Info: Chiltern Voice Radio is a non-profit volunteer run media platform made by the community , for the community. It was launched in 2016 as local pop-up community radio station which was set up to cover the South Chiltern towns and villages of Chesham, Amersham, Great Missenden and the Chalfonts.

We had a temporary home and broadcast online for 1 week and then during the February half term we broadcast live from the studio on FM frequency.

It was a successful live week with over 60 volunteers, 1000 listeners listening online and many more on FM, and over 60 local community groups (young and old) involved, promoting their organisations and news.

Mixed with live The online stream is still broadcasting, and we have now been offered a permanent home at a local community centre, to house equipment and create a permanent studio and production area.

We need funds to purchase the equipment and pay rent for the space and broadcasting licences and performing rights. We will be able to get some revenue from advertising local businesses, but it’s not enough to keep us sustainable for the long term.

Our project benefits a wide variety of social groups including youngsters from local schools and colleges, retired volunteers looking for hobbies & interests out of the ordinary groups, but also the socially deprived with a number of our volunteers coming through from deprived areas, and some with learning difficulties who have benefitted from a different learning experience.

All of our Volunteers are welcome to learn new skills and are given the opportunity to broadcast on the radio. This experience benefits them with communication, planning and fundamental computer skills.

In the case of the younger volunteers, we already have a track record of several of our volunteers who have gained further experience and paid work. We were able to place a young man into Capital Radio for some work experience and paid tech-opping in a live studio. But also another youngster learned the skills to use sound equipment and went on to work in a couple of local venues. (we can provide case studies of individuals who have benefitted from the project)

We are looking to continue the project, giving more and more people the opportunity to broadcast and we need to create more of an online presence, and better it by updating it frequently with programming, adverts, news, whats on guides, and information about how to get in touch with the radio station and promote our live FM broadcasts.

We are aiming for 2 x fortnights a year where we are broadcasting live in 2018. These broadcasts will be based around local events and community interaction. With your community funding we could achieve this and provide our local area with a local station, for local people, bringing the community together and learning new broadcasting skills at the same time.