Dennis Duncan
Dennis Duncan shows
Dennis is the station manager. You can hear him weekday mornings for the brightest breakfast show in South Durham.
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Dennis loves an outside broadcast.
Dennis our most recognised presenters, but for him it all began 50 years ago. Dennis takes up the story.
I first started at Radio Harefield In March 1970. I visited the wards with a lady called Maggie May, (now there’s a song If there was ever one) collecting requests for the Friday request show. Of course in those days there were only two turntables and a record library to rely on unlike today where all our music is instantly available from a computer.
In 1975 I moved to Radio St. Bernard’s. This was a brand new hospital radio station broadcasting to 52 psychiatric wards, all on speakers in Ealing, West London. That’s the hospital where I met my wife Dawn who was training to be a psychiatric nurse. I was doing a disco on a ward and the rest is history as they say.
The station went from strength to strength and in 1987 was extended to the new Ealing hospital. A name change was needed and we chose “Ward Radio” because it incorporated all the wards.
Hospital Radio has always been a part of my life and in 1998 I moved to Shildon as my wife was a Shildon girl. I took a break from radio for a few years as I lost sight in both eyes due to detached retinas. After 26 operations I lost all sight in my right eye. Luckily I can still see a little.
Because of my episodes of poor health I feel that volunteering for hospital radio is a way of saying thank you to all that have helped me over the years.
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Dennis on an outside broadcast at Locomotion in Shildon
In 2004 I decided to get back into hospital radio and found Auckland Hospital Radio, where I continue to volunteer under the Prince Bishops Hospital Radio name. I love every minute of it! Â I work with some wonderful people who have become very good friends.
I could write a book on my experience In Hospital Radio, but it’s the memories I will always treasure.