What Is AHBS?

AHBS is The Ashford Hospital Broadcasting Service, providing a hospital radio service for patients & staff in the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent.

We broadcast high quality programming direct to around 500 beds from our studios at the hospital - our aim to provide light entertainment and bring a smile to patients in the hospital. The Service is run entirely by a dedicated team of volunteers who give their time freely in order to bring our programmes to the patients.

AHBS has been on air for 35 years. We began on 26th December 1971, the idea of founder Ron Hanning, and our early programmes were broadcast from the corner of the nurses changing room at the old Ashford Hospital in Western Avenue!

Over the years we have broadcast from a number of locations, including the old Willesborough Hospital and more recently, Ashford Hospital until its closure in 1998. We are now fortunate to have purpose-built studios at the William Harvey Hospital itself, although we have broadcast to this hospital for many years.

We have been in these new studios since March 1998, and it should be documented that AHBS is indebted to the then Chairman Andrew Brittle, the generous financial support of the League of Friends, and the help of David Hammond and Howard Jones from the hospital Trust for making our move reality.  On 16 August, 1998, we held our Grand Opening.

AHBS now broadcasts music, entertainment and information 24 hours a day on Patientline radio channel 1 which is free to all patients. If you know someone in hospital now, why not call or email with a request.

AHBS is member of the Hospital Broadcasting Association (HBA) and one of over 300 stations serving NHS hospitals in the UK, providing a truly dedicated service to the audience they serve. Throughout the UK there are now in excess of 11,500 volunteers involved.

AHBS Founder Ron Hanning cuts the 30 th birthday cake with June Snowdon
president of HBA watched by wife Beryl together with current Chairman
Daniel Jones (left), and former Chairmen Andy Trill and Andrew Brittle.
(Courtesy of Kent Messenger Group Newspapers)