Despite the odd name change and more than a few studio moves, Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells is what marketing people might call a "heritage brand" who's history can be traced back to the early sixties. In fact it was in 1961 that a team of ladies at the Kent and Sussex hospital started entertaining patients with a request show called Strictly Off The Record.

In 1963/1964 a young chap called David set up and ran, for about a year, a programme which was taped at home on Thursday nights, then fed through the hospital radio system from the chapel on Saturday mornings for about an hour. It was a magazine type programme using a small portable tape recorder. The programme contained interviews with local and national celebrities, as well as getting short pieces from local shops and places of interest.

In 1970, 3 miles down the road, Radio Samantha, later Radio Pembury, began at Pembury hospital from a cellar affectionately known as "The Dungeon".

In the early seventies The Leagues of Friends of the two hospitals got together to link the stations creating the now familiar Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells. by the mid seventies, six hospitals were linked to the network based in the Kent and Sussex hospital. Three of these, the Maternity Home, Hawkenbury and Homeopathic Hospitals no longer receive the service or have closed.

In 1973 Cliff Richard gave his support by paying for a line to be installed from the Assembly Hall to allow concerts to be broadcast, he performed the first live concert broadcast by Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells.

In 1980, the station moved from it's home in the Kent and Sussex hospital, due to hospital expansion, into a portakabin studio within the grounds of Pembury hospital from where the service continued until 1996.

The service was extended to Sevenoaks in 1988, but this was discontinued in 1991 as the Sevenoaks League of Friends decided they could no longer afford the landline as the hospital was going through a period of changes, which required their funds.

In 1990 the team launched a project to raise funds to build and equip purpose built studios at the Kent and Sussex hospital, following announcements that the portakabin at Pembury would be removed as part of a redevelopment plan for the hospital site. After six years of fundraising £55,000 enabled the team to move into their current studios at the Kent and Sussex hospital. The studios were formally opened and named in memory of Ashley Hale, by his parents.

In 2003 a grant was obtained from the National Lottery's Awards For All scheme. This allowed the studios to be equipped with a sophisticated computer system, giving the station the ability to provide a service twenty four hours a day 7 days a week.

In Early 2006 we had to say a sad goodbye to Pembury Hospital after over 30 years of service. Due to the restructuring of services by the Trust and difficulties with old and worn out equipment, we were unable to continue to serve them in their current incarnation. However, with a new hospital at the Pembury site scheduled for 2010-2011, we look forward to re-newing the relationship in the future.

Today the team continues to provide a 24 hour service to patients in the Kent and Sussex and Tonbridge Cottage hospitals that contains a wide mix of music, comedy, live events, competitions and much more.

You can find more historic photos from Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells in our photo gallery.

We're always looking for more volunteer members to help continue the service. If you have some free time and would like to get involved, please contact us using one of the methods shown on the contact us page and maybe you can help write the next chapter in the history of Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells.