In this series of reviews, we’re putting some of our shows into the spotlight. Led and run entirely by volunteers, Radio Harrow broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from our studios in Northwick Park, and today, we’re taking a closer look at Harrow Today.
While it has undergone numerous name changes over the years, Harrow Today has always been a team show, and to this day, is the flagship team show for the station. The show can be heard every weeknight from 9pm-10pm with our volunteers putting content together especially for the community in the hours leading up to the show.
While the show is a radio show, it’s been a playground of creativity for our volunteers for years. Each night, a different team take to the production suites and airwaves to bring to life a unique show, while maintaining that distinct local community radio style that listeners have come to associate with the radio station, with unique features like ‘Stu-Possible, ‘Harrow Heartbeat’ and ‘Wendy’s Good News’ all being heard on Harrow Today.
Programme Manager Andrew Bottcher says that the show has 3 main objectives.
Harrow Today has three main objectives; provide local news, updates and community events, entertaining the boroughs of Harrow, Brent and Ealing, and bringing joy to Radio Harrow volunteers.
Being on a Harrow Today show is all about having fun and meeting new people. Many volunteers come from all walks of life. You become a real family, while giving back to the community
You can listen to Harrow Today every night during the week from 9pm via radioharrow.org or by telling your smart-speaker to ‘Play Radio Harrow’. And if thats not enough, you can listen back via the Listen Again button on our website.
We are always looking for new volunteers! Head on over to our Recruitment page to find out more about how to join Radio Harrow!
Sarah McCulloch MSc is an autistic occupational therapist with experience across a range of acute mental health, community, and paediatric settings. She currently works as an NHS manager in North London. Her lived experience as an autistic adult and her professional experiences of meeting unidentified autistic people in every service in which she worked led her to found the Autistic Empire in 2018. The Autistic Empire is an autistic social organisation built by and for autistic adults to form a community based on autism as a civic identity and to provide practical tools and services for all autistic people. Sarah’s increasing professional focus is the importance and development of positive autistic identity. Sarah is based in London, UK.
During the show Anjeli and Sarah discussed her journey in life towards being diagnosed with autism, her previous work as an occupational therapist and her current work as an NHS manager. They spoke about what autism means, the biggest challenges faced by autistic people, the importance of language and identity and about the organisation she set up Autistic Empire, and about autistic pride which the organisation sponsors.
Autistic empire Instagram:
https://instagram.com/autisticempire?igshid=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA==
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/autisticempire
@autistic_empire on X
Ahead of the showing at Harrow Arts Centre, Brian Rose caught up with the cast for a chat about all things Snow White.
You can listen to the interview here on our website, or from wherever you get your podcasts from.
The Snow White Pantomime can be seen at Harrow Arts Centre from Thursday 14th December through till Thursday 28th December. Ticket information can be found on the official website
Ahead of the festive football season, RH Sport’s Gary Walker spoke with Nick du Gard about all things Wealdstone FC. (more…)
Radio Harrow will be participating in Our Earth Week 2023.
As the crisp air heralds the arrival of the holiday season, the question of when to put up the Christmas tree often arises. The debate on the ideal timing for decking the halls has been a longstanding tradition, with no one quite agreeing a set date. While some enthusiasts embrace an early start to infuse their homes with festive cheer, others prefer a more measured approach. So, when is truly the best time to put up a Christmas tree?
Traditionally, there’s a widespread belief that Christmas decorations should adorn homes after Thanksgiving, marking the official start of the holiday season. However, in recent years, this conventional wisdom has been challenged by those who opt for an earlier start, sometimes even as soon as November 1st.
Ultimately, the “best” time to put up a Christmas tree is a matter of personal choice and circumstances. Whether it’s early November, after Thanksgiving, or closer to Christmas Eve, what truly matters is the joy, warmth, and togetherness that a decorated tree brings into homes.
Make sure to share your Christmas tree with us on @radioharrow on your socials!
Mental Health Awareness week is an annual event which encourages conversation about Mental Health so no one is left feeling that they cannot talk to others or seek help. This year’s theme is anxiety.
Some of our Harrow Today teams share their own stories and experiences in dealing with anxiety.
Opinion: Brewed Battle – Decaf vs Caffeine – By Andrew Bottcher
I’m sure you’ll agree that there is nothing better than a brew with breakfast. Especially on a Saturday morning, when the sun is out. It’s like a moment of calm to enjoy before starting the day.
Recently, I made the switch from regular caffeine to decaf for drinks like tea and coffee to help with my health, on advice from my GP. Initially, I thought that I’d be able to tell the difference and I wouldn’t get the same satisfaction as it’s caffeine counterpart. However, how wrong I was! From that first sip, I didn’t really notice the difference, the tea still tastes like tea.
According to research, decaf and regular caffeine drinks still give you the same benefits, such as reduced risk of diabetes so it’s a wonder why more coffee shops are not offering a decaf option for most drinks.
I’ve switched for over a year now and I do feel that I’ve noticed some great differences which have helped my day-to-day life. For instance, I don’t feel as tired after drinking caffeine as caffeine blocks the body’s natural tiredness hormone, giving you the ‘buzz’ of being awake, but then releasing tiredness back into your body once the caffeine wears off. Whereas decaf doesn’t block this, leading to regulated tiredness levels.
I’m not converting you to decaf, but simply sharing my own experiences of switching. What do you prefer in the battle of the brews? Let us know, join the conversation @radioharrow on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
We are looking for you to join us on weekly shows, to help curate exciting content and help us continue to grow the station. Join a team show and learn how to choose themes, pick a radio-friendly playlist and learn to engineer. We have various roles within our team shows, currently, we have a weekly R&B, Hip Hop how with Sneha every Sunday from 6pm, Rock n Radio Therapy with Pierre Sundays from 8pm and Monday Mix with Dance, Pop and Grime music with Peter plus our Harrow Today shows every night from 9pm.
As a Researcher you can join a team show, and help gather insight about current events, and themes for your show and assist the producer to put together the content.
Producer – can help with creating podcasts & social media posts from weekly shows. Assist with show plans and deciding themes in advance to create exciting content.
Social Media – Prepare posts and design content for the studio and online channels. New photos for presenters, management board and around the studio.
Overall join the station to learn more about the broadcasting industry, train, upskill, work on your career and look forward to hearing from you.
Fill out the form below to find out more about our shows available to join.
Join us by signing up using this form – https://www.radioharrow.org/join/
Email comms@radioharrow.org or volunteers@radioharrow.org with any questions
As 2021 ended and we headed into 2022, I thought about how much better life could be for all of us if we decided to break this unhealthy cycle. The last two years have been tough, with much isolation, pain and heartbreak. There have also been big gains, achievements, milestones and moments of joy. After the loneliness that the pandemic created, 2021 gave us the chance to hug our loved ones, to go out into the world again, and return to some version of normality. The world won’t ever be the same again, but the opportunity to connect with friends, family, colleagues and peers again brought great happiness. It was also tough adjusting to this new version of normality. We had become accustomed to spending time alone, sitting with our thoughts and our own company, and learning to be present and content with that. Maybe after years of spending lots of time with other people, maybe we’re more introverted than we like to believe. Perhaps we welcomed the opportunity to make these realisations about ourselves.
It goes without saying that the last two years were up and down. Whilst we should be proud of our personal and professional milestones and growth, achieved during a period in time like no other, there was a great loss and emotional distress, which had consequences on our mental health. So, let us enter this not so New Year, and the rest of our life, without putting extraordinary amounts of pressure on ourselves. Instead, let us just be. Yes, we will work hard, but let’s also reward ourselves, seek comfort when we need to and express our emotions without feeling shame.
We all put so much pressure on ourselves. We should strive to be better, learning and developing throughout our lives, but our actions need to reflect our individual circumstances. Our goals and intentions should be driven by what makes us happy and gives us purpose, rather than being influenced by comparison with our peers, filtered posts on social media or wider societal expectations.
On reflection, what would you like to leave behind in the past? Maybe it’s ending the cycle of negativity, inner critique and overthinking. Or perhaps it’s using your devices less, so you can be more present. Starting this internal dialogue helps shape what you’d like your life to be filled with. It’s not a trivial pursuit; it has a big impact on the goals and intentions you set for yourself. When you set these intentions, you may trip up along the way. This requires a lifetime of work, as human beings we are not perfect, we constantly make mistakes. In those moments, let go of self-judgement and critique, and embrace what you can learn from your failures, which are a big part of life. On the way, you can prioritise what really matters to you.
Let’s reward ourselves for working hard, recognise and celebrate our achievements and stop putting ourselves down. Here is to the rest of this year and the rest of your life. Whether you’re on a journey to a new you, or a better version of you, remember to enjoy it along the way and to give yourself a break. If you are struggling, don’t be afraid of connecting with others and reaching out for help.
Ed Sheeran has released some great songs in the past, the lovey-dovey pop songs, acoustic feel good songs, but this one hits different.
His latest collaboration with Fireboy DML shows off his vocal talent and versatility to sing in different languages. The production is way off the charts and is going to be a worldwide hit. The song has already hit the charts by a storm and is in the top 5, but let’s see how long it will stay in the top 5.
Ed has collaborated with Nigerian singer Fireboy DML and helped launch another star into the mainstream charts, since collaborating Fireboy’s streaming numbers have increased greatly. His most popular tracks are ‘Vibration’ and ‘Jealous’ reaching over 8 million streams. His tracks average at 4-8 million streams but particular tracks have greatly increased since his collab with Ed. Peru is currently at 65 million and is sitting steady at Number 2 on the Official Charts. When the song was first released popular film Encanto beat the track to Number 1 with ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’.
Do you think the track will finally get to number 1 now that the Encanto track has moved down in the charts?
Both artists sing about love and how passionate they are about the other person, but what do the lyrics actually mean?Peru para is actually in the language Yoruba, most widely spoken in West Africa and Nigeria.
In the chorus Ed and Fireboy sing:
“Peru para
Peru peru para
I’m loooo
Even Peru don dey para”
In short Fireboy DML is paying respect to artist Peruzzi’s song ‘Ohaa’. The memorable lyrics “Peru Para” mean ‘I’m loosing control’ and the song is about falling in love with someone so deeply.
Not only has Ed once again proved he is the most versatile artist, but a genius songwriter. 2022 is going to be a big year for him and we are looking forward to some more timeless hits.
Written by Sneha Mervana
If you’ve been looking for new music every week I will be posting new music across our socials to give you a flavour of the hottest tracks out now. This week we have some beautiful tracks to give you all the feels and get you feeling tingly and thinking about your loved ones.
Lauv has recently released his long-awaited album ’26’ and the title track is already a hit across streaming platforms and all over his socials. Have a listen to the honest yet compelling story about his career so far.
Jay Sean released his heartfelt song ‘Richest Man’, celebrating his incredible life which fame has blessed him with. Singing about his wonderful family and how he struggles to be away from his loved ones whilst touring or making music. Being a fan of his for a long time you can really understand what the lyrics mean:
I know I still got dreams to chase
Spending my time away
Robbing me of my days with you
So take care for me
Wait there for me
It’s so hard to be this far
I just wanna skip this part
Next up Jennifer Lopez and Maluma released the title track for their new movie ‘Marry Me’. This beautiful ballad has a radio edit plus the soft ballad version. Listening to both you can really hear the emotion and get lost in meeting that partner for life with who you can be yourself. A beautifully written track with honest lyrics. Perfect for all romance lovers.
Sigala brings the upbeat track of the week where you only want to be dancing with that one special person. More of a pop track but it will definitely get you moving. This is the first single from Sigala this year, hopefully, a full album is coming soon.
Lastly, The Script is finally back, this week they released another classic track called ‘I Want It All’. Singing about being that one person who you want to spend the rest of your life with.
Enjoy the tracks of the week, special Valentine’s edition and be sure to add them to your playlist.
Listen here:
Written by Sneha Mervana
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