Ofcom awards four new community radio licences

Ofcom today announces the award of four new community radio licences.
Community radio services are provided on a not-for-profit basis focusing on the delivery of specific social benefits to enrich a particular geographical community or a community of interest.

Ofcom has awarded community radio licences to:

• Blandford Garrison FM, Blandford Forum, Dorset
• Bradley Stoke Radio, Bradley Stoke, South Gloucestershire
• Radio Sherborne, Sherborne, Dorset
• Radio Winchcombe, Winchcombe, Gloucestershire

Details of these new community radio services are as follows:

Blandford Garrison FM (Blandford Forum, Dorset)

Contact: Lieutenant Colonel Bob Brannigan

Public Address: HQ Blandford Garrison Support Unit, Maresfield Building, Blandford Camp, Dorset DT11 8RH

Email Address: sso@hq.rss.army.mod.uk.

Phone Number: 01258 482420

Website: www.garrisonfm.com/blandford

This station will serve all soldiers, their families and MoD civilians living and working within the Army community of Blandford Camp and Blandford Forum.

Bradley Stoke Radio (Bradley Stoke, South Gloucestershire)

Contact: Lucy Smith

Public Address: 5b The Willow Brook Centre, Bradley Stoke, South Gloucestershire, BS32 8BS

Email Address: studio@bradleystokeradio.org.uk

Phone Number: 07717 206126

Website: www.bradleystokeradio.org.uk

Bradley Stoke Radio will broadcast a local community service focused on serving the tastes and interests of people who live and work in Bradley Stoke, and organisations and businesses that operate in Bradley Stoke.

Radio Sherborne (Sherborne, Dorset)

Contact: Christopher Tucker

Public Address: 32 Ridgeway, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 6DA

Email Address: chris.tucker@radiosherborne.co.uk

Phone Number: 07411 399566

Website: www.radiosherborne.co.uk

This station will serve the community of Sherborne and its surrounding parishes with a focus on underserved community members such as young people, home workers, carers and migrant workers for example.

Radio Winchcombe (Winchcombe, Gloucestershire)

Contact: John Rowe

Public Address: Radio Winchcombe Studio, The Old Boys’ Club, Gretton Road, Winchcombe, Glos GL54 5EG

Email Address: admin@radiowinchcombe.co.uk

Phone Number: 01242 604305 or 07974 320222

Website: www.radiowinchcombe.co.uk

Radio Winchcombe will broadcast a local community service for the people of the Cotswold town of Winchcombe and the surrounding villages.

Licences are awarded for a five-year period.

A statement setting out the main determining factors for the award of the community radio licences referred to above will be published on our website in due course.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. In addition to the licence awards detailed above, Ofcom considered two further applications, but decided not to award a licence to the following groupsNewquay Sound, Newquay, Cornwall
   EMR-fm, Swindon, Wiltshire
2. One further application has been rejected due to there being no suitable FM frequency available:GLOSS FM, Thornbury, South Gloucestershire.
3. Applications for community radio licences are being have been invited on a region-by-region basis.  Further details can be found on the Ofcom website at: http://licensing.ofcom.org.uk/radio-broadcast-licensing/community-radio/apply-for-licence/
4. Ofcom is the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, telecommunications and wireless communications services.

For further details please visit www.ofcom.org.uk.