Here at Hughes, we’re proud of our local roots and like to celebrate success. July will see the 5th birthday of local radio station, Blyth Valley Community Radio. Blyth Valley Community Radio is an FM community radio station covering Southwold, Reydon and the surrounding area including Blythburgh, Walberswick, Wangford and Wrentham. The station is run by members of the community, like you, for the members of the community. People from within the area of all age groups and backgrounds manage different aspects of the station. Anyone from within the community who would wish to be involved, can be involved. All posts are voluntary and the station is a non-
The primary studio and transmitter site is located in a WWII bunker in the grounds of Saint Felix School in Reydon, Southwold, Suffolk, with a second studio in the Casino on Gun Hill in Southwold.
Blyth Valley Community Radio can proudly boast of having the eldest presenter in the UK – a sprightly 93 years old!
Also worthy of mention is the involvement that Blyth Valley Community Radio had in December, 2013, when a tidal surge hit the area in which they broadcast. This was overnight during 6th and 7th December. The area was hit with many flooded homes and businesses and BVCR stayed on air right through till 1am in the morning, when the worst was over, giving out continuous updates as the situation unfolded. They also had volunteers out and about monitoring the situation and ringing back with information. The listener feedback from this was exceptional with praise for what they did and how they did it.
It is this community spirit, combined with the dedication of all those involved that has seen Blyth Valley Community Radio awarded a license to transmit for a further five years! From all at Hughes – particularly the team at our Southwold branch – Happy 5th Birthday for July!
