Alan adds voice to hospital radio (From York Press)

Alan Dedicoat adds voice to hospital radio

12:26pm Monday 30th January 2012 in Health & Wellbeing By Richard Catton, richard.catton@thepress.co.uk

YOU may not recognise his face should you walk past in the street, but his voice is one of the most famous in the country.

His soothing tone is now synonymous with Saturday nights, from the National Lottery to the voice of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.

Late last year, Alan Dedicoat took up the role of patron of York Hospital Radio, a cause close to the 57-year-old’s heart. Alan started his career broadcasting to patients across the Midlands.

We talk to the man Terry Wogan describes as the Voice of Balls to find out why he wanted to support the efforts of the team at York Hospital and what hospital radio means to patients.

“I joined the BBC in 1979 but I had done a lot of hospital radio before,” Alan said.

“They said I had a good voice, and I enjoyed what I was doing, and I thought I wouldn’t mind getting paid for that. Hospital radio is where I learnt my trade.

“I started in Birmingham at hospital radio. They served 25 hospitals. One of the things was that you had to visit the people in the hospitals.

“I, like many broadcasters, am quite shy but that brought me out of myself.”

Alan said a good hospital radio service should distract patients from the day-to-day of being on the wards.

“We had whole wards listening sometimes and having fun,” he said.

“It takes their mind off things. If you are in there all day and can’t go out, you bring a breath of fresh air with a visit and it’s somebody different from the regular people they see.”

Alan said working on a radio station, such as the recently-refurbished one at York, brings you nearer your listeners.

“You are a lot closer to your audience, even more so than at Radio Two. You go out and meet people face-to-face.”

Alan last visited the studios at York last year but said he intends to “pop in” again soon.

He said: “The studio they have is very nice. Much nicer than the studios I worked in. Whoever is doing the fundraising down there is doing a good job.”

York Hospital Radio broadcasts 24- hours-a-day using the latest broadcast computer technology, which the station’s 20 presenters use to air their programmes round-the-clock.

The station’s output ranges from patient request shows to general entertainment programmes, along with hourly news bulletins.

Alan said: “I can wholeheartedly recommend it as a hobby and an interest. I tried it and I liked it and I was given the grounding I needed in radio.”

Patrick Crowley, the chief executive of York Hospital, said a stay in hospital is no longer just about diagnosis and treatment, it’s about the whole experience.

That’s why, when he took the top job, one of his priorities was to assign a proportion of funding to hospital radio.

He said: “One of the values of the hospital is about serving the broader needs of patients.

“It’s not just about diagnosis and treatment, it’s about the whole experience and I believe that hospital radio is a big part of that experience.

“A highly-dedicated team of individuals make it their business to provide a service that’s tailor-made for patients within the hospital.

“It’s not just about piping in television stations, the service definitely provides a great sense of wellbeing for those in hospital, particularly those in for along stay.”

If you would like to join the team at York Hospital Radio, email the membership officer at membership@yorkhospitalradio.com or phone the studios and leave a message on 01904 628800.

A number of roles are available, from ward-walkers and technicians to broadcasters and fundraisers.