Hospital Radio Hillingdon

Radio Hillingdon is 38 years old

Towards Christmas of 1970 five young apprentices from EMI, Gerald French, John Mandrak, David Brown, Steve Jones and Pat Flaherty decided to broadcast some Christmas carols and messages to the patients of Hillingdon Hospital, using equipment set up in a staff room.
The idea to brighten up the patients time in hospital came from another EMI employee, Alan Hardy, who was at that time running a similar service at the West Middlesex Hospital. After this initial launch, a weekly programme of requests was broadcast live each Sunday Evening and Radio Hillingdon was born.

How it all started - Staffed by three 18-year old EMI Apprentices - (L to R John Mandrak receives a request for a record over the internal telephone, extention 430, whilst Gerald French does the broadcast assisted by David Brown.

A short time after this, Radio Hillingdon set up a small studio in an electrician's shack where evening and weekend programmes were broadcast. Eventually, the shack needed to be demolished and the Hospital provided a brand new, purpose-built complex which was officially opened by Henry Cooper OBE in December 1978. This is still home to Radio Hillingdon today.

Visit the Radio Hillingdon Early Years Website for a nostalgic look back at the stations history.
earlyyears.radiohillingdon.com