[27/12/10] MAYORAL VISIT LIFTS SPIRITS AT WESTON GENERAL.

The Mayor and Mayoress of Weston Super Mare, Phil and Wendy Judd, popped into the Sunshine Radio studio to help spread some Christmas cheer.

They were guests of honour on the post-christmas Talk of the Town show, hosted by Laura Tremelling.

Phil told the patients what he had been doing during his term as Mayor, how much he was enjoying it, and the various events he was looking forward to in the rest of his time in office.

The Mayor and Mayoress then visited patients on the wards, asking for their song requests, before taking part in a very busy Wardround Request Show with the Monday team.

Pictured right: Mayoress Wendy and Mayor Phil Judd

[17/12/10] M.P. SHARES SONG CHOICES WITH PATIENTS.

Weston-super-Mare MP John Penrose visited Sunshine Radio at Weston Hospital last week (Friday) for a special 'Desert Island Disc show'.

The one-hour show was hosted by the radio's chairman, Sue Walker, who grilled the MP over his song choices and what it was like to be a government minister.

John said: “I was delighted to be invited back to Sunshine Radio. The station relies entirely on volunteers and they do a fantastic job cheering up patients and staff alike. It's always a privilege to visit and, because I like lots of different styles of music, I hope everyone could find a few tunes to enjoy during the show."

Sue Walker, Chairman of Sunshine Hospital Radio, said: "It was fantastic having John in the studio talking about his favourite music and the many different portfolio responsibilities he has as Minister of Tourism and Heritage.”

John's song choices were:
Allegri – Miserere,
Carl Orff – Carmina Burana,
Johnny Nash – I can see clearly now,
Rolling Stones – Paint it black,
All Saints – Black Coffee,
Chumbawumba – I get knocked down.

Pictured right: Sue Walker with John Penrose.

[15/08/10] SKY IS THE LIMIT FOR SUNSHINE'S DYNAMIC DUO!

Two volunteer radio presenters were flying high last week to raise money for Sunshine Hospital Radio.

Laura Tremelling and Mike Parker travelled to South Cerney, Cirencester to take part in an adrenaline-pumping skydive that saw them reach speeds of 120 miles per hour.

Despite a couple of setbacks, including poor weather and a bird strike to the plane they were both determined to complete their stomach-churning challenge.

“I’ve wanted to do a skydive ever since I saw my friends do it in 2007” said Laura, “Sitting on the edge of the door getting ready to jump I felt slightly nervous, but that didn’t last long, as my instructor Paul launched us off. The exhilaration of free falling soon took over, and it felt amazing.”
She added. “I enjoyed a nice chat most of the way down with him, as people may know I am very rarely speechless!”

Fellow radio presenter Mike Parker took time to enjoy the views 12,000ft above Cirencester before hurling himself out of the plane, but admitted he found it quite nerve wracking,
“Despite watching lots of other people come down safely and knowing that statistically I’m more likely to get hurt on the journey home, the primitive part of my brain took over and fear overwhelmed me for a few seconds” he said,
“I soon got my bearings and began to wave at the cameraman below me.
While I’m pleased to have done it I’m not sure if I’d do it again and I certainly wouldn’t take it up as a hobby!”

The plucky pair hope to have raised over £500 to help maintain and update equipment at the hospital radio studio.

Pictured right: Mike Parker and Laura Tremelling (Strangely, Laura already had the outfit despite having never skydived before.)

[14/08/10] KATIE PRICE SENDS HER BEST WISHES!

Sunshine Hospital Radio were given the opportunity to talk to a very special visitor in Weston Super Mare. Celebrity businesswoman/ singer/ tv personality & author Katie Price was visiting the town.

Promoting her new book 'Paradise', a number one best seller, she spent the morning signing copies for her adoring fans.

Even though she had been suffering with the flu herself, Katie Price kindly recorded a get well message for the patients at Weston Hospital, especially those who were unable to make it to the book signing.
Katie also signed a copy of her book, which has been donated to Sunshine Radio.

Selina Cross, a Sunshine Radio volunteer, was invited to have a quick chat with Katie before the doors opened to her waiting fans.
"It was an amazing experience," Selina said excitedly, "Katie has a huge fan base, and so it was enthralling to have been at the front of the long and seemingly endless queue that trekked behind me", adding afterwards, "And she was lovely to talk to!".

'Paradise' is a fictional novel based on a glamour model called Angel. The storyline focuses on a love triangle and how Angel copes with her celebrity lifestyle both here in the UK and in the states. The book is a follow up from two previous novels, 'Angel' and 'Angel Uncovered', which have both been successful in the book charts.

Pictured right: Katie Price meets Sunshine Radio's Selina Cross!

[05/07/10] T4 ON THE BEACH 2010!

Over 45,000 screaming music fans swarmed onto the beach at Weston to be entertained by Dizzee Rascal, Plan B, Tinchy Stryder, JLS, The Saturdays, Ellie Goulding and Alexandra Burke. And Sunshine Radio's Victoria Penketh King & Chris Smith were there to chat to the performers and record some all important 'get well' messages for the patients.

Dizzee Rascal got the party started and as the performers filtered through the press tent it was a frenzy of lights, shouts and sparkles and even with the slight downpour, everyone was really upbeat and excited to be performing in Weston Super Mare.

Scouting For Girls discussed their upcoming charity bike ride. They plan to ride from London to Brighton on kids bikes in an effort to raise money for 'Well Child'.

Australian pop princess Gabriella Cilmi, who has just been touring with Leona Lewis, explained how she still gets nervous performing in front of big crowds, particularly if her family are in the audience!

Crowd favourites, N-Dubz had the crowd singing along (Nana) and in the press tent singer Tulisa was happy to offer her advice on how to hook a fella "...treat em mean to keep em keen!" she suggested!

All the acts that spoke to Sunshine Radio were delighted to support the hospital radio station. They laughed, chatted, hugged and even kissed our presenters (not mentioning any names Mr Basshunter!!) and provided some wonderful 'get well' messages!

Pictured right: Victoria chats with Greg Churchouse and Roy Stride from Scouting For Girls.

[29/06/10] 'THE BIG QUIZ' IS A BIG SUCCESS!

Alan ‘Deadly’ Dedicoat returned to Weston last week to host a Big Quiz Night in aid of Sunshine Hospital Radio and Worle Community School .

The ‘Voice of the Balls’ was in fine voice as he tested the general knowledge of nearly 200 competitors at the charity quiz evening held at Worle Community school.
The teams were competing against each other in a bid to win the much sought after ‘Golden Microphone of Wonder!’

Speaking during the break Alan said: “I’m having a really good time! I'm pleased that so many people have turned up, and am delighted to be able to return to Weston to run this quiz.”
“Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, and are giving it their all.”

Alan hosted a quiz night in 2008, organised by Sunshine Hospital Radio and Worle Community School, to raise money for Children in Need, and Alan was more than happy to return for another quiz night to benefit the organisers.

Many local businesses had donated prizes for the ever popular raffle which included, champagne, cider, hampers and gift vouchers.
Helping out with the raffle, Town mayor, Councillor Phillip Judd attended the event but admitted that quizzes weren’t his strong point.

He said: “I am pleased to come along to show my support but I haven’t entered a team as I am not great at quizzes!”
“There are a lot of teams taking part, and I wish them all luck.”

After five competitive quiz rounds, a raffle and a charity auction the top team on the night were The BJ’s and Alan proudly awarded them the ‘Golden Microphone of Wonder’.
Finishing in last place and winning the wooden spoon were Partridge Pie.

The evening raised a whopping £1207.01 which will be shared equally between Sunshine Hospital Radio, to help purchase a new computer server, and Worle Community School ’s Minibus Appeal.

Sue Walker, Chairman of Sunshine Hospital Radio said “I 'd like to thank everyone that made this evening such a success. We’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity and thoughtfulness of everyone that attended and the local businesses that so kindly contributed raffle prizes.
As before, Worle School provided a wonderful venue and we look forward to the next, even bigger, quiz night!”

A BIG thank you to all of the local business’ and companies that donated prizes: Asda - By George Hairdressers - Coffee Pot Cafe - Concorde at Filton - First Choice - Kevin Rowley Electrical - Leonard Couch Jewellers - McColls - Motor Parts Weston - Richs Farmhouse Cider - Rossiter & Sons Jewellers - Sainsbury's - Southcombes Hardware - The Lock & Key Shop - Walker & Ling.

Pictured right: Alan Dedicoat presents 'The Golden Mic of Wonder' to the winning team, The BJ's.

[27/03/10] PARKY INTERVIEW PICKS UP NATIONAL RADIO AWARD!

Sunshine Hospital Radio were proud to receive a splendid, glass trophy award at the glamorous, National Hospital Radio Awards ceremony, in recognition for their interview with Sir Michael Parkinson.

The interview took place when Sir Michael visited Weston General Hospital in his role as the Government's Dignity Ambassador.
Sunshine Radio presenter, Marcus, had the pleasure of conducting the interview and commented on how enjoyable it was:
"It was really special to be interviewing the man that had interviewed so many amazing people. I certainly made sure I'd done my research beforehand!"
"I think the challenging part was getting a balance between the serious side of his Dignity Campaign whilst also making the interview informative and fun to listen to. In the end though, Sir Michael made my job very easy and he was a delight to talk to."

The judges, which included popular DJ Tony Blackburn amongst other industry professionals, praised the interview:
"The interaction between interviewer and Sir Michael worked extremelly well."
One judge said "It could have been easy for the presenter to have been fazed by such a guest but instead the connection was good and Sir Michael seemed to genuinely enjoy the experience."

The National Hospital Radio Awards is an annual celebration of the excellent standards found in hospital radio stations across the country. This year the award ceremony took place in Glasgow and invited entrees from over 200 radio stations.

Sunshine Hospital Radio were also commended during the ceremony on the quality of a Station Promotion created 'in-house' by their volunteers.

Pictured right: Sunshine Radio's Jack Daley (right) collects the award. (Click HERE for the full interview.)

[16/03/10] DESIGN STUDENT GIVES SUNSHINE A MAKEOVER!

A talented graphic design student from Weston College has given Sunshine Hospital Radio a new image after winning a competition to create a new logo for the charity.
A group of students, based at the College’s University Campus on Loxton Road, were given a design brief to create a new logo to positively promote the hospital radio station as they embark on an image rebrand.
Emma Hopkins, 19, was announced as the winner earlier this week and received two tickets to a live gig at ‘The Tunnels’ in Bristol, which were kindly donated by the live music venue.

The new logo will be used extensively at the radio studio and around the hospital with the aim of raising patient awareness of the service. Emma, a former Churchill School pupil from Congresbury, said: “I was happy to be involved in the re-design of the new Sunshine Radio logo. I worked on a range of ideas and developed them until I came to the final outcome. I enjoyed the designing process very much as I felt it was for a good cause and I was really pleased to win the competition.”

Marcus, Sunshine Radio’s Public Relations Officer, said: “We were incredibly impressed with the standard of the designs and the research put into developing the logos. It was a difficult decision but the committee finally chose Emma’s logo as it was clear, fun and lends itself nicely to the various mediums we'll be using it on.”
He added: “Over the last couple of years we have made real progress in the service we provide to the patients and it’s with this momentum we felt the time was right to update our image to reflect this positivity.”

For further information on Weston College courses please contact 01934 411411 or visit: www.weston.ac.uk.

Pictured right: Emma Hopkins receives her prize courtesy of The Tunnels live music venue.

[14/03/10] GRAND PIER UPDATE!

The progress of the Grand Piers redevelopment is a topic that many listeners to Sunshine Radio are keen to be kept informed of.
The work taking place on the new pavilion is certainly an impressive sight, but for those in hospital who may be missing out, Sunshine Radio presenters Laura Tremelling and Victoria King were lucky enough to record a guided tour of the building with managing director Peter Angelides.

Despite being surrounded by scaffolding the inside is already looking impressive and is much bigger than it looks from the outside. Peter told Laura and Victoria all about plans for a 70 seat cinema, large go-kart track, wedding chapel and daredevil rides.

A helter-skelter ride sits in one corner of the building, leading from the third floor to the bottom! Plans to use the pavilion to host concerts seem very likely given the huge space on the ground floor.

All the favourite machines and rides will be back, including the slot machines and a spooky ghost train.

Peter said that he and co-owner Kerry Michael are pleased with the progress on the building, and are on track to open in 12 weeks time.

The ‘audio tour’ can be heard exclusively during tonight’s ‘Talk of the Town’ show on Sunshine Radio.

Pictured right: Grand Pier Managing Director, Peter Angelides chats with Laura.

[27/02/10] NOT QUITE STRICTLY COME DANCING!

Following the success of the previous event, Sunshine Hospital Radio were called upon once again to provide the music and audio equipment for this popular dance event.
Not Quite Strictly Come Dancing is organised by Standing Together, a local organisation that assists men and women suffering from domestic abuse in times of crises who do not have access to public funds.

Ballroom dancers included representatives from Wards Solicitors and the local dance studio, Dancecrazy. Judges included John Penrose MP and the chief executive of Bristol International Airport, Robert Sinclaire. The event was compered by Chris Born, chief executive of NHS North Somerset and the chair of Standing Together, Cllr Roz Willis.

The event took place on Saturday February 27, between 7pm and midnight at the Rookery Manor Hotel, Edingworth near Weston-super-Mare.

Pictured right: The novice performers trained from scratch in less than a week.

[25/01/10] RAPPERS DELIGHT!

Whilst the rest of the nation went nutty for Susan Boyle, Sunshine Radio managed to get the real stars of Britain's Got Talent '09; Burnham on Sea's very own Wrinkly Rappers!

The 3 piece crew, B n B, Snowy and Baby Bel, busted some moves (and not hips) down to our studio to pump some funky, f-f-f-fresh flavas down the noise holes of the hospitals patients.
The vibe they put out was so hot it even inspired show presenter Laura Tremelling to battle lyrical with her own flow, it was described as "epic".

The Wrinkly Rappers charity album "Wrinkly Rappers Unrapped" is raising money to support The Alzheimer's Research Trust. More info at www.wrinklyrappers.com

Pictured right: Baby Bel, B n B and Snowy

[25/01/10] YOUR NORTH SOMERSET!

Music and dance from a wide range of community groups descended on North Somerset this month during a popular event to celebrate diversity. And it was Sunshine Hospital Radio that provided and ran the sound equipment for the whole event!

Visitors enjoyed a host of entertainment at the annual Your North Somerset celebration at the Winter Gardens, in Weston-super-Mare, on Sunday January 24.
Attractions included traditional singing from Polish community groups, Flamenco and Bangladeshi dancing.

The event, jointly hosted by the council, NHS North Somerset and Avon and Somerset Police, is now in its fifth year and aims to celebrate diversity and the many cultures and groups throughout North Somerset.
As well as entertainment, there was information and advice on a range of issues, including community safety, employment and benefits.
Staff from the council, health, housing, police, voluntary groups and other agencies were on hand to answer questions.

Pictured right: Jack in control of the sound desk!

[12/01/10] PARKY'S POSITIVE REPORT!

Sir Michael Parkinson has singled out Sunshine Radio and staff at Weston Area Health NHS Trust for praise in his personal account of his year as the nation’s Dignity Ambassador published today. (Jan 12)

In his report, Sir Michael praises the people who inspired him; highlights small steps that cost nothing, but make a real difference to people’s lives; and opens up about his own experience of the care of his mother, who had dementia.
He tells how he first met Weston nurse Jayne Biddiscombe, in September 2008, when she had signed up to the Dignity in Care campaign and become the 3,000th Dignity Champion in the country.

Sir Michael then goes on to describe his visit to Weston General Hospital last April and explains how he enjoyed his time with the volunteers at Sunshine Radio, "...who devote their spare time to trying to brighten the day for the patients in the hospital."

His report also included a photo of his visit to our studio.