Welcome to the latest BCB newsletter. Here’s a taste of what’s been happening recently at BCB. Do let us know if you have any news for the next newsletter.
Thanks and Goodbye to Julie and Steve
Two members of staff will be leaving BCB at the end of March – Julie Longden and Steve McCabe.
Julie has worked as BCB’s Community Engagement Worker for the last three years. This was a project funded by the Esmee Fairbairn foundation, which came to an end in December. Over this time Julie did some really important work at the heart of our values at BCB. She strove hard to engage and work alongside members of marginalised communities in Bradford, providing support and encouragement for those communities to have a voice and be listened to. More recently she has worked with women from marginalised communities to take part in our IWD broadcast, and contribute to our women’s programming throughout March. Julie has undoubtedly brought her unique brand of commitment, energy and enthusiasm to this role which will be missed. Thank you Julie from us all.
Steve has been our book- keeper for the last few years, providing that really important background support to BCB, ensuring that our finances are in order and we stay legal and afloat! He came into BCB every Tuesday morning and, as well as paying our bills, made a real positive contribution to the general life of BCB! Steve is retiring from BCB and we wish him well in the next chapter of his life.
March 2021: IWD and She Talks
Throughout March on BCB we’ve been celebrating women across the Bradford District – and Beyond! We had a fantastic day on International Women’s Day 8 March where we were able to broadcast a great range of programmes reflecting the voices of women from Bradford’s diverse communities. And since then we’ve been broadcasting a series of daily features and programmes called ‘She Talks’.
This has been a real mix of discussions, interviews, reflections, expressions of creativity, celebrating achievements, understanding the challenges faced by different women – and sometimes just having fun! Many women were broadcasting for the first time this gave them the space and opportunity for this to happen. So a great big THANK YOU to all the women who rose to the challenge and let’s hope its inspired you to do more! You can find many of the programmes and features on the She Talks page on the BCB website.
BCB over Easter
Thanks to everyone who’s been recording a show (or supported those to record) and to all those who’ve tuned in to BCB 106.6fm during lockdown. It’s a great team effort and we really appreciate your hard work. Over the Easter Period (Friday 2nd April – Monday 5th April) staff will not be scheduling shows.For programmes to be broadcast in this period the deadline is Thursday 1st April, 3pm. Any programmes recieved after this won’t get scheduled in their usual slots and a repeat will be broadcast. If you have any further questions please call Jonathan on 07914 222007 or 01274 775007 or email him at jonathan.pinfield@bcbradio.co.uk
Track of the Week Playlists
Through our Youth Music project we’re showcasing music created by young people (under 25) from around the district on About Bradford and Bradford & Beyond via our Track Of The Week feature.
Those tracks that are also on Spotify or YouTube are now gathered into playlists:
Spread the word!
Featured Show – Gig Buddies Radio Show
The Gig Buddies Radio Show ( https://www.bcbradio.co.uk/programmes/gig-buddies-radio-show/) is a 4 weekly show that goes out in the BCB Xtra slot at 6:30pm.
Gig Buddies is a project that matches people with a learning disability with a volunteer who has similar interests to go to nightlife activities together. The aim of the project is to support people with a learning disability to make new friends and help them go out and do the things they enjoy.
And now they have a radio show to tell the rest of us all about it!
The next Show features an interview with Paul Richards, the founder of Stay up Late ( https://stayuplate.org/) who started the idea. Mencap currently delivers Gig Buddies in Bradford, Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire, and the Gig Buddies Radio Show is broadcast once every four weeks here on BCB Radio.
BCB Website and IT
Over the last couple of years, we’ve been trying to make the BCB website more reflective of who we are as an organisation, and not just about accessing our radio broadcasts. As you may know, we don’t have anyone at BCB who is employed to support our IT needs or to manage the website. We are dependent on some amazing volunteers to support this work. With this in mind we want to recognise this work and say another big thank you particularly to Shi Blank, Richard Bruce and David Spencer who do this work behind the scenes – and at all hours of the day and night.! So Well Done and thanks to you all.
BCB Music Mailout
As some of you may have seen in your BCB emails we’re creating a music mailout for presenters. The plan is to have one list where we can pass on music sent through to the station, and local music we come across, through to volunteers easily. If you’d like to be on the list please email joe.emmett@bcbradio.co.uk and they can add you on to the list.
40 Years of 1 in 12 Club on BCB
This year is the 40th anniversary of Bradford’s 1 in 12 Club and we’re looking to mark it with some programming.
We’re working on a few shows but we also wanted to throw the doors open to our volunteers who might have specific ideas for programmes they want to do around the club’s history and importance to Bradford.
If you interested get in touch with Joe at joe.emmett@bcbradio.co.uk and we can discuss and work through the ideas.
Volunteer Details Update
As we’ve mentioned in previous newsletters we are currently updating BCB volunteer details. We’ve completed records on 54 active volunteers with lots more still to be contacted / details updated. This is a process that takes time and we’re still planning to be in touch with people as soon as possible. We’ll be in touch soon or feel free to get in contact with us.
