A RADIO station has celebrated being broadcast across Winchester for the first time.

Winchester Radio (94.7FM and online) has now expanded its service beyond the hospital, with the hope of reaching older people in the community.

Previously, the station had only been available to patients at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, but those behind the station say in shifting the emphasis to the wider population, it hopes to promote positive ageing, helping to prevent or slow down some of the issues leading to hospitalisation.

The station is run by volunteers who broadcast music, quizzes, news and features, specifically aimed at those aged 50 and over who live in and around Winchester.

The first live programme was broadcast by Steve Randall with a live link to a party of volunteers and invited special guests gathered at the nearby University of Winchester’s Business School.

Alongside the charity’s volunteers, guests included the Mayor, members of Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, donors and representatives from the health, business and voluntary sectors.

Winchester Radio’s chairman, Anna O’Brien, said: “It is incredibly exciting for the whole team to be bringing truly local radio to the wider community, alongside our existing hospital audience. Since being awarded the community radio licence by Ofcom, thousands of hours of volunteer effort over the last three years have got us here.”