Hospital Radio Plymouth is celebrating success after scooping two prestigious awards at the National Hospital Radio Awards last night.

HRP was announced as the gold winner in the coveted Station Of The Year 2008 category, beating off competition from hospital radio stations from around the UK.

Congratulations also go to Nostalgia Time presenter Connal Cather, who picked up the special John Whitney Award – the Hospital Broadcasting Association`s equivalent of a lifetime achievement award. This was in recognition of Connal`s unfailing dedication to HRP since he joined the station back in 1970.

The ceremony, which was held at the Queen`s Hotel in Leeds, was hosted by IRN`s Jon Godal, with video messages from HBA Patron Sir Terry Wogan.

Many thanks go to the hard work and enthusiasm of our volunteers, who have made becoming Station Of The Year possible.

Station Manager Andrew Hill says "To be judged by industry professionals as having the best mix of programmes and content out of all the hospital radio stations in the UK is a phenomenal achievement."

Hospital Radio Plymouth has been busy entertaining the late night shoppers of Plymouth in the run up to Christmas this year.

The station`s Showstage was outside Drake Circus Shopping Mall on the 29th November, playing Christmas hits and live music courtesy of singer Felciity Dukes. One lucky shopper won a weekends drive in an Audi TT, kindly donated for raffle by the local Audi dealership.

On the 13th December the Showstage was back, this time on the Armada Way Piazza, to provide the soundtrack to the City Centre`s annual Carol Service which was organised by St Andrews Church. Primary schools from around the city brought their own choirs, who each performed a spot in front of the gathered crowd.

This coming Sunday, Hospital Radio will be at Frankfort Gate from 1pm onwards as Santa arrives in Plymouth with his reindeer.

Public Relations Officer Emma Tyler says "We are delighted to be involved in this year`s City Centre Christmas festivities, and in particular Thursday`s Carol Service. The children were wonderful singers and everybody had a great time. I`d like to thank all those members who have helped out with these events and we hope to be back again next year!"

Thanks also to Jigsaw Sound & Light, who kindly provided the speakers for the Christmas events. Visit Jigsaw at www.jigsawsoundandlight.co.uk

On Tuesday 11th December, patients at Derriford Hospital tuned into a special programme broadcast live from the hospital`s main concourse area. Hospital Radio Plymouth left its usual studios to host a 3 hour Christmas show, in which patients, visitors and staff all particpated.

Presenters Steve Glanville and Jill Bright were joined by regular Tuesday host Dawn Cawley, who brought along friends to sing traditional carols and Christmas songs.

Programme manager Keith Jolley said "This is the first time we have attempted this and it was a great success. I`d like to thank everyone involved and also the Trust for enabling us to do it."

Thanks go to members Steve Glanville, Jill Bright, Dawn Cawley, James Sanders, Matt Bennellick, Emma Tyler, Keith Thompson and Claire Smith for their hard work on the night.

Hospital Radio Plymouth is currently recruiting volunteers to undertake ward visiting in Derriford Hospital and/or The Royal Eye Infirmary. We are looking for friendly individuals who can spare an hour or two each week, to collect music requests from the wards and chat to the people they meet.

Ward visiting is an integral part of Hospital Radio, as it sets us apart from all the other stations on the dial - and we may be the only visitor the patient receives that day.

This is a great way to get involved with the charity, especially if you are microphone shy or don`t fancy the technical side of radio. For more information, please call the studio on 01752 763441 or download an application form from the volunteer section of this site

Hospital Radio Plymouth helped Bonfire Night go off with a bang as usual this year, as the Showstage made its annual pilgrimage to Plymouth Hoe.



The station provided the soundtrack to packed crowds gathered to enjoy the dazzling fireworks display, which was set off from the Citadel ramparts into the night sky.



Many thanks to all those members of the public who donated to the station on the Hoe - over £350 was raised, which is absolutely fantastic. A big thank you also to all the HRP volunteers who helped out on the night.



Keep your eyes peeled for the Showstage over the Christmas period - it will be in Plymouth City Centre during Thursday late night shopping, and also at the Torpoint lights switch-on, on the 1st of December.



If you see us, come and say hello!

Thanks to all who attended this year`s AGM - it was positive to see such a good turnout.

As members may be aware, our previous Station Manager Bob Smith has been suffering from ill health and as such, was unable to continue in office. The Exco wish him all the best in his recovery.

At the meeting, members voted for the Station Manager position to be taken over by Andrew Hill. A committed volunteer at HRP for 25 years, Andrew is looking forward to his new role:

"Hospital Radio is entering an exciting new phase with an enthusiastic and dedicated membership, and I look forward to leading the organisation with its plans over the coming months and years."

The positions of Audience Liaison, Fundraising and Public Relations were also filled at the AGM by Richard Hillborne, Andrew Greenaway and Emma Tyler respectively.

You can now raise funds for HRP via the internet and it doesn`t require much effort!

If you ever buy goods or services online, then register with easyfundraising.org.uk and choose HRP as your charity. It costs nothing, yet every time you make a purchase via one of the retailer links, up to 15% will be donated to the station.

There are over 400 retailers participating, including favourites such as amazon, play.com, NEXT, John Lewis, HMV, Debenhams and eBay.

If you don`t shop online but do search the internet, then please still register and start using the sister site, easysearch.org.uk. This is an excellent search engine powered by Yahoo, and for every search you make, 1 penny will be donated to HRP. Those pennies will soon mount up!

Hospital Radio Plymouth has signed a sponsorship deal with First Devon & Cornwall Bus Group, which will bring in over £2000 for the station over 3 years.

First are the new sponsors of Argyle Live, HRP`s Saturday sports coverage. They will also soon be advertising with the station to promote their Park and Ride Services.

HRP has been broadcasting Plymouth Argyle games for over 50 years. Adrian Rickard, host of Argyle Live, believes this is a major coup for HRP:

"We are delighted that we are now working with First, and their co-operation with us can lead to an improved commentary service from Home Park."