Rookwood Sound: How did we start? Welcome to our History section

Rookwood Sound Online: History Registered Charity 517814

Entertaining patients, visitors and staff for 20 years from The Jeff Lyons Suite at Rookwood Hospital, Llandaff. Hear us at Rookwood on 945am and Llandough on Channels 1 and A! *** Rookwood Sound is run entirely by volunteers ***

Content Revised: Tuesday, 25 March 2008

Rookwood Sound hasn't always been around - Interested to find out how we started? Then read on!

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Rookwood Hospital - the background

Rookwood is a long-term rehabilitation hospital, mainly used for pain relief and is the specialist centre in the South Wales area dealing in artificial limbs and appliances.

Prior to Rookwood being used as a hospital it was the home of a sea fairing family who’s business was transporting coal around the world, Rookwood boasts to have within its grounds a selection of trees from every part of the world. The hospital was used during the Second World War for injured service personnel.

Start of the Station

Rookwood Sound Hospital Broadcasting first hit the airwaves on 31st October 1987 with our current vice president and founder member Julian Brinkworth in the hot seat. Although this was the first day the patients of Rookwood Hospital actually heard the station actually working, things had been going on for three years previously. This period was mainly fundraising and obtaining permission from the hospital authorities. One of the reasons Rookwood Hospital was chosen was due to the special requirements for the patients who were there.

The Photograph is of Julian Brinkworth, former vice president and founder member. Julian sadly passed away in July 2004. Click on his name for more information. Photograph is supplied by Hospital Radio Publications.

The volunteers had to raise over £30,000 in order to set the station up from scratch this was done by fundraising from attending school fetes to company sponsorship. The biggest fundraising effort ever undertaken by the station was to hire Concorde for the day. This event brought in a substantial amount of money to the fundraising effort.

The picture shows volunteers at the first Rookwood Sound Hospital Broadcasting road show.

The sign in the middle says ‘Rookwood Sound is a brand new charitable venture, aiming to set up a hospital radio service at Rookwood Hospital we need £16,000 to do this. Please support us.’

Finally in October 1987 Rookwood Sound Hospital Broadcasting officially opens! Ken Bruce from BBC Radio 2 who is an ambassador of the Hospital Broadcasting Association was on hand to open the station.

Development of Rookwood Sound

After the opening in 1987, the service grew and developed and the station was requested by the Health Authority to extend the service to Llandough Hospital. Llandough Hospital is based near Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan. It is a specialist centre for chest conditions mixed with that of a general hospital. Llandough also has the longest single corridor in Western Europe and often our presenters and researchers are found wandering it!

Thanks

We at Rookwood Sound are very grateful to the work done by our founder members and I am sure that without their dedication and hard work we would not be as successful as we have been.

We are also fortunate to have an excellent working relationship with the Cardiff & Vale NHS trust.

Many of our presenters have gone on to work in the field of broadcasting and all have stated that Rookwood played an important part in that. Hence, we also have a good working relationship with both BBC Wales and the Independent Local Radio stations and often you will hear Rookwood Presenters.

Our Philosophy

Our philosophy is that when you are home feeling well you have your own choice of Radio station to listen too, as expected this is quality radio providing you with what you want from it. We at Rookwood Sound aim to be as good as your normal radio station and try and surpass it where possible.

Being in hospital does not stop you from wanting the same things, perhaps even more so the little things matter when time lays heavy while a patient in hospital. The difference is that we at Rookwood Sound take pride in doing what other stations cannot do and that is the personal touch by visiting you on the wards and playing your requests and dedications normally within a few hours of actually meeting you.