Radio Northwick Park’s co-founder, Len Elman passed away on the 22nd February 2017 after a battle with kidney cancer. Radio Northwick Park is one of Radio Harrow’s former organisations. Len’s friend and co-founder of Radio Northwick Park, Marty Rose pays tribute to the man who helped to lay the foundations of our organisation.
“Len Elman and I first met in 1966 when I joined JYVS, the Jewish Youth Voluntary Service, Stanmore, Kenton and Edgware Branch. At that time we were helping the community in different ways by gardening, decorating and entertaining the residents in old people’s homes.
The members also ran Radio Edgware, a Hospital Radio Service at Edgware General Hospital. The service broadcast request shows, local news and star interviews to cheer up the patients and take their minds of their personal ailments for a short time each day.
Len and I got on straight away and formed a friendship that lasted over 50 years. After Radio Edgware, we went on to form (a different) Radio Harrow at Harrow Cottage Hospital.
Northwick Park Hospital was being built and both of us with others decided to make a bid through JYVS to run their hospital radio service. In 1971, through Len’s negotiating skills we successfully won the right to run Radio Northwick Park. We had 20 very enjoyable years running hospital radio together alongside all the volunteers.
In the early days we used to record shows in Len’s bedroom on a reel to reel tape recorder and take the shows to Radio Edgware and Radio Harrow. Things have improved over the years.
Len had various modes of transport from a bubble car to a Robin Reliant and black London Taxi. Motorbikes with side cars followed.
Len met his wife Barbara through the radio station and it was not long before love was in the air. They married in 1973 and have brought up two amazing sons who are they are hugely proud of.
After retiring they moved to Cork in Southern Ireland. Len & Barbara bought a campervan and spent their time driving to warmer climes in Spain and enjoying the weather and time together. Eventually, they decided to live permanently in Malaga in Spain.
As you can read from his modes of transport, Len was an extrovert yet never wanted any fuss. He was very likeable in whoever’s company he was in. I think that I can speak for everybody that knew him, that we never had a cross word in all the 50 years I had the privilege of calling him a very good friend. He will be sorely missed by his friends, family and everybody that knew him.”
Radio Harrow is delighted to have won a Bronze Award at the Hospital Broadcasting Association Awards 2017. The Bronze Award in the Best Speech Package category was awarded to Radio Harrow’s ‘Living with Diabetes’ show.
The special ‘Living with Diabetes‘ show was presented by Pierre Petrou, James Byers and Matt Pulford in conversation with Lis Warren from Diabetes UK. The show involved the Type 1 diabetes sufferers speaking openly about what it is like to live with the condition and reflecting on the types of treatment available. ‘Living with Diabetes’ aired as part of Radio Harrow’s ‘Best Weekend Ever‘, a special event in October which showcased the best of the stations’ health & well-being focused community radio.
The ‘Living with Diabetes’ package received positive feedback from the Hospital Broadcasting Association judges, in a statement they said, “the judges agreed this was a very interesting package with a commendable structure and treatment.”
Radio Harrow is also proud to have been shortlisted for three awards at the Hospital Broadcasting Association Awards 2017. We received nominations for three categories: Best Station Promotion, Best Speech Package and Best Programme with Multiple Presenters.
Our other shortlisted entries included the promotion of the Radio Harrow Panto ‘The Tweeting Beauty’ and the ‘Saturday Patients’ Hour’. Each nomination showcases the variety of broadcasting that Radio Harrow offers.
The ‘Saturday Patients’ Hour‘ team submitted an entry for the Best Programme with Multiple Presenters. Each week they showcase songs and stories from the patients at Northwick Park Hospital alongside features which promote health and wellbeing such as the ‘Saturday Cookbook’.
In stark contrast our entry for Best Promotion included our 2015 Christmas Radio Panto called ‘Tweeting Beauty‘ which was a light hearted and witty reflection of the playful pantomime. Entirely written and produced by our volunteers, the pantomime provided light relief and entertainment for patients in hospital and the local community.
The station’s Programme Manager, Gary Walker said, “it was an honour just to be nominated for these awards, and to win a Bronze is great recognition for the station’s health & well-being focused output”.
Listen to all of our nominated entries on our Mixcloud below including the full HBA Award winning ‘Living with Diabetes’ show:
The Hospital Broadcasting Association is the national charity that supports and promotes Hospital Broadcasting in the UK. Each year they showcase the work of hospital radio stations across the UK. The Award ceremony took place on Saturday 25th March in Bolton. For a full list of the other winners and to listen to the entries from other categories head to the Hospital Broadcasting Association website.
Skip Archimedes, also known as “The Miracle Man” spoke to Daniel Edward about the obstacles he has overcome on the Late Breakfast Show.
Skip has a hugely inspiring story about overcoming adversity. He was a competitive gymnast who overcame serious injuries, illnesses, a family break-up, obesity and depression to become a Gymnastic Champion. However, having reached his goal as a gymnast, a horrible accident during training left him with a broken back.
The doctors said he would never walk again, however, inspired by Bruce Lee Skip used the power of his mind to combat his afflictions. Miraculously, within 6 months he was able to start walking again. Within 18 months of his injury, Skip also returned to gymnastics and became an English Sports Acrobatics Champion.
Skip is running an exclusive event at Stanmore College from 7pm-9pm, tickets are £2 and can be booked by calling 020 8420 7200.
Listen to the full interview on our Mixcloud below to find out more about Skip’s inspiring story and self-help methods:
Visit Skip Arichimedes’ website to find out more about his life and his self-help philosophy.
The Late Breakfast Show with Daniel Edward airs Monday to Friday 9am-11am. You can listen to the show live on www.RadioHarrow.org, and interact with the studio by calling 020 8869 3959. All shows are available to Listen Again for up to 30 days after the first airing.
Ahead of their show at the Hayes Beck Theatre on Wednesday 8th March, Janine Johnson from ‘Back to Bacharach’ joined Gary Walker on Radio Harrow. The proceeds from the “Back to Bacharach” show will be donated to the charity Breast Cancer Now.
“Back to Bacharach” celebrates the magical music of Burt Bacharach, one of the most accomplished popular composers of the 20th Century. Together with Hal David, Burt Bacharach penned some of the most memorable and iconic hits that stand the test of time, including ‘Alfie’, ‘Walk on by’, ‘What’s New Pussycat’ and ‘Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head’.
This exciting tribute production recreating Burt Bacharach’s timeless hits and touring the UK is performed by 3 of the finest West End singers accompanied by a live 10 piece band.
For their upcoming show “Back to Bacharach” partnered with Breast
Cancer Now, the UK’s leading breast cancer charity. The charity supports nearly 450 of the world’s brightest researchers at more than 20 locations across the UK and Ireland. Together, they’re working to discover how to prevent breast cancer, how to detect it earlier and how to treat it effectively at every stage; it is working to try and stop the disease taking lives by 2050.
Breast cancer is still the most common cancer in the UK. Nearly 700,000
people living in the UK have experienced a diagnosis and one in eight women will face it in their lifetime. “Back to Bacharach” will be supporting the charity by donating £1 from each theatre ticket sold, and committing to raise a minimum of £10,000 by doing so.
For more information on Breast Cancer Now’s work, visit breastcancernow.org. You can also find out more about “Back to Bacharach” here and how to get tickets for their Hayes Beck Theatre show.
Listen to the full interview with Janine Johnson from “Back to Bacharach” on our Mixcloud below:
From the 6th-12th February, Radio Harrow took part in Tinnitus Awareness Week by airing special interviews and features relating to the condition.
Tinnitus is a hearing condition which is often known to cause a “ringing in the ears”. Tinnitus is when a person starts hearing sounds within their body rather than just from outside sources. The condition can affect people of all ages and in the UK alone there are around 6 million people living with tinnitus.
Each year, the British Tinnitus Association hold the Awareness Week to help people find out more about the condition and its treatment. Radio Harrow supported the week by featuring special interviews to help raise awareness of the condition.
Gary Walker kicked off the week’s special programming with Sonia, an audio therapist and Annette, a tinnitus sufferer joining the Breakfast Show. They spoke about the circumstances that can cause the condition and the different ways of controlling it. In addition, presenter Brian Rose also attended a Tinnitus Awareness Week conference where he spoke to a number of people about their experiences.
Listen to all of the interviews from the week on our Mixcloud below:
Visit the British Tinnitus Association website for more details about the condition and support available. You can also read more about the awareness week here
The Breakfast Show with Gary Walker airs every Thursday and Friday from 7am-9am, and on Saturdays 7am-10am. You can listen to the show live on www.RadioHarrow.org, and interact with the studio by calling 020 8869 3959. All shows are available to Listen Again for up to 30 days after the first airing.
Lifelong fan, Pierre Petrou paid tribute to George Michael in a special edition of ‘The Rock ‘n’ Rodeo Therapy Show’. Iconic British artist, George Michael passed away on Christmas Day 2016 at the age of 53.
Pierre charts the pop icon’s career from his breakthrough with Wham! to his hugely successful solo career. George Michael who was born in East Finchley and grew up in Kingsbury had lots of local roots.
With the right mix of music and memories, listen to Pierre’s full show to hear his brilliant tribute to the British pop music legend.
And don’t just take our word for it, here’s what the listeners have said:
“This is just the best show ever, Loving this tribute show for George Michael, and all the amazing tunes”
“I’m just loving the show Pierre. Fantastic music and love hearing everyone’s memories about the legend that is George Michael.”
“OMG Tonights show was just totally AMAZING!!! I don’t know where the time has gone, but thank you so much Pierre for this wonderful tribute to George Michael, you are just the best!”
“Thank you Pierre for an amazing show you got the mix spot on….The world has lost a wonderful human being in George such a great talent will never be forgotten…..R I P George 
“
Rina Lakha Pattani with The Arthritis Support Charity, Arthritis Care and Doctor Kavina Shah with the Rheumatology Department at Northwick Park Hospital discuss treatment and the changing way we are looking at arthritis with Gary Walker.
The support group, which formed last year, are hosting a seminar on Wednesday 25th January at Northwick Park Hospital from 6.30pm. At the seminar, there will be a presentation on Biologic Drugs, followed by a Q&A session with the Rheumatology team at Northwick Park Hospital.
The seminar is focusing on rheumatoid arthritis and will be attended by arthritis professionals and people living with the condition, it is free to attend.
To help eliminate some of the jargon, Dr Shah breaks down some of the terminology associated with the condition and describes the various treatments available.
Find out more about the event here or contact volunteering@arthritiscare.org.uk
Listen to the full interview on our Mixcloud below:
Radio Harrow is proud to have been shortlisted for three awards at this year’s Hospital Broadcasting Association Awards 2017. We have received nominations for three categories: Best Station Promotion, Best Speech Package and Best Programme with Multiple Presenters.
Our shortlisted entries included the promotion of the Radio Harrow Panto ‘The Tweeting Beauty’, the special ‘Living with Diabetes’ show and the ‘Saturday Patients’ Hour’. Each nomination showcases the variety of broadcasting that Radio Harrow offers.
The special ‘Living with Diabetes‘ show contending for Best Speech Package aired as part of our ‘Best Weekend Ever‘ event in October. It featured presenters from the station who suffer from Type 1 diabetes alongside Liz Warren, a volunteer with Diabetes UK, candidly discussing what it’s like living with the illness.
The ‘Saturday Patients’ Hour‘ team submitted an entry for the Best Programme with Multiple Presenters, each week they showcase songs and stories from the patients at Northwick Park Hospital alongside features which promote health and wellbeing such as the ‘Saturday Cookbook’.
In stark contrast our entry for Best Promotion included our 2015 Christmas Radio Panto called ‘Tweeting Beauty‘ which was a light hearted and witty reflection of the playful pantomime. Entirely written and produced by our volunteers, the pantomime was created to provide light relief and entertainment for patients and the local community.
The station’s Programme Manager, Gary Walker said, “it is an honour to be nominated for these awards, they truly reflect the diversity of our programming. the nominations are an acknowledgement of the hard work of all our volunteers who work passionately to create entertaining and informative programming each day.”
The Hospital Broadcasting Association is the national charity that supports and promotes Hospital Broadcasting in the UK. Each year they showcase the work of hospital radio stations across the UK. The Award ceremony will take place on Saturday 25th March in Bolton. For a full list of the other nominees and other categories head to the Hospital Broadcasting Association website.
Listen to all of our nominated entries on our Mixcloud below:
Ahead of the holiday season, Radio Harrow’s Gary Walker spoke with Dr Mathi Woodhouse about flu prevention and living with diabetes. Dr Woodhouse has been based at the Pinn Medical Centre since 2011, and speaking to Radio Harrow Breakfast, she explained how the flu vaccination program ‘Stay Well This Winter’ is aiming to ensure that those most at risk of contracting the flu this winter are well protected. High risk groups include those above the age of 65, and with certain health conditions such as heart conditions, and diabetes.
In 2016, there is also a specific campaign targeting people of South Asian origin, and Dr Woodhouse said that uptake of the vaccination has been quite low amongst these ethnic groups. In addition, another high risk group are young children. While the vaccination can be delivered in its traditional form, there is also a nasal spray vaccination for children, as an alternative way to receive the vaccination.
During the interview with Gary Walker, Dr Woodhouse also spoke about diabetes. There are two types of diabetes, and Dr Woodhouse said that rates of Type 2 diabetes is increasing more in London, and in Harrow. Hear the full interview below via the official Radio Harrow Mixcloud channel.
Visit www.nhs.uk/staywell for more details on how to help you and your family to stay well this winter. For more information about Diabetes, please visit Diabetes UK.
On the 22nd & 23rd October Radio Harrow put on the ‘Best Weekend Ever’. With 40 hours of special broadcasting across the weekend to mark there being 45 years of a radio service in Harrow.
The weekend featured a variety of shows dedicated to health and wellbeing focused community broadcasting. Highlights included a special ‘Sports Show’, two ‘Charities Hours’, a ‘Treadmill Challenge’ from the Harrow Leisure Centre, a live music concert on Saturday evening, an outside broadcast from the ‘Harrow Arts Centre’ on Sunday afternoon, a show dedicated to the staff at Northwick Park Hospital, a unique show about ‘Living with diabetes’ and much, much more.
Listen to the Best Bits from across the weekend on our audio slideshow:
Did you know that in addition to listening to Radio Harrow during live shows, you can enjoy great content from the station’s online archive, and listen on the go too?
Did you know that every Radio Harrow show remains online for 30 days after it’s broadcast for you to Listen Again at any time? If you missed a show, or just fancy hearing it again, all you need to to do is visit the Radio Harrow Listen Again site and click play on a show of your choice.
The official Mixcloud and iTunes channels are home to a constantly updated archive of interviews, content, and local information, all put together by the volunteers at Radio Harrow, including the following:
Radio Harrow will be posting updates via it’s official social media channels. You can find us on the following social platforms:
Veteran director Linda Hampson spoke with Radio Harrow’s Gary Walker about the exciting production of “The Winslow Boy”, which is scheduled to open in November. Linda also discussed her career as an actor and director and shared some of her favourite productions she has been involved with.
Set before the First World War, “The Winslow Boy” is a period drama which revolves around the quest to clear the name of a 13 year old boy accused of stealing.
The play, written by Terrance Rattigan, will star Archie Brooks as the lead role. Speaking to Radio Harrow, Archie said that “the part has some very memorable lines to learn, but there were parts of the script that were difficult to memorise”.
Opening on the 17th November at East Lane Theatre and running for 7 nights over a period of two weeks, tickets can be purchased on the website at EastLaneTheatre.co.uk.
The theatre is always looking for new members to join, with lots of great opportunities available, and welcome enquires.
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