Wey Valley Radio launches brand new website on its ninth birthday

Wey Valley Radio, the voice of Alton, is celebrating its ninth year on air with the launch of a completely redesigned website, giving listeners across Alton and North East Hampshire a new way to connect with the station beyond the airwaves.

The new site at weyvalleyradio.uk brings everything the station offers into one place. Listeners can get to know the people behind the voices through presenter profiles, listen again to some of their favourite shows and interviews they may have missed, and hear the latest local news bulletins covering Alton and the surrounding villages.

The website also makes it easier to keep up with what’s happening locally. A community events listing – provided by the Alton Events website, which is funded by Alton Town Council and maintained by Bureau 14 Designs – helps residents see what’s on across the area, with Wey Valley Radio presenters drawing on the same listings to share local events on air. Listeners can also send in a dedication to have a song and a message shared on an upcoming show.

Julie Cottrell, director and presenter at Wey Valley Radio, who designed and built the new website, said:

“We’re so proud to have launched this on our ninth birthday – it feels like the perfect way to celebrate. Wey Valley Radio has always been about bringing our community together, and the new website is an extension of that. Whether you want to put a face to a familiar voice, catch up on a show you missed, see what’s on locally, or simply stay up to date with the latest news, it’s all there for you now. We can’t wait for people to explore it.”

Alton Town Council’s Events and Marketing Lead Officer Natalie Beckell said:

“We’re delighted to see Wey Valley Radio’s new website bring local events and news together in one place for the community. The Alton Events listings are there to help residents discover what’s happening across the town, and it’s wonderful that the station is using them to share what’s on with listeners on air as well as online. We wish Wey Valley Radio a very happy ninth birthday and every success with the new site.”

Wey Valley Radio broadcasts on 101.1 FM, online, and on DAB+, and is run entirely by a team of around 35 volunteers. As a not-for-profit station, it relies on grants, donations and local advertising to keep going.

Dean Phillips, director of Wey Valley Radio and a former Mayor of Alton, said:

“I had the honour of helping to open the station when it returned to the airwaves on the 22nd of June in 2017, and it’s been wonderful to watch it grow ever since. Wey Valley Radio has always made it its mission to give local people, groups and organisations a voice, and this new website opens that up even further. I’m proud of what our volunteers do, and I’d encourage everyone in Alton to take a look.”

The launch wasn’t the only birthday surprise. In the run-up to the big day, a “mystery presenter” had been quietly appearing in the station’s online show schedule – and that mystery was finally solved when David Blower took to the airwaves between 2 and 4pm, presenting his first Wey Valley Radio show since 2004. David is now set to return as a regular fixture on the schedule, more than twenty years after his last show.