Volunteer

We welcome new volunteers for patient visiting, presenting and producing radio shows.

But first, please check our location! We are not in Brockley, south east London; we are in Stanmore, north west London, and we get our name from the hill on top of which our hospital is located. Click here to go to the hospital’s information on how to find us.

You can also search for hospital radio stations which may be more local to you via the HBA website.

Ok, that’s enough geography!

We should also state at this stage that we are unable to accept any work experience placements and, as we are a small charity, we are unable to reimburse travel expenses.

It is strongly recommended that you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 if you are intending to become a volunteer at our hospital.

Hospital Radio is an extremely rewarding way to volunteer your time, support the local community, develop your skills and make friends.

We do our best to make volunteering fun and beneficial to all parties. It is true that the more you put in, the more you will get out of it, and whilst you are giving your time the benefits to you are many.

You will get enormous satisfaction from knowing you are helping others and working with a great team of people.

Volunteering with Radio Brockley is a regular commitment, as, without our volunteers, we cannot provide the radio services that we do. We ask our volunteers to be available at least once a week, at a mutually agreed time, and are reliable. Of course, if you want to come more often, that would be great! You will also learn skills and gain experience faster if you commit regularly and often.

Our regular volunteering times are currently: Sundays (12noon-4pm) and Tuesdays (7.30pm-10pm). There are also additional volunteering roles which you can commit to outside of these hours, such as producing shows, conducting interviews, organising events and publicity.

All members are required to pay an annual subscription of £12, which is due on the 1st January. This helps fund Radio Brockley’s activities and costs.

Join Us For A Taster Session

If you are interested in joining Radio Brockley, we recommend you get in touch with our New Members Coordinator.

You will be invited to join us for one of our team volunteering sessions, to meet some of our current volunteers, observe a live show being broadcast from the studio and gain a better understanding of our role within the hospital.

This is a good opportunity for you to ask us any questions you may have about Radio Brockley and Hospital Radio more generally. This is also a chance to let us know more about you and how you would like to get involved.

How Do I Join Radio Brockley?

Following your Taster Visit you must apply online here. We no longer accept paper applications due to data protection laws, and RNOH Volunteer Services manage our new member applications. They will advise us that it has been received, and contact you for the following:

Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check. For this you will be required to present documents to prove your identity and home address.
You will be requested to provide the names and contact details for 2 references.
You will be requested to complete an Occupational Health (OH) questionnaire.
You will be requested to attend a free Induction Course at the hospital, which includes Safeguarding awareness (or a virtual induction course).
We will require a passport style photograph for your ID pass and you’ll be asked to give us full contact details, including next of kin, if you haven’t provided these already.

We will support you in this application to help make it a smooth and speedy process.

What will I get to do at Radio Brockley?

Over the course of your first few weeks at Radio Brockley, we will buddy you up with an experienced volunteer who will help you get to grips with the hospital layout, best practices, the importance of visiting patients and patient participation in our shows, the methods by which patients can hear us, the services we provide and events we get involved with.

Patient Befriending

One of the most important roles is to befriend our patients, and whilst taking their minds off of being in hospital, to increase their awareness of the station and collect music requests, or “shout outs”, to be played on air.

Present Specialist Music Radio Shows

To become a presenter on live or pre-recorded shows, you must pass a “voice test”. However, before you take the test, like anything else, we would suggest you practise first, and seek guidance or coaching from one of our existing members.

Produce Interviews and Shows

Some people want to get involved with presenting or engineering our shows, become a reporter for events and interviews and learn editing skills for program production. We can provide guidance and training for all of these skills.

Media Administration, Publicity and Fundraising

Some members are keen to work in the background, perhaps in our music library, assist in the administration of the station, maintain our public relations presence, and organise fundraising efforts to name just a few.

What training will I receive at Radio Brockley?

You will receive support and training from our experienced members, some of whom also work in professional radio.

Presenter Training

All volunteers who wish to present a show on Radio Brockley must pass a ‘voice test’ first. We provide presenter training and coaching for all of our volunteers.

Engineering/Producer Training

We encourage all of our members to learn the technical and logistical sides of creating a radio show and provide comprehensive engineering training, where you will learn to operate the equipment and develop the skills required to ensure the quality of our shows. You will be required to pass the engineering test before you engineer live or pre-recorded shows.

How Do I Become A Full Member of Radio Brockley?

After a period of time, depending on your attendance and involvement, you will be offered full membership of the charity. Once you have paid your subscription, you will be entitled to the benefits of membership. These include access to the music library, use of the studio facilities and equipment and the right to vote at meetings.