HWD Hospital Radio is a hospital radio station which broadcasts to the patients and staff of Mid Yorkshire Trust hospitals in

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

, England. The station is a member of the

Hospital Broadcasting Association The Hospital Broadcasting Association (HBA) supports the 210 or so independent hospital broadcasting organisations serving hospitals, hospices and nursing homes in the UK. The vast majority of these organisations provide hospital radio service ...

and is registered as a charity with the

Charity Commission for England and Wales , type = Non-ministerial government department , seal = , seal_caption = , logo = Charity Commission for England and Wales logo.svg , logo_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , d ...

, number 227515.

History

HWD Hospital Radio is the broadcasting name of the Heavy Woollen District Hospitals Broadcasts Association. The station's first broadcast was live commentary of a rugby match at

Batley Batley is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. Batley lies south-west of Leeds, north-west of Wakefield and Dewsbury, south-east of Bradford and north-east of Huddersfield. Batley is part of the ...

’s Mount Pleasant Stadium in 1952. It received so many compliments that commentaries began to be broadcast on a more regular basis. Record requests began in the late 1950s when the station set up a studio in the attic of Batley General Hospital. From there it broadcast to the former Dewsbury General Hospital, Staincliffe Hospital and five care homes across the

Heavy Woollen District The Heavy Woollen District is a region of textile-focused industrial development in West Yorkshire, England. It acquired the name because of the heavyweight cloth manufactured there from the early 19th century. The district is made up of parts o ...

. In the 1980s, the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

announced plans to build a new hospital to replace Batley General Hospital, Dewsbury General Hospital and Staincliffe Hospital. HWD Hospital Radio moved to a brand-new studio complex at the newly built Dewsbury and District Hospital in 1989, where it remains to this day. The studios were officially opened on 23 November 1989 by

Harry Gration Harry John Gration (22 October 1950 – 24 June 2022) was an English journalist and broadcaster. He was one of the main anchors for the BBC Yorkshire regional magazine programme '' Look North''. He was often referred to as ''Mr. Yorkshire'' b ...

BBC Look North ''BBC Look North'' is a name used by the BBC for its regional news programmes in three regions in the North of England: *'' BBC Look North'' for the BBC North East and Cumbria region *'' BBC Look North'' for the BBC Yorkshire region *'' BBC Look ...

. HWD Hospital Radio has extended and refurbished its studio complex over the years to include the latest digital technology. The station broadcasts 24 hours a day online, through its website. HWD Hospital Radio Studio One

A wide variety of programmes are broadcast covering a range of genres as well as sports commentary, entertainment and news. Listener participation is welcomed and encouraged. The ever-popular Sunday morning request show, ''You Pick the Mix'', is open for patients and their relatives to select the music played. Towards the end of 2016, HWD Hospital Radio began work to refurbish its main on air studio. This work was completed in February 2017. On 30 March 2017, actress, television writer and

Labour Co-operative Labour and Co-operative Party (often abbreviated Labour Co-op; cy, Llafur a'r Blaid Gydweithredol) is a description used by candidates in United Kingdom elections who stand on behalf of both the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party. Candidat ...

MP for Batley and Spen,

Tracy Brabin Tracy Lynn Brabin (born 9 May 1961) is a British politician who has served as the first Mayor of West Yorkshire since the office was established on 10 May 2021. She previously was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Batley and Spen from 2016 to 2 ...

, officially opened the refurbished studio, along with Martin Barkley; Chief Executive of the

Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust runs Pontefract Hospital, Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield and Dewsbury and District Hospital and community health services in Wakefield, all in West Yorkshire, England. It has been under financial pressure ...

References

External links

Official website
- HWD Hospital Radio
Player
- HWD Hospital Radio
hospital-radio-stations
- Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust {{coord, 53.701013, -1.651257, display=title Hospital radio stations Radio stations in Yorkshire