Station of the Year

sponsored by PPL

Gold: RADIO BROCKLEY

The judges said this is incredible hospital radio of the highest quality. From royal visits to local elections, the station appears embedded in both hospital and community life. There is considered presentation by highly talented volunteers who are obviously passionate about their craft and supporting the patients recovery. This was – according to the judges – a brilliantly textured entry, showing the huge diversity of content the station produces.

Joint Silver: BHBN

The judges said there are some perfectly pitched elements in this entry that elevates it about other stations. From the neo-natal baby unit piece to the transplant games, the presenters are clearly skilled at handling speech content.  This was all combined with a real sense of personality and is an excellent entry from a first-rate station.

Joint Silver: Radio Redhill

Radio Redhill is described as a brilliant station which not only covers hospital events but also things happening in the wider community. With guests including Dame Judi Dench, the volunteers are great communicators and interviewers. There’s a real warmth about their presentation and a clear desire to go above and beyond. This is hospital at its best.

Play Radio Brockley's Gold Entry

Play BHBN's Joint Silver Entry

Play Radio Redhill's Joint Silver Entry

Male Presenter of the Year

sponsored by PRS

Gold: Ross Maxwell, Grampian Hospital Radio

Wonderfully enthusiastic is how one judge summed up Ross. Professional sounding and really talks to the listener, making him very relatable. He’s good at storytelling and showed brilliant interaction with patients.

Silver: Rajiv Hasan, Nottingham Hospitals Radio

Nice style and delivery is how one judge summed up Rajiv’s entry. Very strong content and good use of sensitive language when talking about patients. He also showed a great rapport with interviewees.

Bronze: Joe Smith, Southend Hospital Radio

The judges said that Joe has a lovely friendly style about him and was really engaging with a good local feel about his show.

Play Ross Maxwell's Gold Entry

Play Rajiv Hasan's Silver Entry

Play Joe Smith's Bronze Entry

Female Presenter of the Year

sponsored by PRS

Gold: Julie Caston, Nottingham Hospitals Radio

The judge gave Gold to Julie as they felt she was the perfect, warm, friendly voice and was so easy to listen to. You can tell Julie is very much at home behind the microphone. This entry hit all the right notes from the judges – they couldn’t fault it all.

.

Silver: Philippa Clarkin, BHBN

The judges said that from the first few seconds you could tell Phillipa was loving her show. Such great energy and warmth and a lovely interview technique asking the right questions and making her guests feel at ease from the offset. A very strong entry, indeed.

Bronze: Hansa Varsani, Radio Harrow

As one judge put it – wow, what an incredibly positive and fun entry this was, from the first 10 seconds it was all about energy. Hansa has also mastered that “one to one” skill of broadcasting, brilliantly.

Play Julie Caston's Gold Entry

Play Philippa Clarkin's Silver Entry

Play Hansa Varsani's Bronze Entry

Special Event

Gold: HOSPITAL TO HOSPITAL SPONSORED WALK

HOSPITAL BROADCASTING SERVICE

The judges found this entry entertaining and informative. They said there was some wonderful chemistry between the team, with a clever use of music – a really good listen.

Silver: Brunel University Volunteers Fayre, Radio Hillingdon

The judges described this entry as a beautifully produced illustration of how people come together to support their community. It was warm and conversational – with a nod to the music, woven in.

Bronze: St Peter's Open Day Coverage Radio Wey

The judges said this entry had a special warmth about it – a feeling of community. It was educational but also fun and the kids were lovely.

Play Hospital Broadcasting Service's  Gold Entry

Play Radio Hillingdon's Silver Entry

Play Radio Wey's Bronze Entry

Best Speech Package

Gold: WORLD TRANSPLANT GAMES BATON HANDOVER, BHBN

The judges said this was a quality piece of radio – with a good appreciation of sound and one amazing moment.  Special mention is made of Phillipa Clarkin for an emotional and riveting interview.

Silver: Life on the Farnes, Durham Hospitals Radio

The judges praised the great ambition and lovely friendly style in this entry. It came close to being their winner – they suggested with a little more actuality and a stronger description, it might well have clinched gold.

Bronze: Tor Bridge High Radio Show - Carers Week, Hospital Radio Plymourh

One judge said that, for them the best radio tells them something they didn’t know – and this entry did just that. Amazing insights, simply told. A worthy winner.

Play BHBN's Gold Entry

Play Durham Hospital Radio's Silver Entry

Play Hospital Radio Plymouth's Entry

Best Newcomer

sponsored by BroadcastRadio

Gold: Shannon Griffin, Hospital Radio Medway

Shannon in seen as a very versatile and authentic broadcaster with an attractive voice which she uses well. She also has good listening skills and an empathy with the listener.

Silver:Jojo Sanderson, CHBN

Jojo is described as hugely likeable and clearly a creative presenter with a good voice and a thoroughly natural approach.

Bronze: Anandi Shah, Radio Harrow

Anandi is a really promising presenter with much to offer. She displays her intelligence engagingly in her content and questioning.

Play Shanon Griffin's Gold Entry

Play Jojo Sanderson Silver Entry

Play Anandi Shah's Bronze Entry

Best Specialist Music

sponsored by PPL

Gold: THE GEORDIE HOUR, RADIO TYNESIDE

The judges felt Karis and Gary worked well together. The show is totally “local” and will be inclusive and relatable to listeners. Lots of information, presented in a friendly chatty style with a variety of – all local – music, flowing nicely in a way that gave the listener every reason to stay tuned for the entire hour.

Silver: Fresh Sounds, Radio Grapevine

There was plenty of content for the judge to get their teeth in to – a live interview, a live session, lots of local info too.  They said it was clear a lot of preparation had gone in to the show, which was also very well presented.

Bronze: The Rock Show, HWD

The judges said the presenter is clearly enthusiastic about his subject and felt the show is presented in a knowledgeable, humourous and chatty style.

Play Radio Tyneside's Gold Entry

Play Radio Grapevine's Silver Entry

Play HWD's Bronze Entry

Best Programme with Multiple Presenters

sponsored by PPL

Gold: KATHERINE AND MARIA'S THE YOUNG WEY, RADIO WEY

The judges said this show had a real sense of fun and felt inclusive to the audience it was aimed at. One judge said that Maria and Katharine compliment each other nicely, and you wanted to keep listening to them, throughout.

Silver: SHR Kids, Southend Hospital Radio

The judges praised this nicely delivered content. They said that Kara and Kathryn demonstrated the required relevance to the hospital patient and the wider hospital community. Fun and enjoyable to listen too.

Bronze: Dolphin Beats, Radio Medway

Ellie and Brooke are two sisters and the judges said they sounded natural, fun and both are very comfortable interviewers. A really good listen.

Play Radio Wey's Gold Entry

Play Southend Hospital Radio's Silver Entry

Play Radio Medway's Bronze Entry

Station Promotion

Gold: MUSIC WAS MY FIRST LOVE, RADIO GLAMORGAN

The judges said this was simply executed but often keeping things simple offers the best way to engage your listener. A series of clips, nicely put together, promoting the station.

Silver: The Young Wey - Temporary Trailer, Radio Wey

The judges enjoyed this promo – hooking them in from the beginning, with an unexpected twist.

Bronze: How to LIsten to Radio Hillingdon, Radio Hillingdon

The judges liked this short promo, using a certain smart speaker device, to highlight how listeners can interact with the station. Nice and simple – but got the message across.

Play Radio Glamorgan's Gold Entry

Play Radio Wey's Silver Entry

Play Radio Hillingdon's Bronze Entry

Recognising Innovation Across Hospital Radio

Sponsored by Myriad 5 Playout

Radio Wey

For many years the station broadcast on Hospicom to St Peter’s and by air headphones at Ashford Hospital, however patients often complained that headphones were uncomfortable and navigating the last few screens that were working was difficult.

Looking for a solution, the team at Radio Wey started working on a cost effective solution to stream the station from the internet and, after a bit of trial and error, they came across suitable Wi-Fi speakers, which, with the use of an App, could be locked on to Radio Wey and brought great sound quality too. 

14 were purchased to trial the system and, it proved so popular, the hospital trust provided the station with a grant to enable more speakers to be purchased. They now have 60 such speakers, meaning every bay in every ward has one and staff and patients like having something in the background to listen too. Requests have shot through the roof as a result – as well their listening figures.

A great way of using technology to keep themselves on air and to reach even more patients

The John Whitney Award

WINNER: ROy Gladish

CHBN

Roy has been connected with hospital radio since the late 1940s, when, whilst visiting his Grandfather in hospital, he had the idea to give the patients more choice other than the BBC Home and Light stations. He borrowed a reel to reel tape recorder and persuaded a local record store to loan him some records and put together a one hour music show which was broadcast from the distribution cupboard at the weekend.

This pioneering idea resulted in a weekly request show which continued for some years and must have been one of the earliest examples of hospital radio. Until 18 months ago he hosted a weekly 2 hour live show on his station and held the unbeaten record of presenting live every week since he joined CHBN in 2012.

During that time Roy was the first presenter in the station’s history who hosted a 2 hour live programme on Christmas Day as he appreciated how important a live programme was to those who were unfortunate to be in hospital at that time.

He was a key part of the team that launched the station under its community radio license in 2014 and transitioned it to become a hospital and community Radio service, working hard hard to ensure that its broadcast standards were as high as possible and that the station was providing the best possible service to it’s listeners.

In the last couple of years his health deteriorated which meant that he was no longer able to physically visit the studio every week, however he was still the station's most committed listener.

Sadly, Roy could not beat his illness and he died at home in October last year.

All at CHBN were greatly affected by his passing but his legacy will live on through the many recordings of him that the station still has.  Gone but not forgotten. 

Our John Whitney Award  this year, goes to the amazing Roy Gladish…of CHBN.

Special Recognition 

JUNE SNOWDEN

This year is the HBA’s 50th anniversary and the trustees wanted to award a Special Recognition for June Snowden, someone who’s been key to the association's success throughout its time.

There surely isn’t a station she hasn’t been to and she’s proved to be an outstanding ambassador for the HBA and for hospital radio over many many years.

HBA or NAHBO -  the National Association of Hospital Broadcasting Organisations – was formed by a small group, meeting in Hull fifty years ago this year.  Among those founders was none other than Brian Snowden, June’s late husband. Together they formed Hospital Radio Goodies – helping better promote stations with merchandise and, in 1994 the first ever Conference Bursary was awarded, in memory of Brian. 

June has continued – often despite ill health – to travel the length and breadth of the country, as our President, attending station events, being interviewed and never missing a conference.

The Association just wouldn’t be the same without her.