Crest Co-operative in Llandudno Junction have recently launched a radio station to aid those with learning difficulties and disabilities. Labelled “Crest Radio”, the radio station will be available to listen to live via the Crest Co-operative website and through the shops on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 2-4pm.
Rod Williams, General Operations Manager of Crest said: “The reason I set it up was because we have a number of individuals who have learning and physical disabilities and I wanted to provide additional activities for them, to learn new skills and improve their confidence.”
The organisation, which was set up in 1998, has a number of focussed activities to aid the team of clients with learning difficulties and disabilities, such as sorting through donated clothing and textiles, collecting furniture from customer’s houses, serving customers in the shops and were previously helping run a small community café. The inclusion of Crest Radio provides a further outlet for the department and volunteer Chris Williams, who has previous experience with Colwyn Bay FM and Tudno FM, will train the team on how to create radio jingles and introduce tracks live on air. Rod further explains “The team can basically make their own little radio show, look at printing it on to a CD and take it home to Mum and Dad. It’s all about putting smiles on their faces and learning new skills, and at the same time enjoy listening to music in a relaxed and friendly environment.”
Crest Radio was officially launched in January, with local AM Janet Finch-Saunders and local MP Robin Millar in attendance. Janet Finch-Saunders was quoted: “Crest has been championing individuals across our community for over two decades. This radio station is another feather to their bow, and I am extremely proud that people globally will be able to tune in to the new shows. The organisation is fostering local talent, and giving individuals a fantastic opportunity to develop new skills. It was inspirational to see the passion of all participants, and truly it is an honour to have helped see Crest start surfing on its radio wave”. The radio station will be run by staff, volunteers and the clients with learning difficulties.
When asked where the inspiration came from, Rod Williams responded: “The idea came from one of the clients themselves, after we recently visited a radio station locally and they enjoyed the experience so much, he asked me, ‘why can’t Crest have a Radio room?’ Which sparked an idea, and made me think how we could implement it for our adults with learning disabilities. We had a small archive room in the building which we cleared out, and we decided to kit it out with preloved radio equipment, set up the licence and here we are.”
There are more plans ahead to further increase activities on air. Rod explained, “We will speak about our future plans through the radio channels. We may talk about good news stories, such as highlighting the good work our volunteers do at Crest and in the community. There are discussions about linking in with other local radio stations to see if we can work together, and we may also approach the local college to see if students want to learn how to work the station. Local businesses are welcome to sponsor us and to buy advertisements with us too.”
For a link to Crest Radio please visit www.crestcooperative.co.uk or for more information please call 01492 596783.