What's the Point?

Sometimes I just find myself wondering why I, or anyone else, bothers to volunteer. It is a lot of work for no cash reward and, sometimes, more hassle than you would ever want in your whole life. Even though, sometimes it is great fun there are times when it breaks your heart and breaks your spirit and you are left feeling bashed and bruised and totally unappreciated.

In August 2006 we inherited a broken radio station with not much working and few volunteers. With hard work from a few good people we fixed it and, in April 2007, got it working. It was brilliant. We recruited a team and made great progress. The volunteers bloomed, the station blossomed with new talent and the premises were decorated and beautiful. The patients loved it and so did we.

In October we paraded our new high-tech beautiful offices bought with generous donations. In November the hospital needed the site and tore down our newly decorated home. They gave us new premises which were spacious and adequate. They gave us a repeater unit to broadcast from the flat to the hospital. They lent us their electrician to run the wires and we hired an aeriel rigger to do the rest. We got our end working but never did find out where they ran the wires to and could never get access to the flat roof to connect ourselves to the repeater. We kept trying.

We bought lots of new equipment but discovered that the supplier had never actually tried to make the desks do what we wanted to do and so they were as surprised as we were when we phoned and told them that the desks they assured us were right won't do the job. In fairness they were great to us and changed the desks for more expensive ones at no extra cost to us.

The new studios have been decorated, the place looks grand and we hoped to be up and running soon but there is the rub! It has taken us several months of intensive volunteering to get as far as we are - and on Tuesday we are meeting with the Estates Department because - well you guessed - the hospital want to tear down our new premises and move us somewhere else - to somewhere MUCH smaller where we have to start all over again.

It all takes time, money, energy and enthusiasm and, frankly, the last commodity becomes increasingly lacking.

I know we will go on - it will just be a bit harder this time. The hospital wouldn't be quite the same without inhouse radio.

We will be back soon - and then we will, again, be talking to you!