Skydive raised over £1,400 for Harrogate Hospital Radio

Harrogate Hospital Radio (HHR) is the volunteer-led and operated hospital radio station for HDFT. We feel that by any measure they are an outstanding and successful volunteering team. The 40+ volunteer members undertake every role at the station and they share one passion: to provide a high quality entertainment service to patients, staff and visitors as well as to the surrounding area. They have been doing this since 1977, now well over 40 years! The team’s combined length of service is 455 years, and in July 2022 alone they donated 522 hours of service – amazing statistics.

Of the many things that stand out about this wonderful team it is their appetite for innovation. The studios are state-of-the-art and the station is now licensed as an FM broadcaster providing entertainment on 95.3FM, online, on their free APP, and on smart speaker. They provide FM / Wi-Fi radios to wards and departments so nobody misses out on their programmes which range from the 1960s to today and cater for all ages and personalities. Most recently, they have developed a page on TikTok so as to further strengthen their profile with younger demographics.

The amount of programming is another thing that stands out. The station is on air seven-days-per-week with the flagship Evening Request Show airing from 8:00pm-10:00pm Monday-Friday with all the requests and dedications collected by a fabulous team of request collectors who visit every ward on weekdays. Requests can also be made by text message, any time of day and night! HHR is an independent charity and relies totally on the team’s own fundraising efforts.

The volunteers’ energy and enthusiasm for novel fundraising is particularly impressive. In July 2022 HHR’s Chairman undertook a sponsored Skydive that was broadcast live. Mark jumped from a height of 15,000 feet and described it as "the most exhilarating experience of his life"! More than that, he raised over £1,400.00 for HHR.

HHR volunteers are great supporters of the Harrogate Hospital & Community Charity too, in June 2022 taking part in its “Volunteer Stepathon” a 12-hour endurance walking challenge to mark Volunteers Week 2022. HHR played over 40 requests throughout the day and one HHR volunteer even smashed the circuit lap time (0.8 miles) in nine minutes flat! This is further evidence of the generosity of spirit, dedication and enthusiasm that HHR members give so selflessly, day-in and day-out. What makes HHR such a special team is perhaps best summed up by one of its volunteers, Kev Gambles, who recorded a video this year as part of a volunteer recruitment exercise. See below for video link. We think it conveys powerful testimony about why volunteer-run hospital radio is so important. It’s why a volunteer team like HHR plays such a valuable and successful part in our health and care community.

Nominated for the 2022 Volunteer Team of the Year category

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