engineer for the Christmas cracker special event radio at Camberley. The radio station set up to broadcast for the whole of December raised funds for the third world. Radio Heatherwood not content with lending the token Scotsman, we also provided items of equipment and training facilities.
The final supporters group trip for the year left for a weekend in Cornwall on Friday 22nd.The total raised for the station for the year from the supporters group was £1200.
In early December the station engineer was contacted by the works department to take a look at the radio rack in the Emi block. Three channels are not working.
A former patient of ward one Zola Newton who sadly passed away asks her family & friends to support the loan radio service instead of buying flowers. Twelve Radio's were labelled accordingly. A check for £100 was received.
The station advertised for new staff in the Ascot express and the news extra. Twenty three application forms are sent out.
On Christmas Eve a special evenings broadcasting was organized by the Team leaders.
Grand Draw :- Gross £1759:71 Net:- £1313:81.
Staff Joining This Year 7 Staff Leaving 10