Overton’s village radio station celebrates its Third birthday this month, and while it celebrates its own listening audience successes, it plans a joint-fundraiser for Test Valley Men’s Shed.
With just 4,200 people in the village, Overton Radio now boasts more than 1,000 monthly listeners, with a Facebook page that’s attracted over 800,000 pageviews so far this year. It can also claim to have promoted more than 350 village events groups in the past year.
Over this August Bank Holiday weekend, the volunteer-run station will be hosting an event to support the Test Valley Men’s Shed, as well as its own operation. The Test Valley Men’s Shed is a charity designed to combat social isolation, particularly among older men.
Radio station co-founder Rob Francis said, “As ‘CarFest’ has departed Overton for Silverstone, we plan to host ‘Carpark Fest’ – a scaled-down local music festival in the carpark and garden of The Red Lion pub.
“The free event will feature performances from local musicians with entertainment for all ages as well as food, drink and local traders. All event proceeds will be split equally between the operation of the radio station and continuation of Test Valley Men’s Shed.”
Nick Bowden, Chair of Test Valley Men’s Shed said, “We want to say a heartfelt thank you to Overton Radio for supporting our shed. It means the world to us. We are counting down the days to Carpark Fest and look forward to celebrating with the whole community.”
Overton Radio co-founder David Harber added, “It’s in our DNA to support our local community, and after three years we are so proud of all our volunteers, supporting local businesses and listeners. However, it costs more almost £3,000 a year to run the radio station, so we are also launching a crowdfunding campaign so we can continue bringing the community together at local events for many years to come.”
Since launch in 2023, the online radio station has supported, promoted or hosted all the village’s major community events including the Christmas Market, the school fete, village fireworks, the Rotten Hill Cup football match, and all of Overton’s best-loved celebrations including the Wheelbarrow Race and the Scarecrow Festival – both of which return to the village on 17th July this year.
The station, which benefits from the support of 11 local volunteers, will launch its Crowdfunding effort at Carpark Fest, raising money for core costs and a new public address (PA) system – enabling the station to support yet more local events.
Stallholders, musicians or other traders who wish to participate should contact Overton Radio by emailing hello@overtonradio.com.