Once again we have to say au revoir to our local station, Summerfest Radio.
The team of professional presenters has provided us with another memorable run-up to the Haddenham Beer Festival, offering local news, traffic updates, weather reports and a wonderful stream of summertime music, keeping our feet tapping and our spirits lifted for the last two weeks.
And when we say 'professional' we are referring to their skills and expertise, of course. These guys know their trade inside out, and the quality of their live on-air presence has to be greatly admired and appreciated. Yet they offer all their time and expertise on a voluntary basis, to help build the footfall for the Summerfest Beer Festival.
This delivered live entertainment from 6.00am until 9.00pm each and every day, as well as a musical mix all through the night.
And it's not just the live studio time that they gifted to the Beer Festival. Many hours go into the broadcast licence application, the technical set-up, the recording of interviews and sponsors' Ads, the writing and delivery of local news reports, and lots more – much of which happens in personal time, while the guys hold down their day jobs or spin their many other plates of responsibility.
So, behind the engaging banter and the music that so many of us have enjoyed on 87.9FM for the last two weeks has gone the presenters' dedication and commitment to the wonderful medium of radio, and to our local community here in Haddenham.
Like many loyal listeners, the on-air 'white noise' that emanated from my radio after 3.00pm on Sunday marked a real sense of loss.
Early plans are afoot to bring us a year-round local radio station, and we keep our fingers crossed that this might be achieved.
In the meantime, we very much look forward to the return of Summerfest Radio as a soundtrack to our lives again next year.
