Suite 444
Baltic Chambers
50 Wellington Street
Glasgow
G2 6HJ

Tel No: 0141 221 4043
Email:studio@hbs.org.uk

News

'Official Launch' to Beatson Oncology Centre
As planned we had an 'official launch' broadcast from the foyer of the Beatson (West of Scotland Oncology Centre) on Sunday 28th June.
Programmes were broadcast from just after noon, though until 5pm as a real bumper day for patient requests, with more than fifty being played.

There are still a few more things to do so that patients are more aware of the opportunity to enjoy our progammes and have a free request, either by waiting for one of our ward visitors, or by taking advantage of the free phone facility at every bedside which only needs the push of one button.

Pictured at the start of the event are Claire McManus, Lalita Augustine, Peggy Mack, Robert MacKenzie and David Bannerman.

Official Launch of Beatson Oncology Centre
Although we started broadcasting our programmes on the Beatson's new patient entertainment system, when it was installed in April, we have decided to hold our official launch broadcast day at the end of June to make sure any teething problems are ironed out.

Sunday 28th June will see a live broadcast from noon until early evening, from the main foyer of the Beatson.  We'll be chatting with patients, their visitors and hospital staff, plus of course playing lots of requests and dedications.

IKEA bucket collection 'cleans up'
On the 23rd and 24th May, we were at IKEA in Braehead, not only collecting spare change that the store's customers were willing to give, but also providing a free car windscreen washing service.

Thank you to everyone who donated, we raised a little over £400, providing running costs for a fortnight.

We're On The Telly - at the Beatson Oncology Centre
In April, the new Easiview bedside entertainment system was installed at every bed in the West of Scotland Cancer Centre (Beatson).
By a quirk of the technology needed to add our radio programmes onto the system (its basically a bedside Freeview receiver) we are now available as 'Free TV Channel 6'.

In the coming weeks we expect to be adding a rolling video sequence that lets patients know a lot of information about the service we provide and also telling them that by one press of the blue button on the lower right of the unit, they can make a free phone call straight through to our city centre studios.

If you're going to be in the Beatson soon - give us a FREE call.

Silverburn Shopping Centre - 28th March 2009
Following on from the phenomenal success of our collection at Silverburn Shopping Centre last December, we made the first of two visits in 2009, on Saturday March 28th list of remaining 2009 events here
Our team of bucket collectors and presenters were on hand again, to play suitable tunes and accept donations towards the running costs.

Thanks to the generosity of the Silverburn shoppers, we again collected over £1200 during the day, which equals about 10% of our annual running costs.

Annual General Meeting 2009
At the Annual General Meeting on 22nd March the membership re-elected Steven Boardman and Charlie Murphy to the committee with Eileen Heuston, Peggy Mack and Cheryl Ward all being voted on for the first time. The membership also approved the 2008 Annual Report and discussed the latest developments and progress with the offer of premises at Glasgow's Southern General Hospital.

A further Special General Meeting will be held in May to discuss the relocation of our studio facilities.

East Dunbartonshire Grants Advisory Committee
In March, three members of the Grants Advisory Committee - an independent group which provides recommendations on grants awards to East Dunbartonshire Council - came along to visit the studios and also joined our request collecting teams on the wards at the Western.

The Hospital Broadcasting Service has been successful in applying for grants from the Council for a number of years, so quite rightly, the Assessment Committee wanted to make sure the money was being invested wisely.

New Logo Revealed
After more than fifteen years, we've decided to update the organisations logo from the 'man in the bed'. In many ways, the new logo takes us back to the original 1970's three letter logo, but obviously now also incorporates key elements of the current age, as well as identifying what the three letters represent. With so many items still carrying the 'old' logo, its going to be at least a year before we have everything updated.

Silverburn Shopping Centre - December 2008
It was a last minute change of venue after a late change of policy by Clydebank Shopping Centre, but the management team at Silverburn couldn't have been more helpful given the short notice we gave them.
Out team of bucket collectors and presenters were on hand on 20th December to play cheery Christmas music, and take donations.

Thanks to the generosity of the Silverburn shoppers, we collected over £1200 in just six hours.

HM Queen Elizabeth II - Finds Out About Work of HBS
On Thursday 3rd July, The Queen visited the Golden Jubilee National Hospital in Clydebank to open new state of the art facilities.

As the visit coincided with the NHS 60th Anniversary, Her Majesty attended a celebration being held in the NHS run Beardmore Hotel which forms part of the hospital complex.

During this visit, a number of representatives of voluntary groups working in the NHS in the Glasgow area will be presented to the Queen, including a representative of The Hospital Broadcasting Service.

Although our programmes currently don't reach the patients at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital, we are currently in discussion with the hospitals management with a view to having them added to the in-room entertainment that the patients already enjoy.

Drumchapel Request Programme - Re-Launches 6th July at 11am
After a long wait, the dedicated request programmes for patients in 'Care of the Elderly' wards at Drumchapel Hospital is being re-launched at 11am on Sunday 6th July.

The ward staff are incorporating the programme into the Sunday schedule of entertainment for patients. Jenness Mitchell will be presenting the show from our city centre studios, with Peggy Mack and Charlie Murphy helping to collect the requests from the four wards.

NHS Scotland 60th Anniversary Website - Features HBS Member
An article, originally published in 2006, in the NHS staff magazine 'Pulse' is featuring in the staff stories section of the national Scottish NHS 60th Anniversary website.

HBS volunteer, Mags Higgins also works for the NHS, and the feature looks at the fact she also gives up some personal time to offer a positive distraction to patients, through her work with The Hospital Broadcasting Service.

Bearsden & Milngavie Highland Games
It was another successful year for our team at the Highland Games.
In a total change from events we have run in previous years, we teamed up with a group of Dalek enthusiasts and offered the chance for people to have their picture taken with a Dalek.

At the end of a busy day, David Bannerman, Niall Anderson, John McGowne and Patricia Travers take a break before being EXTERMINATED.

Lenzie Gala Day 2008
Another successful year at Lenzie Gala Day. HBS Treasurer, Steve Boardman, was the Master of Ceremonies which included him also being judge for a number of competitions.

No doubt we'll see everyone at the event again next year as we look forward to entering the second decade of providing PA services to the event.

NHS 60 - Diamond Awards
To celebrate 60 years of the National Health Service, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde invited the public to nominate people for the Diamond Awards. The awards ceremony will be held on Saturday 5th July at the Royal Concert Hall and is part of a sequence of events to celebrate the anniversary.

Lenzie Gala Day 2008 - Saturday 7th June
We're off to Lenzie again, the tenth year in succession that we've provided PA services for the town's Gala Day. You can see us at the event at the Rugby Club from 12:30 on June 7th.

Beatson Patients Eventually Going To Hear HBS
With the first patients having moved in to the new Beatson Hospital in Glasgow's West End last Autumn, we expected to be playing requests for them from the first day. A number of problems have delayed this, including power sockets and other technical matters, but the biggest delay has been the question mark over the use of headphones and the problems they might cause with cross-infection. Thankfully the hospital have now reached a decision and a policy is being implemented that will allow patients to listen in. An official launch date is imminent.

Drumchapel Request Programme - Returning Soon
A few years ago, our dedicated Sunday programme for patients in Drumchapel Hospital was suspended due to a lack of volunteers able to staff the team. Plans are now being put in place to restart the shows again. Our technical team has confirmed that the equipment is still working perfectly and our Programme Director has had been talking with the hospital management and staff to make sure that we fit in with their routine. Watch this page for further details of the official re-launch date.

HBOS Foundation Fund New Computer Equipment
Chris Dwyer of the HBOS Foundation, dropped in to our studios in April to present a cheque for just short of five thousand pounds.
This has been invested in new desktop computers in our production office and also a replacement server to run our playout system which holds many of our most popular requested records.

Chris is pictured handing the cheque to HBS Chairman, Niall Anderson. Also pictured is request programme presenter Charlie Murphy.

Annual General Meeting 2008
At the Annual General Meeting on 16th March the membership re-elected Niall Anderson and Steven Turkington to the committee with Charlie Murphy joining the management team for the first time. The membership also approved the 2007 Annual Report and discussed the latest developments and progress with the offer of premises at Glasgow's Southern General Hospital.

Autumn and Winter Fund-Raising Events
From October to the end of the year our members will be out with collecting buckets on seven separate days with events now scheduled for IKEA, Braehead Shopping Centre and the Clyde Regional Shopping Centre.

NHS Propose Alternate Studio Relocation Option
In 2006, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde proposed a location within Glasgow Royal Infirmary that we could move our studios to. At the end of 2006 this had been put on hold while a review of all hospital radio provision in the city was carried out. The result of this is that an alternative location has now been proposed at Southern General Hospital although no formal agreement has been reached yet.

Interview with New NHS Chairman
At the end of March, Andrew Robertson MBE the current Chairman of NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde is joining us for an interview about the work that volunteers carry out within the NHS.

Fund-Raising Ceilidh A Huge Success
HBS volunteer Robert MacKenzie organised a fantastic Ceilidh on 14th March. The sell-out event at Hillhead Rugby Sports Club was enjoyed by around a hundred revellers who danced through the evening. Gunna Sound Ceilidh Band with special guests “Sanna” provided the music. The event with its raffle and modest entry charge managed to raise a significant sum towards our annual running costs.

HBS Volunteer Gets A Dressing Down
Monday evening team members Lalita Augustine managed to raise almost £150 at a dress-down day held at her work at the beginning of March.

Frank is Still Top of The Pops
Nobody came anywhere close to the number of requests that Frank Sinatra notched up in 2007. In fact his closest rival only managed half his number.
After a ten year run of Lena Martell's One Day At A Time being the favourite request, the Frank Sinatra Classic, My Way has held the top spot for the last nine years.