Bath and North East Somerset’s newest community radio station has received a funding boost, thanks to a councillor from Peasedown St John.
BA1 Radio was established in 2019 to train and educate people in radio broadcasting, and currently has 35 volunteers broadcasting new shows each week.
The station, run by a team of volunteer trustees, relies on the support of grant funding, beneficiaries and charitable giving to cover its costs each month.
Earlier this year, Cllr Karen Walker, former Chairwoman of B&NES Council and a current long-serving councillor in Peasedown St John, visited the station in Bath to see for herself some of the work that goes on.
She said: “BA1 Radio is becoming increasing popular across the city of Bath and in neighbouring communities like Peasedown St John.
“Many of my own residents are telling me on a regular basis that they are now tuning into BA1 Radio daily to find out about local news, views and information.
“I was so impressed with the professionalism of the station, and the positive image it portrays, I’ve decided to award them £200 from my Councillor’s Empowerment Fund. This is a pot of money that I’m able to use to support community projects.”
Bath’s non-profit community radio station, BA1 Radio, has seen four times the number of listeners tuning in as its volunteers work hard to keep the local community informed and entertained while the UK is on lockdown.
Luke Nix, station manager at BA1 Radio said: “We’re delighted to see so many more people tuning in during this time. As well as keeping listeners informed and up to date with hourly news bulletins, our team of volunteers is working hard to entertain listeners and provide a platform to showcase uplifting local news stories from the community.
“Cllr Karen Walker’s £200 grant will be used to pay for our PRS license for the year, which helps us to cover the essential costs we have to continue broadcasting.”
BA1 Radio is currently broadcasting twelve hours of shows every weekday, including new shows like the Daily Good show, with Sarah Baker, focusing on positive change across the city and the Keeping Busy show, which provides top tips on how to stay productive during isolation.
For more details about BA1 Radio, and to listen live, visit: www.BA1Radio.org.
