During Lockdown the need for up to date local information became even more important than ever. So Up Close Theatre. a not for profit organisation, launched a local internet / smart speaker radio station to serve the needs of those in North Devon who were confined to their homes, sometimes in very rural areas.

Funds to support the station, were to come from ticket sales of performances from the theatre company and sponsorship for the station. In the current economic situation both these revenue streams have dried up due to lack of funds available from local businesses and restrictions on performances.

We are therefore looking to raise a sum of £5000 which will cover the costs of running the station for the next 10 -12 months in order that we can then obtain future funds as the economic outlook improves.

We currently broadcast over 30 hours of locally produced content and the aim is to double this over the next year. We are mainly a talk based station with shows covering local news, events, arts, sports, etc. but do have some genre based music shows as well. Our reach has grown each month since we launched and we would like to expand our reach by creating Android and Apple apps and eventually look to broadcast on a DBS platform.

If you want to check out our programs you can listen on www.soundwaveradio.co.uk or follow us on Facebook at Soundwave Radio North Devon.

All our presenters are local volunteers, many of whom have had no previous broadcasting experience and nobody is paid a salary. We would therefore be extremely grateful if you could support us during his particular period and thank you for any contribution you can make whether big or small.