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FINAL COUNTDOWN TO ENTER THE NATIONAL LOTTERY AWARDS 2008
THERE'S now
less than 2 weeks left for people from Merseyside to nominate their
favourite local Lottery-funded projects in The 2008 National Lottery
Awards, which give projects the chance to win £2,000 and be one of
the stars of a prime-time BBC 1 TV show. Entries must be received by
5pm on 20 March 2008.
Now entering their 5th successful year, The National Lottery Awards
recognise the difference that Lottery-funded projects, both big and
small; make to local communities and celebrate the achievements of
the people behind them, and we want your nominations before it is
too late. The National Lottery is encouraging projects in
Merseyside to enter the Awards and gain recognition for their
fantastic work. So, if you want a project from Merseyside to be a
winner, just go
online,
to find out more. Nominations can be made by calling 0845 130 4133.
Lending her support to the Awards this year, Andrea McLean, GMTV and
Loose Women presenter, says:- “28p of every Lottery pound goes
towards Good Causes, which means Lottery players are making a huge
difference to the lives of individuals and communities across the
UK.
The Awards recognise the talent, hard work and amazing
dedication of the people involved in running Lottery-funded
projects.
Now it’s your chance to make sure these local heroes get
the recognition they deserve.”
There are 7 categories in the Awards, each reflecting an area of
Lottery funding:- Sport; Heritage; Arts; Environment; Health,
Education and the Woman magazine Charity/Voluntary category.
Any short listed projects from Merseyside will have to compete
against projects from all over the UK, with 7 category winners being
announced later in the year on a special BBC 1 programme.
Each
winner will also receive £2,000 to spend on their project. |
100 Community radio stations now on air
ON Monday 10
March 2008, Ofcom announced that 100 Community radio stations now on
air. 3 years since the 1st licence was awarded, there are now
community radio stations across the UK, from the Isles of Scilly to
Orkney. Community radio stations typically cover small geographical
areas with a coverage radius of up to 5k and are designed to deliver
a not-for-profit service, that gives specific social benefits to
local communities. Some stations cater for the whole communities
while others cater for different areas of interest. In Newport on
the Isle of Wight, for example, there is a station catering for the
needs of elderly people. There is a children’s station in Leicester,
a station catering for the Muslim community in central Birmingham, a
Christian station in Cumbernauld, a station for Irish Gaelic
speakers in Belfast and a station for fans of experimental radio art
in London.
In addition to providing unique content, community radio stations
deliver wider benefits to people in the areas in which they
broadcast. This includes offering training and work experience
opportunities, contributions to local education and providing a
voice to those, such as older people or speakers of minority
languages, who may find it harder to access the media. Each station
has, on average, over 60 volunteers who give more then 1,000 hours
of their time a month to these community services.
The Community Radio Order 2004 paved the way for Ofcom to license
these new types of radio stations. Since March 2005 Ofcom has
awarded licences to 162 community radio services (this total
includes services which have been awarded a licence, but not started
broadcasting yet).
With the 100th station in the UK going on-air being significant
milestone, it is hoped now that more stations will have licences
awarded.
The 2 latest stations to launch, bringing the community radio
station total to 100, are:-
7 Waves Community Radio, serving the people of Leasowe and
surrounding areas of the Wirral.
Calon FM, serving Wrexham.
Sadly, Southport's SCR station, did not gain its licence this time,
but hopes at SCR are still high, that it will gain one soon.
Ofcom is currently part way through its second round of community
radio licensing which is likely to be completed in 2009.
Stewart Purvis, Ofcom’s Content and Standards Partner, said:-
"Community radio is now an established third tier of radio
broadcasting in the UK. This new tier of radio adds richness and
variety to the services already provided by the BBC and commercial
radio and offers opportunities for people to get involved in local
broadcasting." |
