Radio Ysbyty Gwynedd were delighted to recently present Ysbyty Gwynedd’s Alaw and Covid-19 wards with a cheque of £500 pounds each following their successful fundraising online concerts; Corona Festival and Corona Xtra.

Last summer, Radio Ysbyty Gwynedd arranged two massive online fundraising festivals to raise money for the running costs of their station for patients and the community while also raising money for the official hospital charity; Awyr Las/Blue Sky.

Radio Ysbyty Gwynedd had to cancel three fundraising concerts last year and as a charity, the hospital radio station relies solely on kind donations and fundraising activities. During a committee meeting beginning of May, one of Radio Ysbyty Gwynedd’s committee members suggested doing an online concert, then the idea developed.

In less than three weeks, members of their committee arranged an online music Festival on Radio Ysbyty Gwynedd’s Facebook page called ‘Corona Festival’. Due to phenomenal response from our local artists, the Festival included over 5 1⁄2 hours of entertainment including a personal message and performance from KT Tunstall all the way from Los Angeles!

Radio Ysbyty Gwynedd’s ‘Corona Festival’ was a huge success with over 27 thousand views!

Following the success of their ‘Corona Festival’ and due to demand, Radio Ysbyty Gwynedd held their ‘Corona Xtra’ Festival with unseen performances from local artists as well as new local artists, chart-toppers and Foo Fighters’ favourites The Joy Formidable from America and Britain’s Got Talent’s favourites Richard and Adam. ‘Corona Xtra’ received 12.4 thousand views, meaning their Festivals reached over 40 thousand views!

Radio Ysbyty Gwynedd raised £2,000 from their Festivals and HSBC kindly donated £500 towards their fundraising activities.

Chairman Kevin Williams commented “Last year was a challenging year but we have come together even closer as a team despite not being in the same room as each other since March.

“We have worked so hard to secure our service for our patients and community while also raising money for Ysbyty Gwynedd. We chose Alaw Ward in memory of one of our volunteers and keen fundraisers, Derrick Edwards who we all miss dearly.

“We would like to thank our community for supporting our station and our fundraising activities. It’s testament to how important Radio Ysbyty Gwynedd is”.

Radio Ysbyty Gwynedd is going from strength to strength and is now the Hospital Radio Station for North Wales. Radio Ysbyty Gwynedd have been broadcasting online since last year and are attracting weekly international listeners from New Zealand, Canada and India.

Radio Ysbyty Gwynedd were recently delighted to be nominated for a national award for ‘Radio Station of the Year’ at the prestigious Community Radio Awards 2020. The Hospital Radio Station have been broadcasting since 1976.

Radio Ysbyty Gwynedd will be announcing new presenters and new shows this year. Watch this space.

Radio Ysbyty Gwynedd are keeping patients company during this difficult time. Presenters of the Radio Station are broadcasting ‘The Happy Hour’ shows every night 8-9pm to help families and friends get their messages of love and support to those receiving NHS care.

Radio Ysbyty Gwynedd’s presenters will share messages for your loved ones on their shows. If you would like to send a request or a message to a loved one, please contact Radio Ysbyty Gwynedd:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/radioysbytygwynedd

Twitter: @YGRadio

Instagram: @radioysbytygwynedd

Phone or text: 07579062034

The Hospital Radio Station, which has been serving the local community for over 40 years, is staffed entirely by volunteers and brings music, information, requests and messages from friends and relatives direct to patients’ bedside.

Photo: Radio Ysbyty Gwynedd’s Kevin Williams.