Our members are 100% voluntary, and carry out a wide range of duties including visiting the wards on a regular basis to collect requests from the patients, many of whom are elderly and infirm, fund raising, which includes standing outside supermarkets on cold and rainy days shaking a collecting tin, and taking part in the cleaning rota at the studios just to name a few of the many tasks carried out over the year.
While we're not trying to dissuade people from being interested in becoming members of HRM – far from it! - it would be fair to state that we don't have any DJs, (just presenters) and we have a minimum age of 18 as is required by our voluntary status within the local NHS Trust.
If you feel that you would like to come along to one of our induction days, and would welcome the opportunity to join in with our many and varied activities, you would be subject to a probationary training period before being allowed to broadcast - which could mean having to play Vera Lynn or Max Bygraves to a couple of dozen listeners - then contact us and we will let you know the date of our next induction.
You will need to apply for a Volunteer position on the NHS Jobs Site. Be sure to put Hospital Radio down as there are other positions available in the Hospital.
The next stage is to follow the Maidstone &Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust induction process for volunteers, which will involve a formal interview, followed by an induction at the hospital, as well the completion of a medical questionnaire.
You will also need a full CRB disclosure which is paid for by the Trust.
Our members find the many hours of work they put
into the service rewarding and therapeutic. Some have been with us for
more than 45 years, and most of us enjoy the social aspects of meeting like
minded people while broadening our musical knowledge and learning new skills.