Join Radio Royal

Everyone at Radio Royal is a volunteer giving up their free time to collect requests, present shows and maintain equipment.

If you would like to join Radio Royal as a volunteer then please complete the form below and we will be in touch.

To join Radio Royal you need to be 16 years of age or older. All of our members at Radio Royal will go through a Disclosure Scotland check so please bring along the following documents to the induction evening which will be confirmed with you via email.

• Proof of Address (Dated with in 60 days) 
• Passport (If applicable) 
• Provisional/Driving Licence (If applicable) 
• Proof of National Insurance Number 

All new members are subject to a 3 month probation period and after one month, you'd have been invited to learn the basic knowledge required on how our studio equipment works, and if you wanted to train to become a presenter you would eventually submit an audition after more training.

Due to ongoing NHS restrictions, we are not currently active in the wards. However, we are reviewing our membership procedures to reflect current restrictions as we still have our volunteer opportunities available.

All members pay an annual membership fee, due by 31st March every year and more information on this will be provided during your induction. 

Our next Induction Evening is on Tuesday 15th October 2024 at 7pm and will be at the Forth Valley Royal Hospital.  

We'd love to hear from you. Why not read our volunteer journeys below...

From John Collins, presenter of Late Night Love Songs on Radio Royal:

My Volunteering Journey with Radio Royal has lasted on and off 40 years. I initially joined as a fresh-faced would-be DJ at the age of 14 in 1977. I remember reading about the setting up of the station in the Herald and as I was obsessed with radio I thought “I need to be part of this!”.

This was around the time the station launched in the old RSNH, coincidentally that’s pretty much the site of the current studio suite at FVRH.

Thanks to the early shows I did there I started something I’ve yet to finish! I’ve broadcast all over the UK since then on stations of different sizes, had fantastic trips for ‘outside broadcasts’ and – most of all – had the best of times talking to audiences.

I’m now in my third stint at Radio Royal and help manage the station’s output of fantastic volunteer presenters. I wonder which of them will be next to break into the professional radio world?”

From Lee Tait, presenter on Radio Royal:

I caught the radio bug before I was a teenager. For years I'd been listening to as many radio stations as possible and would spend ages trying to replicate them in my bedroom! When I was 14, I became old enough to join the local hospital radio station. Some amazing radio folk took me under their wings and let me learn about being a radio presenter. They even let me loose on the air! A couple of years later, I was lucky enough to get the chance to work at a professional radio station and while it was an amazing experience, life took me off in a different direction.

After many years out of radio spent building a career and raising a family, I decided to get back into it when I found some information about Radio Royal in a local newspaper. That was in 2011 and I've loved every minute of being back behind a mic! Radio Royal is a really fun and happy place and it's great to be a part of it.

You can learn to do a lot with your voice. The skills I started to develop all those years ago opened up a lot of doors for me, from doing radio "stuff" to some sports commentary and being the announcer at an ice hockey arena! 

Volunteering at Radio Royal is a place to learn, grow, enjoy yourself and give something back to the community. A stay in hospital can be a difficult time for lots of reasons - if just one person enjoys the music we play and it raises a smile, we have done our bit.

From Alan Paterson, presenter of My Kind Of Music on Radio Royal:

My Radio Royal career started back in 1993 when an article appeared in the Falkirk Herald. It was my Mum who spotted the article where it was announced that ‘Radio Royal, your local hospital radio station is looking for volunteers’.

I had a great interest in music and in those days I stayed just round the corner from the studios at Falkirk Infirmary, so I went along, and instantly, I caught the bug. I was placed with one of the station’s established presenters and spent the next few months sitting in with him while he presented his Patient’s Choice programme. After a lot of practice, I eventually felt confident enough to attempt the required test tape and on 29th January 1994 I passed and got a slot on the station.

From there I spent many happy years putting together a two-hour show on a Thursday.

More recently I have been given the opportunity to show my versatility in musical choice and presentation style by doing my own show, featuring not just music, but music trivia including birthdays etc.

Of course there are other aspects to membership with Radio Royal.

Like any other well run organisation there is a requirement for a team within a team to provide co-ordination for its operation.

Radio Royal has it’s own Executive Committee with a number of exciting and interesting roles to perform. I myself have held positions as Press & Publicity Officer, Secretary and most recently Fundraising Manager. All of which provide vital roles to the running of the station.

Another thing to consider if you are thinking of joining Radio Royal (and we hope that you are) is that so many skills are transferrable. It’s quite possible that you could bring something to the station that would allow us to expand and thrive - and skills that you will learn here are almost infinitely transferrable to new opportunities.

That aside of course, it will provide you with a useful, productive and rewarding way of spending your time.

From Ian Rhind, presenter of Through The Decades on Radio Royal:

I have been a volunteer at Radio Royal for four years now. I broke my ankle in 2012 and was in hospital over Christmas, and heard Radio Royal from my hospital bed! Many years later I saw an advert about volunteering at Radio Royal on Facebook and it went from there. I started off as a Ward Visitor, then moved into presenter training and then got my own show. It is great to meet new people, interact with hospital staff, patients and other volunteers. It's helped me come out of my shell after a difficult time. Radio helped me greatly and I really like to get patient requests, and play them on air. It's great to go around the wards a few days later and see the patient again with a smile on their face because they heard their song. 

This is not my first volunteer role, as I helped at the steam railway in Bo’ness (where I met Princess Diana!) way back in 1989. 

Volunteering is really rewarding. You achieve something every day and it's great to give something back.