12 September 2005
The town of Wiveliscombe and its surrounding parishes in Somerset are celebrating the successful launch of a brand new, innovative radio station.
10Radio (named after the ten parishes to which it broadcasts) is a unique collaboration between the local community and Kingsmead Community School. It is the first radio station of its kind in the region and is broadcasting for four weeks as a beacon project.
Station organiser Julian Mellor said " At the risk of overusing the word, 'community' is at the heart of everything we have achieved with 10Radio. The idea came when a few of us heard about community radio stations in towns and cities. We wondered if it could work in a rural area and then simply looked at each other and said 'let's do it'. People from all walks of life have met, often for the first time, to make this amazing project a reality."
Once the initial idea had taken shape it was the students and staff of Kingsmead Community School in Wiveliscombe who began to flesh it out. Headmaster Jeff Tinker recognised that this was an idea that could really involve students, so they became the initial funders.
Kingsmead Teacher and 10Radio organiser
Ben Elkins said
"
All through this our students have been at the heart of the scheme, from
planning and organising, to recording and editing interviews and setting
up the station.
Now Kingsmead students are among those broadcasting across the ten parishes
and beyond. It's an enormous credit to them that they've achieved so
much when, to be honest, we were all learning as we go."
Aside from Kingsmead, support has come from the Lottery, local businesses, charities (including the Wiveliscombe based Jim Laker Fund), Taunton Dean Council, Somerset County Council and local residents.
The project also coincides with and helps promote the Ten Parishes Arts Festival, a bi-annual showcase of local arts and crafts.
People from the ten parishes have helped in any number of ways, including training, arranging equipment, providing sites for masts, administration, programming and presenting.
10Radio is broadcasting from a former hairdressers in the centre of Wiveliscombe. Programmes start at 7am and run through to midnight. They include a broad mix of entertainment with a daily breakfast show; music from Jazz to rap; chat shows; women’s hours; stories; poetry; interviews; reminiscences and even quizzes. In short everything that reflects the life of a thriving community in the heart of Somerset. The even broader range of presenters includes students, pensioners, teachers, artists, local business people, builders, a vicar and a hypnotherapist.
Julian Mellor added, " The idea of a radio station for such a small rural community is a first. The spirit in which it has been created has seen over 100 local people working with humour, enthusiasm and imagination to pull together to achieve something special. At times the studio phone never stops ringing with requests and suggestions, and local organisations and businesses which we have featured have immediately experienced an increase in enquiries. Everyone seems to be talking about 10Radio."
10Radio broadcasts throughout the day on 87.7FM and is also broadcasting on the internet. E-mails have already been received from listeners in Vietnam, Mauritius and Rome.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
10Radio broadcasts on 87.7fm from 4 September to 1 October 2005.
10Radio also streams on the internet from www.10radio.org
Wiveliscombe has a population of 2,500. The Ten Parishes have a combined population of 6,000. The Ten Parishes sit at the foot of the Brendon Hills on the edge of Exmoor and are a predominantly agricultural community.
Major funders are Kingsmead School (£4000), Awards for All (£5000), Taunton Deane Borough Council (Arts = £500, Local Strategic Partnership = £750), Somerset County Council (Adult Skills and Learning paid for training courses), Jim Laker Fund (£100).
The total cost of 10Radio is c.£11,000 including £5000 for broadcast and copyright licences.
The studio is
a former hairdressers which has been leased free
of charge from the Cooperative Group.