Do You Have One? Listen Up!!

You may have heard that the service provided by the BBC Local Radio Network is be reduced in the near future, with less specialist music programmes and much more "area" broadcasting rather than local. For instance here in Lincolnshire, BBC Radio Lincolnshire will be broadcasting more "East Midlands" based programmes during any 24 hour period rather than county specific programmes. This is something that is "not good" to say the least.

What can we do about it? Simple. Tune into your local Community Radio, if you have one locally. These are stations, available over different platforms, internet, FM, AM. DAB etc. that are based in your local communities and which broadcast for them, providing lots of local news, events, sports etc.

Here in the East Lindsey area of Lincolnshire, we have Lindsey Coast Radio which at the moment is only available on the internet and can be accessed at www.lindseycoast.org.uk 24 hours a day. It is planned to widen the availability in the near future by moving to other platforms as well as remaining of the web. The station came into being in February 2011 and is now going from strength to strength. Listener numbers are increasing on a weekly basis with not only local people tuning in but also those people who come to the Lincolnshire Coast for their holidays doing the same and continuing to do so throughout the year, after they have returned home, to enable them to keep in touch with what is happening here!!

At the moment most of the live content happens in the evenings and on Sundays, which is the busiest day. The live content is expanding with Heavy Rock, Grunge, Reggae and Ska, Blues, Country, Folk and general magazine programmes all available. At all other times the station is broadcasting a mix of music to suit all tastes.

With the reduction in service from your "local" BBC radio station soon to become a reality, search out your own local Community Radio station as an alternative. You will be pleasantly surprised I am sure. All are run by vounteers and deserve your support.

Countryside - How Much Do We Have?

Lot's of discussions recently about planning policies, new planning laws etc. etc. have concentrated the mind somewhat. I asked myself "What is countryside?"
Now that is a difficult question in it's own right, but then again ask what is REAL countryside and it becomes even more difficult.

Look at the Lincolnshire Wolds. Lovely wide-open spaces but is most of it actually real countryside. How long has it looked like that?

Drive from Skegness to Boston and how much countryside do you actually see?

Difficult to answer without an answer to the question what is real countryside.

Put it simply. Is mile upon mile of fields countryside? Is that real countryside? Or is it actually an industrial landscape with the industry being agriculture?

That makes it an interesting question doesn't it?