Seventy Five Years On Air
75 for 75
A series of 75 articles with photographs capturing aspects of our rich history since 9th April 1951 when we began as an activity at Port Sunlight Boys’ Club.
Read all about the station’s rich history.
75 for 75 series 16 to 30
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In late 2000, the station received a £1,000 grant under the British Gas / Liverpool Echo community awards scheme.
It was an early gift, ahead of the station’s 5Oth anniversary, coming up in April 2001. Station Manager, Vic Charles, invited Andrew Hanson from British Gas into the studios.
This was towards the end of our time at the studios near St John’s Hospice. With a big move imminent, the grant could not have come at a better moment.
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It was the end of another era in our Radio Clatterbridge history.
The demolition services started to dismantle the building that we knew was to be our temporary home from the start. This was all part of a major construction project on the Clatterbridge site to join up the two roads around the site, to effectively form a ring-road and to create a new Car Park.
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The year was 2000 – the dawn of the new Millennium. As this significant year ended, Radio Clatterbridge prepared for our own new dawn. We were about to move into a new permanent location at the old Boiler House, opposite where our original studios at Larch House had been.
First however there was the massive task of dismantling the current studio complex. Many members lent a hand and pictured are Neil Jackson, Vic Charles (Station Manager) who spearheaded the whole project and Terrie Britt (Secretary). Neil and Vic were ideal for the tasks in hand, with both having day jobs in electrics and hardware.
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In April 1996 Radio Clatterbridge was 45 years old. As well as marking the day itself, later that year Assistant Station Manager Andy Bonner was the sole host for a 45-hour non-stop sponsored broadcast.
Andy fronted the show from 10pm on Friday October 4th until 7pm on Sunday October 6th.
Programme Controller Paul Johnston had helped Andy set up the weekend with members and guests calling in during the marathon.
It was featured inside the Wirral News under a heading “Non-stop radio – Two-day broadcast, marks special event” and with a splash on the front page!
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In April 2001 not only were we celebrating our 50th but we also had the opening of our brand-new studio complex
Station Manager Vic Charles spoke with the local press and a group of members posed for a photo. Monty Lister who started coaching the Port Sunlight boys in vocal technique in 1952 officially opened the studios. President Roger Hazlewood who joined in 1966 is clearly amused by Monty’s anecdotes.
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Radio Clatterbridge presenter Dave Williams started ‘Mid-Morning Music’ on 15th September 1973. Dave was a Maths teacher by day at Weatherhead High School in Wallasey but had always had a passion for radio. To mark twenty-one years and having barely missed a show, Dave celebrated in style with 3 special guests on a celebratory 3-hour edition.
There was a surprise interview with 50s singer Guy Mitchell and Brookside star Gladys Ambrose appeared on the show. She thanked the staff at Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology who had recently treated her. Radio City Gold presenter Jerry Phillips completed the trio of special guests.
The guests were organised with the help of co-presenter Sid Jones who had joined ‘Mid-Morning Music’ in 1990.
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In Autumn 2006 we produced laminates to explain how patient handsets could tune into Radio Clatterbridge. Via the Station control button, we were on the 9th channel.
It was also explained how patients could request a song. At that time, apart from nabbing the request collectors, the only way to do this was by asking permission to use the phone on the Nurses’ station.
On the back of our laminate there was a listing of both our weekday and weekend schedules.
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For a decade, we organised our very own Staff Achievement Awards. In 1999, Domestic Assistant Linda Morton was the proud first recipient from Committee members Paul Johnston and Myfanwy James. Linda, who worked on Snaefell Ward, won a weekend away at a top North Wales hotel. The award was to recognise the hard work of unsung hospital employees, with the request team distributing voting forms to patients on the hospital site.
We even enlisted local celebrities to present several of them including when our 7th winner, Staff Nurse Zoe Jones, from Stroke Rehabilitation Ward was presented with her certificate and flowers by Radio City DJ, Pete Price.
With the Trust starting its own Hospital Awards scheme, sadly our own ended.
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After a short break between leaving our old studios and getting up and running in the new complex, we produced a leaflet in 2001 to promote our return.
Patients were advised to watch out for our request collectors on the wards Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. They could fill out a request slip and were encouraged to ask a Nurse to put into the internal mail. Relatives were given the chance to email the studios.
Our Programme Schedule was on the reverse with a wide variety of genres on offer including ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Replay’ with Richie Galvin, ‘Just Jazz’ with Alan Higgins, ‘Country Connection’ with Mike Kinney and ‘Gospel Time’ with Ted Richards.
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Former teacher Bernard Thornley (right) took over as Station Librarian from jeweller Bill Stringer (left). Bernard remained in the role for decades beyond the turntables being removed and the end of us playing LPs and Singles right up to play-out technology seemingly killing off the need for Compact discs. Ironically, many of the CDs were kept and have been returned to the library in the last year.
Bill is pictured at Larch House where the original library was set up. Bernard is at our next studios in November 2000 packing up the large record, CD and Mini-disc collection. It would then be installed into its 3rd studio building.
The library was card indexed by both Artist and Song Title. At our AGM each year, Bernard had 2 traditions. One was reading out a list of missing music and the other was to confirm the date of the next AGM!
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In 2024 our fundraising activities and events included a 24-hour broadcast in late August helmed solo by our Chair of Trustees and Programme Controller, Mike Shepherd. He raised a massive £605.471.
It was the latest in a long line of marathon broadcasts over our long history and was a joint fundraiser for Radio Clatterbridge and Macmillian Cancer Charity.
Mike had a raft of interviewees plus other members called in throughout the broadcast. He also had trusty support from Mandy Shepherd who was on hand to give him a congratulatory embrace at the end of the broadcast.
