Merseyside Friendly Radio Station has been approved their OFCOM licensing, becoming the UK’s first ever ‘Dementia Friendly’ DAB radio station.
Founder Nat Gavin said: “Having DAB means that our target audience which is generally older people will be able to listen to us on a device that is more familiar, like a standard DAB radio”.
He said the new DAB method will better suit their target age demographic, as opposed to internet radio.
The company was created in 2020 after founder Nat had cared for his grandmother in her later stages of dementia, finding there were no dementia-friendly platforms or content for her to listen to.
Following his mother also having mixed dementia, Nat took it upon himself to create the outlet which features music throwbacks and news on events which evolve around the dementia community such as coffee mornings, instead of hard news, to help them reminisce their youth and tackle loneliness.
Since the licencing news, they have launched a crowd funding page with a four-week deadline, in a bid to raise £25,000 to set up their new premises.
As part of their dementia-friendly image they do not use advertisements, unlike traditional broadcasters, meaning they are solely reliant on the public’s generosity at this time.
Nat said: “Ideally we will have it by then, but I think it continues after the end date. People can still donate through our website.
“We are hoping to be broadcasting off DAB in the next couple of months, we are hoping to launch at the beginning of May, to have presented shows between 8 and 10 hours a day.
“So it is a lot of work, and it needs a lot of money, but that is the goal”.
Nat hopes the platform will reach thousands or tens of thousands of listeners, with the latest estimate of people living with dementia being 27,000. However, the main aim is for it to reach those who need it most including carers.
Listen to Anna Rainey’s audio report here:
- More on the radio station can be found on their website here
Featured image (c) MDFR
