VOLUNTEERS behind an online community radio station are celebrating after receiving a Big Lottery Fund grant.
The £9,980 award will enable Redhill-based Redstone FM to develop a custom-built radio studio accessible for blind and partially-sighted people.
The new facilities will include specialist software to produce, present and record interviews for broadcast.
The funding will also help develop the current online service, as the station prepares to broadcast on DAB (digital radio) in December this year.
Programme controller Steve Burge, who is totally blind, said: "Having started a basic online service earlier in the year, the Lottery grant will enable us to develop this project.
"The studio equipment and specialist software this grant will fund is a great boost to our many blind and partially-sighted members.
"It will help them develop their skills and self-confidence. With this support, we will be able to offer further opportunities to visually impaired people as the project develops.
"The fact that we now have a timetable for launching our full-time DAB service is an added bonus, as we can start to plan our programme schedule and bring local radio back to East Surrey."
Redstone FM's chairman Rosie Mac said: "We have been waiting about three years for the go-ahead and now that we have a date, the hard work starts in putting everything together."
