Community Voice FM

Community Voice FM in Middlesbrough received its license in 2008. It aims to use its service to benefit the most marginalised and disadvantaged people in the town. It officially began broadcasting on Monday 10 August 2009.

One of the main programmes for the radio station is a Woman’s Hour-style show based around the issues local women face and is called Women’s Voices.

Community Voice worked with the Black and Minority Ethnic Network whose 80-strong membership consists of 20 women’s groups mainly in Middleborough, to launch the new programme. It is funded over two years with almost £30,000 from the Barrow Cadbury Trust’s Habits of Solidarity pot.

The programme is focused on providing a platform to marginalised women in the area, many of whom are refugees or asylum seekers. Local women have been trained to contribute to the programmes.

Women are encouraged to talk about what matters to them and turn these issues into radio programmes, many of which involve live discussion.

Idrees Rashid, project co-ordinator, says the project deployed a worker who spoke with women in places where they felt comfortable. Women were encouraged to share their thoughts with other women from different backgrounds facing similar problems.

An example of how this has been done is through visits to various places of worship, community centres and children’s centres (Mum & Tots groups) where women often spend their time.

According to the project 87 women from across Middlesbrough have been registered as wanting to take part in the Women’s Voices programme, through this kind of outreach work.

This has included women from various cultural, social and cultural backgrounds, says the project. Each person registered had a one-to-one session with the project worker to identify the individual’s interests and concerns.

Some of the common issues that were identified by women were the lack of opportunities for them to be involved and make positive changes in the community – especially amongst younger groups. The project also encouraged local women to use the radio to explore issues such as forced marriage, domestic violence, access to safe places to play for children, antisocial behaviour, how to keep teenagers safe on the streets and health issues.

Older groups felt there was a lack of bilingual black and minority ethnic staff within mainstream services and some elderly women have difficulty filling in forms.

Rashid says these women have gradually been introduced to the radio studio and training facility where they have been given the skills and confidence to be able to record their discussions, carry out further research into the issues that concern them, interview local decision makers and put together documentary-style programmes to broadcast on Community Voice FM.

Preparation for the programme began in January 2009. The team running it consists of one full-time project worker and two sessional workers who researched, recorded, carried out interviews and produced the programmes.

Rashid believes the programme is giving “a voice to community issues, concerns and interests and involves local people in the development and delivery of the service” as well as empowering women.