‘Rough Streets’ Sweep Community Radio Awards

Two Gold Awards for Tameside Radio, and a Silver Award for Oldham Community Radio

At the 2017 Community Radio Awards, it was a good night for Tameside Radio and Oldham Community Radio at The Station in Bristol. Both Tameside Radio and Oldham Community Radio were nominated for three awards and picked up two apiece.

The first award at Bristol went to the radio station of HMP Wandsworth. They picked up the prize of Podcast of the Year for Radio Wanno. Taking the top prize for Speech and Journalism of the Year was Tameside Radio. The Ashton-under-Lyne based community radio station picked up the Gold Award for Rough Sleep. With homelessness being a major problem in Greater Manchester, Rough Sleep looked at it from a Tameside point of view.

It was also another good year for Tameside Radio presenter Louise Croombs, the face of the station’s morning programmes. She added to last year’s Silver award for Volunteer of the Year the Gold award for Female Presenter of the Year. She was also nominated for an award under the Entertainment Show of the Year category.

Oldham Community Radio picked up Bronze honours in the Innovation Award. This was for their 300 Club Lottery. They also picked up a Silver award for their outside broadcast of Failsworth Carnival. For the same station, Arthur Chorley was nominated for the Volunteer of the Year award for the station’s rugby league coverage.

Community Radio Awards 2017: Overall Winners

• Community Development Project: Mackem Craic (Spark FM, Sunderland);
• Live Event or Outside Broadcast: Drystone Radio, Skipton (Tour de Yorkshire);
• Entertainment Show of the Year: Miskin Radio, Kent (The Kieran Poole Sessions);
• Speech and Journalism of the Year: Tameside Radio (Rough Sleep: documentary on homelessness);
• Podcast of the Year: Radio Wanno, HMP Wandsworth (Radio Wanno);
• Arts and Creative Radio of the Year: Academy FM, Folkestone (Folkestone Life: A Sound Art Project);
• Specialist Music Show of the Year: CSR FM, Canterbury (The Urban LP);
• Sports Show of the Year: Spark FM, Sunderland (Sportsbyte);
• Sage Person of the Year: Harry Haward (Resonance FM, London);
• Best Newcomer: Mark Jarvis (Erewash Sound, Ilkeston);
• Volunteer of the Year: Jack Bee (Sheppey 92.2 FM);
• Young Person of the Year: Rachel Price (Forces Radio BFBS Northern Ireland);
• Technical Achievement: Switch Radio, Birmingham (BrumDAB Small Scale DAB);
• Innovation Award: Spark FM, Sunderland (Building an Audience Using Facebook Live);
• Community Show: BCFM Radio (The Midweek Sportsbar);
• Female Presenter of the Year: Louise Croombs (Tameside Radio);
• Male Presenter of the Year: Mark Blackman (Wirral Radio and Canalside Radio);
• Station of the Year: Wycombe Sound 106.6 FM.

With community radio stations forming an important part of our listening habits, the Community Radio Awards can only go from strength to strength. Well done to everyone concerned.

S.V., 23 September 2017.