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Highworth student trio take to the air
Students from an Ashford school took over the air waves on AHBS, the hospital radio station at the William Harvey Hospital , for a special programme aimed at the hospitals younger listeners.
The sixth form students from Ashford's Highworth Grammar School for Girls presented on the Saturday afternoon show “The Treehouse” which is AHBS's youth show for patients on the children's ward and teenage patients in the hospital.
The special programme coincided with the summer holiday period which is a particularly difficult time for young patients to be hospital while their friends are enjoying the summer break.
Seventeen year olds Amina Abonde-Adigun, Louise Turner and Feyi Senbanjo joined regular presenter Sarah-Marie Sage, herself a former Highworth Student, for two hour of music and chat. They chose the music for the programme and spoke about their favourite songs and about popular issues affecting young people.
Louise from Brabourne said, “It was great to just talk about anything.”
Amina from Kennington added, “Thank you very much AHBS for having us on the show”.
AHBS Chairman Daniel Jones said, “Amina, Feyi and Louise took to it straight away for their first time in the studio and it was a pleasure to have them along. They even had a call from a patient who was herself a former Highworth student congratulating them on their programme.”
August 2007
Energy company's caring partnership
EDF Energy and the Ashford Hospital Broadcasting Service (AHBS) have struck up a new alliance to help vulnerable people when they experience a power failure at home.
The energy company's Networks Branch has been updating and expanding its Priority Services Register (PSR) over the past 18 months so it can look after the frail, the elderly and those with electrical medical equipment in their homes more effectively when power is lost due to a storm, for example.
Awareness of the register in the area the company distributes electricity – the East of England , London and the South-East – is being raised and hospital radio stations have a part to play.
Employees from the energy company have worked with broadcasters at the William Harvey Hospital to alert patients to the service that will see engineers and customer relations colleagues giving priority to those who are most vulnerable during a power failure.
The company will try to proactively contact customers on the register when it knows of a problem in their area, will keep in touch with regular updates during a fault and ask the WRVS to visit to provide a hot meal or any other assistance appropriate.
A jingle appealing for people who consider themselves vulnerable and who want to join the register has been recorded by the service, which has been broadcasting to the patients and staff of Ashford's hospitals for 35 years, and will be played during programmes accessible at about 500 beds in the hospital.
The recording is now available for other hospital radio stations to use. EDF Energy Networks can approach more than 50 stations throughout its distribution area, with thousands of listeners who can be helped in times of need.
Matt Rudling, of EDF Energy Networks, who is heading the project, said: “We are so pleased that AHBS has agreed to help us help the most vulnerable in society by taking on this project.
“We are convinced that the more people who know about the register the more we will be able to ensure that they are inconvenienced as little as possible by any power failure they experience.”
As a gesture of goodwill, EDF Energy Networks donated £250 to the charity, which will be used for improving the service's computer system.
Daniel Jones, chairman of AHBS, said: “We are delighted to be able to work with EDF Energy on this important campaign.
“We all take electricity for granted but if you rely on electricity to keep medical devices working it is essential and very frightening should there be a power cut.
“As well as the traditional request shows that people perhaps know hospital radio best for, AHBS broadcasts to the hospital 24 hours a day and broadcasts a variety of information to patients throughout the day.
“We can reach exactly the kind of people this scheme can help. Through this joint venture we also hope to involve other hospital radio stations in the county and across the EDF Enegry Networks regions.
“As a volunteer-run service and a registered charity with no statutory funding we would also like to thank EDF Energy for supporting our work.”
If you wish to join the register, call 01473 266524, email details to psr@edfenergy.com or send details to Priority Services, EDF Energy Networks, Fore Hamlet, Ipswich IP3 8AA
Picture: Left to right, Daniel Jones of AHBS with Glen Pearce and Matt Rudling of EDF Energy Networks in the studio at the hospital radio station
April 2007
Ashford Mayor still gets pick of the tunes
Ashford's Mayor Cllr Norman Ayres visited AHBS, the hospital radio station for the William Harvey Hospital , to record a special programme of music and memories with AHBS Vice Chairman Jan Pickett.
Every year Jan records a special series of programmes called Christmas Choice where local dignitaries and prominent figures choose their ten favourite pieces of music, talk about the reasons behind the songs and also about their work in the community. Jan has been recording these programmes for many years and usually they are broadcast in the week leading up to Christmas.
Traditionally one of the local Mayors is invited, but last year when it was the turn of Cllr Ayres to pick the tunes, he was experiencing AHBS first hand, himself a patient in Kings C2 ward at the William Harvey.
Cllr Ayres agreed that he would visit AHBS after his convalescence and when he was nearing the end of his term of office to talk about his year as Mayor.
Cllr Ayres musical selection included choices from Glen Miller and the Carpenters to Pavarotti and Whitney Houston. He chatted to Jan about the rich variety of events he had attend as Mayor during the year and the memories associated with his musical choices.
Jan commented afterwards, “We always look forward to welcoming one of the local Mayors to show them what we do and to record their Christmas Choice.
It was good that the Mayor could still visit us before the end of his year and he knows first hand what a difference radio can make to patients.”
April 2007
Kind hearted bikers Spring convoy to children's ward
Sunday 15th April saw the annual bikers Easter Egg run to the Padua children's ward at the William Harvey Hospital .
The bikers run, which grows in number each year, saw bikers from all over Kent and further a field led by Hothfield couple Brian & Eileen Johns, come together to bring cheer to young patients in hospital over the Easter holiday period.
The route took them from Challock to Charing on the A252, from Charing they will follow the A20 to A292 Maidstone Road/New Street into Ashford and on to the ring road before heading up Hythe Road to the William Harvey Hospital . They were met by hospital play specialists Niki Wakefield and Jane McReadie who were on hand to welcome them with refreshments in the hospital foyer, before they take the Easter eggs, chocolate and presents to the ward.
HBS broadcast a special programme and had presenters at Challock, commentary from their safety car at the rear of the convoy, as well as “live” coverage at the hospital.
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