The team at Scunthorpe Hospital Radio were given special praise during the 2014 National Hospital Radio Awards ceremony, by former member Paul Sylvester. He was presenting the John Whitney Award, in Bristol, but used the story of one long-term patient in Scunthorpe as an example of the great work being done by Hospital Radio Volunteers right across the country.
He first met the patient, Moira, during his first week of request collecting, 22 years ago. She passed away last year. Paul, now Head of Presentation at Absolute Radio, told the ceremony that the story of Moira perfectly sums up what Hospital Radio is all about:
"Moira had been in and out of hospital constantly and didn't really have a very big family, only her sister and her mum, so the team at Scunthorpe Hospital Radio became her family. They were the people who she connected with, who she engaged with and them with her as well. Every week she would have a request, a song or two and she'd always have a smile and would try to get involved where she could in trying to promote the Hospital Radio to her friends when she wasn't there – unfortunately she was there more often than not.
I was really saddened to hear that Moira has passed away, she'd spent two decades in and out of hospital and, without doubt, the Hospital Radio team were her friends, her family, the people who gave her a lift, who motivated her. So, if any of you ever question what you do, or the importance of going out collecting those requests or being on those wards, please just remember Moira for whom Hospital Radio was her extended family and I'd like to especially pay thanks to the team at Scunthorpe for the incredible work they did in cheering Moira up for those two decades."