Dave Smith - Station Manager

Dave Smith Station ManagerClick to Enlarge :-

David Joined Radio Heatherwood in 1979 as a member of the Saturday team.

Dave Smith Station Manager

David joined the radio station Radio Heatherwood in 1979 after an old school friend met him in a pub and invited him along to join on a Saturday evening. David went along to the station was bitten by the bug and became a regular contributor to the programs for a Saturday. In the early eighties he became a rep on the radio committee and then manager for the radio.

Later on in the eighties he was appointed treasurer for the main league of friends as well as holding the post of manager for the radio service.

Since joining the radio the station, it has undergone some radical changes in the way the service is received and developed. In the early days the station was running on a shoestring with very little money to develop the service. David oversaw the introduction of regular fundraising for all presenters, code of conduct for staff and better training for all members. The station has undergone many physical changes with new studio’s being built and move to new premises along with the introduction of the AM inductive loop service it’s been a rollercoaster ride for David who along with his brother Peter have created a very valuable asset to the league of friends.

Roy Ryman Presents Daves Long Service Certificates with Tricia Wright From TrustClick to Enlarge :-

On Monday 5th October 2009 Station manager Dave smith received his thirty years service certificates from the chairman of the League Mr Roy Ryman.

David still holds his position of treasurer on the league as well as managing his role as station manager.

On occasions David can still be heard on a Saturday morning on – air still doing what he loves best spinning the discs and sharing his experiences with the listening audience.

Mr Roy Ryman Chairman, thanked on behalf of the league David for his thirty years service and dedication.

Two certificates were presented one from the league and one from the National Association of Hospital Radio.

Dave

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P J Davidson-Smith - Engineer/Secretary

PJ Davidson-Smith Station EngineerClick to Enlarge :-

Pete joined Radio Heatherwood in 1980 as a member of the Saturday team.

In 1982 he took over the engineering and later he took over the role of station secretary.

" I have lots of memories and experiences over the last twenty nine years, possibly the most uplifting memory must be when the station introduced the inductive loop am system. After years of patients not being able to listen we were able to reach patients in a totally free manner. Not relying on whether or not the bed head was working. Years of frustration came to an end when I heard for the first time This is Radio Heatherwood on 999kHz AM 301metres on the medium wave "

PJ Aged 10Click to Enlarge :-

On the odd occasion I'm let loose on the airwaves but not before a government health warning has been given In the last nine years the station has moved premises, changed broadcasting to twenty four hours a day and also moved to the new bedhead system and received in stereo.

The continuing improvements to the station, is through the dedication of my colleagues who without them Heatherwood would be a poorer place for patients.

PJ has just completed twenty nine years service to the hospital radio service at Heatherwood, We take our hats off to his dedication and service.

PJ

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Ian Butcher - Presenter

Ian Butcher Tuesday Team LeaderClick to Enlarge :-

Ian Joined Radio Heatherwood in October 2004.

My Name is Ian, I am 48 , and have been on Radio Heatherwood for 5 years on the Saturday team, and also I am Team Leader for Tuesday evenings.

I was lucky enough to go to America in 2009 and visited places like Graceland and Nashville, and since then my appreciation for most types of music, Country/ Blu grass and Rock’n’Roll and I realize there is life away from Queen/related music.

I have worked along side most of the teams and on various nights, and listening to the way other people present shows, helps me to improve on my presenter skills. It has always been an ambition of mine to work in radio and I'll tell you what, you will get nothing more rewarding than a "thank you" from a patient or a member of staff.

It makes me feel good to know that I can cheer people up by presenting a show. If you want to get in to hospital radio, all I can ask is , "what is keeping you?".

Here is to the next 5 years, ......cheers.

Ian B

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John Murphy - Presenter

John Murphy SaturdaysClick to Enlarge :-

John Joined Radio Heatherwood in December 2000.

Did I really start at Radio Heatherwood in December 2000? Those were the days...but now these are! It's clear from some of the comments we receive that the ability to broadcast a service 24 hours a day is of great benefit to patients. The programming has been designed to take account of those quiet periods when little disturbance is heard with a more tranquil approach to what patients hear. We are also proud of the fact that we can inject some humour into the day (even when there is no live broadcasting) by broadcasting a comedy hour three times a day. Whatever a patients taste in music our schedule ensures that everyone is catered for. It's a welcome responsibility that patients often entrust us with selecting a piece of music on their behalf. They may have named the artist but leave it to us to choose the song. This is a great opportunity in my eyes as I'm able to explore the Heatherwood library and select a track by an artist that is not played that regularly. Also, as we have no play list restrictions the presenters at Radio Heatherwood are in the enviable position of being able to explore the ever growing library. I always try to find music that I may not have heard before as it educates me and hopefully entertains the patients. Spending time in hospital as a patient is no fun and I'm glad to think that the hospital radio is able to provide some respite whilst laid up. I'm looking forward to broadcasting in the future as there are still plenty of tracks in the library that I haven't got round to playing yet!

John M

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Celsio D'Souza - Presenter
"Man With A Plan"

Cels Man of Mystery MondaysClick to Enlarge :-

Celsio joined Radio Heatherwood in 2005 Cels 'the man with the plan' joined Heatherwood Radio in mid 2005.

He lives close to the hospital and before that in Bracknell. Having spent many an hour in Heatherwood hospital due to his sons (usually the younger one) collecting one injury or another, he felt he should look to give something back to the hospital.

Trying to explain to his wife that being a Radio Presenter is giving something back to the hospital is proving difficult - 'you're just enjoying yourself!'

Celsio D'Souza 2005 Cels thought his taste in music was varied, however, he has really enjoyed the wide variety that Radio Heatherwood outputs each night. Eclectic is how he now describes his show. He promises to look the word up in the dictionary soon. Favourite pastimes include: looking for a quite place to read a book, looking for a quite spot to have a coffee, looking for a quite spot .... you get the idea it's noisy at home! Oh and finally the bit about the 'man with the plan'

Cels explained - we have so many brilliant presenters, all with a unique style be it based on comedy, great knowledge of the music etc.

The only thing left was to go for a cheesy approach! Oh well Heatherwood Radio welcomes cheese.

Cels