Year: 2025

The full line-up has been confirmed for this year’s UK Community Radio Network (UKCRN) Conference, taking place in Bradford on Saturday, 25th October.
The annual event coincides with the 20th anniversary of community radio in the UK, celebrating two decades of local broadcasting, connection and impact, supported by headline sponsor Be Broadcast.
Hits Radio presenter Stephanie Hirst will share her personal journey in radio, reflecting on her career and the importance of community stations in engaging and empowering audiences.
A special anniversary panel led by Dom Chambers from Sound Vision will look back at how community radio has evolved over the last twenty years. Dom will be joined by Jason Rosam of Riverside Radio and other well-known figures from across the sector.
UKCRN Co-Founder Rebecca Steers will host a forward-looking session on the future of community radio, exploring new technology, legacy planning and the development of the next generation of broadcasters.
Other speakers include Kerry Cobb from Fix Radio, who will present a case study on serving the UK’s builder community while maintaining community values, and representatives from Be Broadcast, Cornwall Media Network and Ashdown Radio, offering insights into PR, collaboration and event-based income generation.
Industry suppliers including Promo Only, DHD Audio, Vortex Communications, Radio News Hub, RadioToday and The MediaSite UK will also be there throughout the day.
To support attendance, 20 bursary places covering both the conference and the Community Radio Awards have been made available, funded by Aiir, Be Broadcast, Steers Media, Broadcast Bionics, Rupert Brun, All In Media and UKCRN.
The weekend concludes with a Development Morning on Sunday, 26th October, providing hands-on opportunities for networking, demo feedback and skills development.
Tickets for both events are available via communityradio2025.eventbrite.co.uk.
More information on the bursary scheme is available at ukcrn.radio/bursary.

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Global’s Make Some Noise has raised a record-breaking £4.8 million during its 2025 charity appeal.

The annual campaign, now in its twelfth year, saw Global radio presenters take on daring challenges to encourage donations for small local charities across the UK.
Heart presenters Amanda Holden, Jamie Theakston and Ashley Roberts faced their fears in Heart’s Herculean Challenge.
Capital’s Kem Cetinay took on a full day of non-stop padel matches with the help of fellow presenters, celebrities and his friend Chris Hughes.
In Scotland, Heart Breakfast host Grado hand-cycled more than 400 kilometres from Granite City to Glasgow for his first ever Make Some Noise event.
On Make Some Noise Day, presenters from across Global’s radio brands including Heart, Capital, Smooth, Classic FM and Radio X came together to celebrate the nationwide fundraising effort.

Simon Pitts, Global’s Group CEO, said: “It’s incredible to be celebrating a record-breaking fundraising total of more than £4.8 million.
The creativity, generosity and energy across this year’s appeal has been inspiring and I’m proud that we’re helping to make a life-changing impact within communities across the UK.”

Suzanne Ryder Richardson, Director of Global Goodness, added: “From Kem Cetinay’s epic 24-hour padel marathon to Amanda Holden braving a box of snakes, our presenters, partners and listeners have yet again been incredibly generous in their support. This record-breaking figure will make a real difference.”
Furniture Village sponsored this year’s appeal, with Disney’s Hercules, PureGym and Digby Brown also backing presenter challenges.

Since its launch in 2014, Global’s Make Some Noise has supported over 527 community projects and helped change more than 227,000 lives across the UK.
More information on this year’s appeal can be found at makesomenoise.com

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