station name: Victoria Infirmary Radio (Glasgow)

Organisation name

Victoria Infirmary Radio.

Receiving hospitals

Victoria Infirmary, Glasgow, Mansionhouse Unit, Glasgow (planned).

NHS region

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Tune in

2 channel hard-wired system through hospital headsets. Currently being upgraded to new system with 4 to 6 channels.

Broadcasting hours

1800-2230 Sunday-Friday, 1500-2230 Saturday.

Further information

For many years, the patients of the Victoria Infirmary could hear Paisley Hospital Radio coming through their bedside headphones but, after a while, the radio system fell into a state of disrepair and Paisley HR did not have sufficient funds to bring it back up to scratch. Sadly, in 1990, Paisley Hospital Radio closed down due to an absence of financial backing, which left the Vicky without any radio at all.

In June 1995, radio enthusiast Alan Hall had the idea to start up his own hospital radio station. Meanwhile, six experienced hospital radio members were on the lookout for a hospital that did not have a radio station so that one could be set up. A couple of hospitals were contacted, one of which was the Victoria Infirmary who told them that Alan Hall was looking for a team. Everyone met at the Trust HQ and the core staff of Victoria Infirmary Radio, as it was soon to be known as, was born.

The first ever VIR programme was broadcast on the night of the 30th September 1995.

The station kept broadcasting for many months from a makeshift studio until we received a generous grant of £20,000 from the Greater Glasgow Health Board Lottery to buy brand new studio equipment. This we did and we now have a brand new state of the art studio which was officially opened on September 2nd 1996 by Derek and Ellen Jameson.

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