Mid Downs Radio: broadcasting 24/7 to Lindfield's community and more

By Wendy Swinton-Eagle

Mid Downs Radio has continued to broadcast 24/7 throughout the pandemic from studios on the first floor of the Princess Royal Hospital. The station is a registered charity and provides music, entertainment and regularly updated information on health, hospital, social care and community matters to patients, staff and visitors to the hospital complex as well as to the wider local community.

All our presenters are volunteers who host a wide variety of shows. Local Lindfield Rural councillor and veteran vinyl DJ, Sol Mead, presents a weekly Soul, Blues & Rock Show on Wednesdays from 5-7pm. You may also have heard him compering at Lindfield Village Day and Lindfield Christmas Festival Night. He is preceded on Wednesday by more Lindfield residents, Linda Wishart, with her kaleidescope of music and lively chat and Simply Redhead duo Wendy Swinton-Eagle and Mopsy Whitworth who host a guest interview and live performance show. All have been active in supporting the wonderful Lindfield Arts Festival since its inception.

Since launching our Listen Live service through the website and TuneIn app there has been an increase in listeners and MDR continues to support other charities and organisations by publicising their work and events through interviews and in some cases providing promotional fillers that go out regularly on air and reciprocal website links. If you would like to know more about promoting your charity through MDR, contact Wendy Swinton-Eagle at: wendy@mdr.org.uk.

MDR funds itself through grants and membership fees but mainly through hiring out our distinctive Outside Events Unit and now the new fully equipped Mobile Disco complete with professional DJ Lee Gillett all at very competitive rates.

To find out more about Mid Downs Radio, to read our latest magazine or to Listen Live please visit our website www.mdr.org.uk . For membership enquiries contact Dave Hammond at membership@mdr.org.uk. To book the OEU or Mobile Disco contact Cathy Barnett at cathybarnett@sky.com.

Carry on Volunteering

By David Wilson The coronavirus catastrophe has brought out the best in us. Immediately the lockdown started, notes were slipped through the doors of people who had been instructed to self-isolate. They were from younger, able-bodied individuals who were taking the initiative to identify vulnerable neighbours and make arrangements to help them during their self-isolation. It demonstrates that there is a massive amount of goodwill in the community for volunteering to help others. This spirit has been tapped for the last 37 years by Cuckfield and Lindfield Rotary. In the beginning, a bunch of 43 year olds got together to make a difference in the community. Over the years they have raised nearly half a million pounds for local causes and for their International projects. They have also done some serious practical work for local mental health care and other establishments. Youth work ranges from reading assistance in primary schools to teenage competitions and sponsoring candidates for leadership courses. The great thing is that all this is done with friends, so it’s a lot of fun too! Not only that, but the same things are being done by like-minded people all over the world, 1.2 million of them!

To find out more or to join in pick up August’s issue of Lindfield Life now.

Can Lindfield Scouts help you?

By Sharon Coulbeck

We have 34 Scouts, aged 11 to 14, ready and waiting to help you with your community work or project. Ideally the work the Scouts carry out will not only help YOU but will help our Scouts to grow as people themselves. The work/project does not have to be of a size to involve all of our Scouts, it maybe you only need help from a small number of volunteers and the times we can be available to help can be flexible. Our two Scout troops meet on a Monday or Wednesday evening but we can also be available at weekends subject to Scouts and Leader availability.

Why are we offering our services? 

Well, apart from wanting our Scouts to grow up as good citizens who take pride in themselves and their local community, by helping out on community projects the Scouts are earning elements of a valuable ‘World Challenge’ badge which is one of nine challenge badges which contribute towards the highest accolade a Scout can earn, the Chief Scouts Gold Award.

We can be creative and adaptable as to what help our Scouts can provide you with. Any help we provide will include the appropriate Leader/Adult to Scout ratio so you will not be expected to directly supervise the Scouts, just tell us what you need and watch us go!

If you think your community project could do with some Scoutpower, please get in touch with us by emailing sl@lindfieldscouts.org and we can arrange to have an informal chat to get the ball rolling.