First national community radio week launching next week with events across the UK.
Next week, the UK Community Radio Network will launch the first-ever Community Radio Week, a nationwide celebration of community broadcasting, running from Monday 2nd to Sunday 8th February.
Community Radio Week is inspired by and building on last year’s Cornwall Community Media Network’s Community Radio Day, which brought together six local radio stations in a successful all-day, county-wide broadcast.
The new week-long initiative will spotlight the diversity and impact of community radio across the UK. It aims to bring together stations, volunteers and listeners to celebrate the voices that make local radio so vital to communities.
Nathan Hunkin, Director of Digital and Communications at The CHAOS Group, said:
Community Radio Week is a brilliant opportunity to shine a national spotlight on the power of local voices. Last year’s Community Radio Day here in Cornwall showed just how much creativity, connection and community spirit can be unlocked when stations come together, and it’s inspiring to see that spark grow into a UK‑wide celebration.
Community radio changes lives every single day - it gives people a platform to build confidence, strengthen local identity and brings communities closer. We’re proud that our work in Cornwall has helped pave the way, and we can’t wait to celebrate alongside stations and volunteers across the country as we celebrate the impact of community radio.
There’s plenty of opportunities for stations, volunteers, listeners and supporters to get involved, from joining in with activities to sharing support for a local station online.
UKCRN have put together a suggested events calendar of ideas for how to get involved and celebrate:
Monday: Social Media Shout-Out
Celebrate a local news story, achievement, or spotlight a stand-out volunteer on social media. It could be an Instagram reel, a post in a Facebook group, or making new connections on LinkedIn.
Tuesday: The Big Managers Meet-Up
UKCRN is aiming for the biggest virtual meeting of station managers across the UK ever on their monthly managers meeting.
Wednesday: Upskilling the Community
Members of the Cornwall Community Media Network (CCMN) are holding a live stream to learn about their annual Digital Skills Bootcamp, including ideas for training workshops and programmes, success stories and a chance to ask questions.
Thursday: Let’s Get Techy
An opportunity to ask all those technical questions, big and small, with an experienced Broadcast Engineer on the UKCRN live stream.
Friday: Funding Friday
A two-hour session of online workshops with key funders who can support the sector. Sessions with national, regional, and local grant givers, funders and fundraising tools to help support and develop community radio.
Saturday: Community Radio Day
Community radio stations door will open for listeners and supporters to drop by, collaborate and celebrate.
Sunday: Sunday Social
To round off the week, Sunday is for socialising with presenters, station managers and volunteers, including coffee and conversation.
For more information, updates, and how to get involved, find out more from UKCRN or follow #CommunityRadioWeek on social media.
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