Cornwall Community Media Network hosted a special event in the world of local radio on Saturday, February 1, writes Jean Main-Reade.

This was Community Radio Day, when six Ofcom-regulated Cornish stations - Coast FM (Penzance), Source FM (Falmouth), CHBN (Truro), CHAOS Radio (St Austell) and NCB Radio (Bodmin) and Islands FM (Scilly) - had the opportunity to broadcast for one hour in turn and to listen to each other's output.

These and other stations are available online at any time, but this was different because it gave us the motivation to concentrate for one day on different programmes and voices throughout the Duchy. It was a chance to listen with an open mind, compare varied choices for speech and music sections, and even consider a cross-pollination of ideas.

Stations which have an Ofcom licence must meet certain conditions to retain it, including the number of hours of original content and live broadcasts. Emphasis is on the benefits given to the local community. In the case of Hospital Radio, matters of health and well-being are important.

Community Radio Day was the first time such an exercise had been attempted. The reaction from the stations themselves and their listeners was enthusiastic, and we are hoping the opportunity will be repeated soon.

Cooperation is vital, but sometimes rivalry is inevitable. This happens in the case of the Hospital Broadcasting Association's (HBA) awards - the Oscars of hospital radio, if you will. The HBA is the umbrella organisation which supports and promotes UK hospital broadcasting, and its conference and awards ceremony takes place in April.

The 170 member stations can submit entries in 12 programme categories, ranging from Best Newcomer and Best Station Promotion to the HBA Lifetime Achievement Award. Each follows the Olympic pattern of gold, silver and bronze.

CHBN has submitted entries each year since 2004, and has gained at least Highly Commended in 31 of them. So far, we have been awarded nine trophies which are on display in our studios.

Our five entries this year include Best Station Promotion for Listen Again, a feature added to our website for listeners to hear programmes they have missed; Best Special Event for our coverage of Steven Webb's Cornwall 500 fundraiser, in which he toured the Duchy in his electric wheelchair in aid of Cornwall Air Ambulance; two for Best Newcomer, with presenters Richard Edoki and Viki Carpenter; and HBA Station of the Year, for which we have so often been shortlisted but which has so far eluded us.

The conference will take place on Saturday, April 5 in Hinckley, Leicestershire. A few of our members will be there waiting with fingers crossed to hear the results. We hope we shall not be disappointed.