Nigel Lane
After many years of study, Nigel Lane is now a medical doctor working in Bath. He became a member of Radio Clatterbridge in 1995 and joined Mid Morning Music under the wings of Dave Adams.
"It started at 10am and it was often a struggle as teenager to get up and in on time! As Dave will tell you, his team often turned up quite tired after the excesses of a Friday night!"
After a few months, Nigel started presenting the Saturday request show and then did his own evening programme to put the patients in a relaxed mood before bed. But it didn't always go according to plan...
"I talked and played music for 30 minutes, and everything was going well until I noticed that I had not switched the master switch from Radio 2 to Radio Clatterbridge. I had been entertaining myself but no-one else! The other small mistake that I often made was when playing 33rpm vinyl on 45rpm... I made Daniel O’Donnell sound like a smurf on more than one occasion!"
After settling in Bristol University in 1997, Nigel joined Radio Lollipop in a local children's hospital. He presented a two hour show every week for four years.
"I had traded in Sinatra for the Spice Girls! We played games over the airwaves and had lots of fun! But when you’ve had a bad day, it's not the kids' fault so you have be smiley and happy whenever you are around them. There was no hiding with a hangover."
When Nigel made a return visit to Radio Clatterbridge, he found the studio he had known had been demolished.
"I was shocked! I hadn’t heard that the studio was moving to a new site and I was left standing next to a pile of the rubble that had once been Radio Clatterbridge. The studio is not so far removed from the people it is serving now. I am sure the only thing that hasn’t changed are the genuine volunteers who love talking and playing music!"
Clatterbridge Hospital, Wirral CH63 4JY • 0151 482 7888