Dorset County Hostpital - Ridgeway Radio

The Station is run by a team of volunteers who include presenters, ward visitors and technicians. Some of these are new to broadcasting, but some have been involved since the early days of local hospital radio (30+ years). Formerly West Dorset Hospital Radio, the Station's name now reflects the amalgamation of main hospital services of Weymouth and Dorchester Hospitals, 'Ridgeway' being the name of the hill between the two towns. The original Dorset County Hospital, now redeveloped, also had its own station which was where many current members began their hospital radio 'careers'.

When the main departments moved from Weymouth & District Hospital to the new Dorset County Hospital, Radio Shambles - the long-running and much-liked hospital radio service in Weymouth - closed and donated its equipment and record library to Ridgeway Radio, along with many of its members!

So, Ridgeway Radio is actually an amalgamation of four former stations - including another local service at Herrison Hospital, for psychiatric patients, now also redeveloped.

Our aim is to entertain the patient with friendly chat with record requests from their relatives and friends and provide a link to the outside world through items of local goings-on and live Outside Broadcasts. We achieve the latter using our own radio-link equipment and OB caravan. Regular OBs include the Dorchester Fun Run, Dorchester Carnival and Dorchester Agricultural Show. Also we were honoured to be asked to relay to patients the visit of Her Majesty The Queen who officially opened Phase 2 of DCH in 1998.

Patients in Dorset County Hospital can tune in to Channel 6 on the Patientline system to listen to our programmes.