HOSPITAL Radio Swindon, which provides music and entertainment for the town's Princess Margaret Hospital, has been honoured at this year's Hospital Radio Awards.

At a star-studied ceremony in Glasgow, hosted by Johnny Beattie, the station picked up the Highly Commended award in the Station of the Year category.

The accolade makes Hospital Radio Swindon one of the top 10 hospital radio stations in the UK.

The station, which is run entirely by volunteers, competed against nearly 200 other hospital radio stations in the national award scheme, sponsored this year by PPL, the music industry's regulatory body.

Hospital radio stations submit a 15-minute documentary about their station, how they work and what they do for the Station Of the Year prize.

This is listened to by a panel of judges drawn from the sponsors and the radio industry.

The judges said the entry from the station was: "An excellent example of the work of hospital radio. Patients in the hospital could enjoy a range of programmes that provide a personal and very relevant service for them during their stay."

Last month we reported how teenager John Lenehan is helping to bring music to patient's ears at PMH.

But Hospital Radio Swindon needs to raise £6,000 to pay for new equipment so it can continue providing the service to the new Great Western Hospital, due to open in December.

John, 13, from Rushey Platt, started selecting tracks and collecting requests as part of his service to charity for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme.

He said: "I wanted to do something where I would be learning but also helping other people. Music is a great form of medicine. We need to raise lots of money. And I hope we can do it because playing someone's favourite song can make them feel so much better."

Hospital Radio Swindon has been running since 1965, seven years after PMH opened.

Phil Wheeler, programme manager for Hospital Radio Swindon, said the equipment upgrades are crucial to the station's success at the new hospital.