Karen Brady has never forgotten the song that was playing when she realised she was about to give birth.
The NHS Grampian theatre worker was at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in 2012 when, suddenly, to the strains of Don McLean’s American Pie, she went into labour – and nobody was more surprised than her because her son entered the world six weeks early.
Even now, that incident is etched in her mind, yet Karen is happy to spin American Pie and any other requests as part of the Grampian Hospital Radio (GHR) team.
‘This was on my bucket list’ says Grampian Hospital Radio presenter
She spotted an advert in the Grampian daily briefing, which told her that the charity station, which provides a 24/7 service for patients, was searching for a relief presenter to host a show every second Friday – and a thrill went through her body.
As she said: “Even when I was a kid, I wanted to be a DJ and it was on my bucket list.
“And, now here we are, and it feels like a dream come true. I love it.”
Around 40 people, of different ages and backgrounds, pour their hearts into the packed schedule at GHR, collecting requests from patients in the wards and taking calls from their family friends or arranging songs via their app, which goes all round the globe.
And, though it’s a challenge to fund such a round-the-clock programme, encompassing everything from pop, rock and soul to Scottish Trad, jazz and health documentaries, these stalwarts are Radio Gaga about forming connections with their patients.
Read on to hear:
- From all the different presenters
- Some of the more unusual, and touching song choices requested by patients
- And more on the important role of radio in recovery
‘TV talks at people, radio to them’
Karen told me: “A lot of people in Aberdeen don’t realise we are a charity, so we have to raise our own funds. And yet there is a great sense of people pulling together.
“It is the patients’ station, it is their playlist, and if they want to hear a song, we will do our best not just to play it, but hear their story.
“TV talks at people. Radio talks to them. And we listen to them as well.”
John Graham has been at the heart of the enterprise for many years. Indeed, he recited chapter and verse about the days when GHR was launched back in 1981 in a world where emails, texts and apps were something from Star Trek rather than real life.
And he reeled off some of the well-known names who cut their teeth at the station, including renowned BBC Scotland football commentator – and Press & Journal columnist – Richard Gordon, and his acclaimed sporting compatriot Derek Rae.
The team are up for five awards
The volunteers aren’t spinning the discs for personal gain, but some are in contention to win gongs at the National Hospital Radio Awards during a gala dinner on April 5.
John himself is in the mix, along with Craig Duthie and Neil Fraser. And Ginny Irvine-Fortescue, whose voice was compared by the judges to Joanna Lumley – and they were right – was crowned best female presenter of the year in 2023.
John said: “GHR originally started out in the old nurses’ home, but we’ve been at Westburn Cottage [which is inside the Foresterhill complex] since 2006.
“We broadcast to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen Maternity Hospital and Roxburghe House, and patients can hear us through their bedside entertainment system, but we are now reaching a lot more people via the app.
We’ve had requests from Australia
“With that up and running, you can listen to GHR from Torry to Timbuktu. We had a request from a family in Australia, whose father was in hospital. Word is spreading.
“Obviously, patients come in feeling unwell and their first priority isn’t the radio.
“But, once they are on the road to recovery, the requests start arriving.
“Their choices aren’t always what you would expect either. There are some lyrics in the list of favourite songs which might surprise you.
“Frank Sinatra’s My Way is a very popular choice. Yes, ‘And now, the end is near….’
‘Knocking on heaven’s door’
“They’ll also ask for Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin. And we’ll play what they want.
“Well, within reason. We don’t really have Eminem on our playlist.”
The aforementioned Ginny has to be seen, if not necessarily to be believed. An effervescent, extrovert force of nature, she is a natural at the microphone.
And yet she appreciates there is a more serious side to the station which, let’s not forget, is based in the grounds of a hospital. People get ill. And the journey can be traumatic.
I missed meeting my patients
As she told me: “I used to have my own patients because I was a medical herbalist, but after I stopped practicing, I soon realised I was missing meeting them.
“Now, basically, I love going round the wards and seeing them and their friends and family and hearing what music is in their minds. You can never second-guess them.
“There’s that poorly person, who is scared and not in a comfortable scenario. The person who looks older than they actually are – because they’re unwell – and then suddenly tells you that they want to listen to some Metallica.
“Or the youngster who has endured a really bad day, but decides they are keen on hearing an operatic aria. So you soon learn that you can’t stereotype people.
‘I just want to cry today’
“Another thing that’s really important is that sometimes, depending on the ward I’m on, you’ll have patients who have just gone through extreme surgery. And they want to cry.
“Completely independently, two people asked me that. One even choked up when they were telling me the title of the song. I said: ‘Are you sure?’
“And they replied: ‘Yes, I want to cry. I need to cry. It will be good for me.”
There are no prima donnas in the cottage. On the contrary, Craig Duthie seemed bashful when I mentioned he has been nominated for Best Newcomer at the awards.
As he added: “Och, I always knew I had a good face for radio.
He serves up the Feel Good Factor
“Yet seriously, I’ve only been here at GHR for just over a year, but I’m having a great time and the feedback from the patients has been terrific.
“I present the Feel Good Factor on a Thursday between 3pm and 5pm and, at 3.45pm and 4.45pm, I encourage everybody to stop what they’re doing and have a sing-along.
“Having been in the wards and seen people’s faces light up when their songs are played and their messages are read out, you can’t argue with the value of this station.
“In some cases, you are dealing with patients who are on their own or, in the case of those who travel down from Orkney and Shetland, have left their families behind.
‘I know what really matters’
“So you are maybe the only voice they hear in days or even weeks. The middle ground between a song being played on the radio and reality.
“I’m honoured to be nominated for an award. But that’s not why I’m here.”
As somebody who joined GHR nearly two years ago, Jim Sutherland has already twigged the music which most appeals to patients.
The list of the most requested songs is topped by Islands in the Stream by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond and Sailing by Rod Stewart.
The King is still the King
The most popular artists in 2024 were Elvis Presley, Abba and Johnny Cash, followed by Rod Stewart, Daniel O’Donnell, Queen and The Beatles.
As Jim told me: “It’s mostly your old favourites, but we’re not stuck in the past.
“That’s why we are trying to make more people aware that, thanks to the app, this is now a worldwide service. And you can get in touch with us from anywhere.”
It’s a precious success story at a time when there is so much negativity about the NHS.
But none of that has filtered through to Ginny Irvine-Fortescue.
This song lifts them up
She said: “The staff at ARI and the maternity hospital are wonderful and there is one song which many of them request, especially at the end of a long winter shift.
“It’s I’m Still Standing by Elton John. A reminder that, while they might be tired and needing to get home, they are still doing the very best they can.”
You can find out more at www.grampianhospitalradio.org
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