Hospital DJs plan 48-hour fundraiser

Aug 17 2010 By Ian Proctor

Team Saturday take to the air for their uninterrupted 24-hour stint at 10pm on Friday

PRESENTERS at Northwick Park Hospital's radio station are to attempt to take to the air for uninterrupted back-to-back 24-hour broadcasts.

Four volunteers will be locked in the studio at 10pm on Friday in a bid to play music and chat, and most importantly stay awake, until the same hour the following day, without repeating any songs on their playlist.

But at end of their stint, four colleagues will take their place and try to do exact the same into Sunday evening.

Three presenters successfully completed a day-long fundraising show in 2008 but those running the station, based in a basement media suite at the Watford Road, Harrow, hospital, decided this time to up the stakes.

The two groups of broadcasters – Team Saturday and Team Sunday – are in a battle to raise as much money as possible for the station with a target of £1,000 each. All the proceeds will go towards a £25,000 fund to build a new studio.

Team Saturday are Isabel Reubin, Adam Glynn, Lisa O’Grady and Hannah Ashman while their Sunday rivals are Dan Cottrell, Rishi Ruparelia, Jade Wight and Heena Tailor.

The station's programme coordinator, Ben Punter, 26, who was one of the three original 24-hour participants, said: "It's very tiring but very fun. We were doing all kinds of stuff to stay awake – going outside for fresh air, drinking tea and coffee, presenting standing up, and practising dance routines during songs.

"For the first one we started at midday so we were getting tired at 6am but this time they're starting at 10pm so they're going to be getting tired at 5 in the afternoon but I think because they are more people per team, they'll all keep each other awake."

Mr Punter added: "It's 48 hours of programming to find, which has been surprisingly easy to fill. We have two phonelines into the studio if patients want to phone us and we have recording equipment we can take onto the wards."Some of the presenters are excited, some are nervous, some can't wait and others are having trouble sleeping in anticipation."

Radio Northwick Park, which began in 1971, broadcasts to the hospital and neighbouring St Mark's Hospital and can also be heard online at www.radionorthwickpark.org

Pledge your support to either Team Saturday or Team Sunday at www.justgiving.com/saturday or www.justgiving.com/sunday