Important Stuff!
Fund raising is not just important to Radio Brockley, but essential for the charity's survival.
The hospital kindly allows us a building, heat & power - but everything else is funded by our members' hard work, through various events. We receive no financial handouts from the government or big business and we don't have a huge turnover like the national charities, many of which pay their staff big bucks and administration often swallows up funds.
We take pride in the fact that our charity is run entirely by unpaid dedicated volunteers. Some members are former patients or would-be radio presenters, but all want to do something to benefit people unfortunate enough to be stuck in hospital. All funds raised are spent prudently, decisions are made democratically and, for the reasons we have listed here, and more, we believe our charity is a worthy cause which we hope you'll support!
Our personal radio service and regular visits to the wards for requests, bingo and other events benefit hospital patients by providing a welcome distraction from any discomfort following surgery. We provide a complimentary service to the RNOH's medical facilities and act as a friend to patients who may be stuck many miles away from their family & friends.
The Grand Christmas Raffle
This is our biggest fund-raising activity. Preparation for the winter event begins back in the summer when local and national companies are invited to donate prizes. Tickets go on sale in November - and the big draw is held live on the wards on our Christmas Morning Show.
In 1992, when we first ran the raffle, the event generated just £197.30 - and in recent years that figure has grown to more than ten times this amount. This is thanks to our members who work hard selling tickets to family & friends, patients & staff - and also due to the help we receive from many local & national firms that support us by donating prizes.
For details of our recent raffle, together with a list of the companies that donated prizes and a run-down of the prize winners click here.
Buttercup Walk
Every year, the RNOH holds a fund-raising event called the Buttercup Walk. Patients, staff, friends and families make their way around a 1km course, in many different and imaginative ways. Radio Brockley was there, recording the event for broadcast, and interviewing the guest celebrity - Sylvester McCoy, a former Dr Who. You can see pictures of the 2008 event, here, and 2010 here.
Ruby Anniversary Celebrations
In October 2006 Radio Brockley began a year of celebrations, commemorating forty years of broadcasting.
This began with a Ruby Anniversary Party in which members present and past came together to celebrate the achievements of the charity. The event was founded by the stations founder members. Later a four-day forty-hour weekend of special shows were broadcast, when former presenters returned to the station that helped launch their careers.
Looooong Service
Many of our members have been with the charity for more years than they care to remember! One example is that of current Trustees Alan Joyce and Daniel Gee, who have clocked up thirty years service between them. For details about their special anniversary show, click here
And, of our current members, here is our top ten of the longest serving volunteers:
| Position | Joined | Name | Position | Joined | Name | |
| 1 | 1971 | David Rauch | 6 | 1990 | Daniel Gee | |
| 2 | 1974 | Ron Laver | 7 | 1991 | Alan Joyce | |
| 3 | 1977 | Keith Reeve | 8 | 1991 | Martin Gold | |
| 4 | 1983 | Sue Weston | 9 | 1992 | Paul Downer | |
| 5 | 1983 | Anne James | 10 | 1992 | Josh Holzman |
HBA Awards
Our Public Relations Officer monitors the output of the station during the year and archives recordings of shows for submission to the HBA Awards.
The Hospital Broadcasting Association stages this event annually and, a few years ago, Radio Brockley came first in one of the categories, winning gold!
For details of the winning entry click here.
Sale of Goodies
If you're not lucky enough to win an item of Radio Brockley merchandise, you can call the studio and ask us to bring you up a mug, pen, logo bug or card holder for purchase.
Our mugs can also be bought from the hospital shop in the Patient Centre
You'll also see members also carrying goodies onto the wards at various points in the week, so keep ‘em peeled to grab a souvenir of your stay at Stanmore Orthopaedic!
Collections
During the summer months we hold collections at local supermarkets. Our members wear sashes and stand with collection tins at the entrances/exits to the local stores that permit us to do so.
In past years we have held collections at Sainsbury's in Stanmore and at Tesco's in Borehamwood.
Baby Making
Yes! You read this correctly!
Over the years Radio Brockley has had its fair share of romance! In fact around the year 2000 we had five couples engaged to be married - making up almost a quarter of the membership!
One of those couples was Mike and Jackie Liff. Jackie met Mike at Radio Brockley, just as her parents met in the same way around thirty years earlier! And you can find out all about them by clicking here.
Tube Run
Some years ago an intrepid group of members set themselves a challenge to to visit every station on the London Underground map! The sponsored event was coordinated by Alan Joyce, Mandy Segall and Joe Lemer.
Of course, some stations on the system are disused, but the gang managed to tackle more than 300 of the ones that were open, armed with their packed lunches and a reel-to-reel recorder, on which they interviewed tube passengers, some of whom had been suspicious about what they were up to!
With the addition of the Jubilee Line extension and the advent of Crossrail, there are more stations on the tube/train network than ever before - and one day soon the event may be re-staged all over again!