A COMMUNITY radio station is battling against closure after its funding ran dry.

209radio based at the Citylife Centre in Sturton Street, Cambridge, has been on the FM airwaves in the city for less than a year but staff and volunteers say they need to raise at least £20,000 by the end of the month or they will have to close down.

The station, which is on 105 FM, features programmes made by homeless people, Girl Guides and those with mental health problems as well as shows in Chinese, Polish and Turkish.

It also features folk, reggae, jazz and rock music, food shows, sport and the environment.

After a crunch meeting of the trustees, station manager Karl Hartland has made a plea to the people of Cambridge to help save it.

Mr Hartland said: "We had a meeting and it was decided that unless emergency charitable donat¬ions in the region of £20,000 to £25,000 can be found by the end of the month then the project is no longer viable.

"It will mean the loss of around 60 community radio programmes, many of which are very long running and extremely worthy, like Homeless Truths. We have created a lot of innovative radio programmes and we have brought languages other than English to the Cambridge airwaves for the first time. "But now we haven't got any money left, we are down to the dirt floor."

Cambridge MP David Howarth has given his backing to the station, saying: "I wholeheartedly support 209radio and urge the Cambridge community to get behind this valuable resource."

The station is a registered charity and is run by a small group of staff and an extended network of volunteers. It has not been able to run advertising because of restrictions put in place by the broadcast watchdog OfCom, although it is hoped these will be lifted later this month giving the station a fresh chance.

It relies on grants and donations to help pay rent and staff costs but raising funds has been tough.

Mr Hartland added: "Almost every scheme we have applied to, including the National Lottery, has turned us down. We really thought we had enough funding to see us through until the advertising restrictions were lifted by OfCom but it has run out.

"Now is the time for the people of Cambridge to help."

The station started broadcasting on the internet from the front room of a house in Arbury in 2003 before moving to the Citylife Centre two years ago, from where it secured a five-year FM licence.

via Cambridge-news.co.uk