21 June 2017 – Patients from four hospital wards will get specially created radio shows supplied on CD and designed to bring back memories of a bygone era. They will hear tunes, newsreels, and advertisements from the 1930s to the 1970s. All created by the volunteer presenters of Radio Fox.

The first Radio Nostalgia launch shows will be broadcast to patients at Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust’s (LPT) Bennion Centre on Tuesday 27th June.  The centre, on the Glenfield Hospital site, has two wards for older people with general mental health conditions.

This will be followed by a further broadcast at the Evington Centre on Tuesday 11th July.  The Evington Centre includes two wards for people in the advanced stages of dementia.

The initial concept began when Peter Hirst from the band Refuge appeared as a guest on the Jonny Bance Show on Radio Fox. A chance meeting of like minded people and the idea snowballed from there. Pete has been instrumental (no pun intended) from the start working behind the scenes literally making Radio Nostalgia happen.  The music concept and compilation were created by Hospital Radio Fox, a free 24/7 radio station manned entirely by volunteers who broadcast to the patients of the Leicester Royal Infirmary and the Glenfield Hospital. From any computer, smartphone, tablet, or laptop you can tune in to Radio Fox 24 hours a day by clicking Listen Live. You can also listen live via this website.

The first 2 disc compilation was called Alan T’s Tea Dance and some of the music choices on the CDs were suggestions from the Older Persons Wellbeing team as being some of their patient’s favourite songs.

With additional live music on both launch days from three-piece acoustic band Refuge.

Lyn Williams, service manager for mental health services for older people, said: “These broadcasts have been made specifically for older people. It helps elicit memories about how radio used to be with music and advertisements from their era that they can make connections with. It enhances wellbeing for people who have cognitive difficulties.  It brings back past memories from their lives. This has not been tried anywhere else as far as we know.”

Over the past two years LPT has brought live music onto its wards to entertain adult and older patients with mental health issues. Patients regularly sing and dance along as Pete Hirst’s band Refuge play a series of classic tunes including ones made famous by Elvis, Motown, and many others.