Cambridge 105 Radio won in four categories at the recent Community Radio Awards, writes Julian Clover
These past 12 months have been a learning experience for everyone. At Cambridge 105 Radio this has meant broadcasting from home surrounded by soft furnishings. But one thing that’s been missing has been the opportunity to really connect with the community in an Outside Broadcast.
One of the highlights of the Cambridge summer is Strawberry Fair. So when we heard that that the 2020 event had been cancelled, we looked at how we might reproduce that on the radio. Working with the volunteers who run the stages on Midsummer Common we produced 12 hours of radio featuring contributions from the Portland Ballroom, the Flying Pig, Scarecrow Corner, Rebel Arts and the Cambridge Band Competition.
Virtual Strawberry Fair has now been recognised by the Community Radio Awards, winning Gold for ‘Arts & Creative Radio of the Year’ and Silver for ‘Live Event or Outside Broadcast of the Year’. Strawberry Fair also achieved Silver at the Audio Production Awards where we sat, virtually, alongside nominees from the BBC and commercial radio.
It wasn’t just Strawberry Fair that brought success for Cambridge 105 Radio. Impact, produced by Leigh Chambers, received Bronze in the ‘Community Show of the Year’ category. It followed The Headway Cambridgeshire Research Group as they learnt more about how soldiers with head and brain injuries were treated in the first world war.
And Tony Barnfield, who spent a quarter of a century at the BBC, won Gold as ‘Sage Person of the Year’. Like all of us Tony has been working from home, producing shows such as Roundabout and Classical Cambridge. He’s worked across Radio 1, 3, 4 and the original Radio 5; it’s been great to hear him share his experience with us on the station and to see him get national recognition.
Julian presents Cambridge Breakfast with co-host Lucy Milazzo weekdays from 7am. Listen online at cambridge105.co.uk.
