SUPPORT SUNSHINE WITH NEW LOTTERY!

Exciting news! You can support Sunshine Hospital Radio with the North Somerset Community Lottery!

North Somerset Community Lottery is a weekly lottery that raises money for good causes in North Somerset.

Tickets are £1 each, and 50% from each ticket sold goes to Sunshine Hospital Radio, and there’s a chance to win the £25,000 jackpot every week!

A weekly draw takes place every Saturday night. Match all 6 numbers and you win the JACKPOT!

To find out more information and to be in with a chance of winning and support Sunshine Hospital Radio, buy your ticket HERE.

GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL LEGEND OPENS NEW STUDIO!

Proud volunteers at Sunshine Hospital Radio welcomed the creator of the Glastonbury Festival, Michael Eavis CBE, to officially open their newly refurbished radio studio in Weston General Hospital on August 18th.

The £25,000 renovation took 2 years of fundraising, and the completion of the work has perfectly coincided with Sunshine Hospital Radio's 40th anniversary, as well as the NHS70 celebrations.

The studio has been redesigned and rebuilt with a more accessible layout suitable for wheelchair users. Broadcasting equipment has also been replaced and updated to be more user friendly for volunteers.
This will make creating new shows easier, and increase the variety of shows made specifically for the patients.

Michael Eavis was given a tour of the new studio, before recording an interview.
He said of the volunteers achievements; "You've raised an amazing amount, and what a tremendous job! You should all be very proud."

The charity received grants from the Big Lottery Fund and the Hospital Broadcasting Association, and thanked everybody who had supported them along the way.

Jo Newey, Chair of Sunshine Hospital Radio, said "It's taken a lot of hardwork and determination from our volunteers to get to this point, but the goal of entertaining the patients and bringing smiles to the wards has always been a powerful incentive."

She added "We were delighted that Michael Eavis was able to visit our new studio and cut the ribbon. He's somebody that certainly knows the joy that music can bring to others!"

During the interview Michael choose 3 special songs:

1) A song that always makes you smile – How Long Will I Love You, Ellie Goulding.

2) A song you love to singalong to – Songbird, Fleetwood Mac.

3) A song that summarizes the Glastonbury Festival - My Way, Frank Sinatra.

[2016] WE'RE STILL BROADCASTING 24/7, BUT...

Sunshine Hospital Radio is currently being refurbished and this means it will be broadcasting an increased selection of music to cover the shows which would normally be presented live in the studio.

During this time the studio will be transformed with updated equipment and increased accessibility for volunteers with reduced mobility.

The new equipment will make it easier for our volunteers to create and present new shows designed specifically for the patients of Weston General Hospital.

However, for all of this to happen we need to raise at least £20,000. A huge target, but one that will secure the future of Sunshine Hospital Radio for many years to come.

We aren't able to say when 'normal service' will be resumed as this depends on when we have raised the money for the equipment, so if you are able to help with fundraising then please do Contact Us!

[10/4/16] WE PRESCRIBE A HEALTHY DOSE OF HOSPITAL RADIO!

A new report has confirmed what many of us already thought, that Hospital Radio is good for you!

The Hospital Broadcasting Association (HBA) commissioned an independent piece of research into the impact of hospital broadcasting on health outcomes for patients. A UK wide study was completed involving over 250 individuals including patients, staff and hospital radio volunteers.

The study revealed that there was evidence of hospital radio stations having an impact on psychosocial health outcomes in the following ways:

• Boredom reduced by entertainment, loneliness reduced by social interaction
• Anxiousness / frustration reduced by being calming and reassuring
• Disorientation reduced by creating a sense of belonging
• Depersonalisation reduced by making one feel like an individual
• Health and wellbeing awareness increased by providing information

With contributions from hospital radio stations, staff within hospitals and patients and their families, the participants in the research recognised the positive impact of hospital radio on reducing boredom, loneliness and anxiousness.
Moreover, insight from the research revealed that hospital radio was actually positively influencing all of these psychosocial outcome measures.

The financial benefits were also covered. When a hospital radio contributes to an improved patient experience, which reduces the length of stay by one day, the activity of the station is contributing to a £400 per patient saving which is the average cost of an NHS hospital bed per night (Georghiou et al, 2014).

If you would like to read more, the full report is available HERE.