North-east broadcasting volunteers are planning to take over the airwaves for a 26-hour radio marathon in aid of charity work across the region.
Two intrepid DJs at community station Shmu will stay up all night on November 27 as part of the global Giving Tuesday campaign.
>> Keep up to date with the latest news with The P&J newsletter
Timed to take place after the shopping-centric events of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the initiative was set up in 2014 to encourage people to lend a hand to a good cause local to them.
Alan Parker, who has signed up to front the bumper broadcast with fellow Shmu volunteer Craig Morrice, is hoping the stunt will allow the station to help even more people by bringing in donations to buy new equipment.
“Being on the radio here has completely changed my life,” he said.
“What we are doing is giving a voice to the people who don’t have one.
“You don’t really notice it but there’s something very empowering about sitting behind a microphone and talking to people.
“I can’t think of anywhere else where you’d get the same sort of opportunity.”
Since it was founded in 2003, Shmu’s list of ongoing projects has grown to include training courses for unemployed people, youth support and outreach in prisons.
Fundraising co-ordinator Frieda Strachan said: “We’re used to people thinking that Shmu is just the radio but we have so much more going on.
“So we’re going to condense the last 15 years of good work into one 26-hour broadcast.”
A number of of fundraising initiatives have been planned to take place over the course of the show, including DJ lessons in the studio and a bedtime story with milk and cookies for local children.
In addition, a city-wide bake sale has been organised to coincide with the radio show.
And while the marathon has been organised to raise money for Shmu primarily, representatives from at least a dozen charities have been lined up to share stories about their good causes too.
Anyone with ideas for the broadcast or who would like to help the fundraising can email frieda.strachan@shmu.org.uk
